Insane Brazilian Superstar Only Turned Pro At 23

[@perfumedozap]

important detail: the guy started the competition on fire, helped Botafogo go through the pre-Libertadores and BROKE HIS LEG early in the season. Everyone thought he couldn't make it back in time and he came back to score in the final and finish the competition as top scorer. Movie stuff.

[@LiftandCoa]

done his job like absolute legend he is

[@joaobxd299]

ABSOLUTE CINEMA

[@ButHearMeOut]

the fact that zealand learned to say Reais with an european accent is hilarious to me

[@juliorabello]

He went full european Brazilian

[@sullenskulls9709]

@@juliorabello So...... Portuguese?

[@OrlovKruskayev]

@@ButHearMeOut riaishhh

[@delaschagas14]

This is Rio accent

[@OrlovKruskayev]

@@delaschagas14 sotaque do rio não ia ter o i do riaish não po

[@MarcelloDuarteCrescencio]

There's a fun fact for you, Botafogo have Garrincha as one of our most beloved idols, his nickname was "The Angel with crooked legs". Junior Santos has The nickname "The Angel with Confused legs" due to his moments of genius and amateurism at The same time. We love him here in Botafogo, The last gol had to be his.

[@Ilosaf0666]

I know Z didnt mean ofense by it, but I gotta say I laughed hard when he said "moved from Bahia to Salvador", thats like saying moved from california to los angeles hahaha

[@eonfow]

oh no, european brazilians managed to teach zealand how to say "reais" wrong

[@juliorabello]

Hos story with Botafogo is also crazy: He arrived in 2023, went pretty bad, supporters hated him, but management loved him. He came on loan from japan ( cue the loan song ) with a optional fee. The club decided the fee was to high despite liking him and he returned to japan at the end of of 2023. in 2024 he was bought by fortaleza, for about 1/10 of botafogo optional fee. Played there for 3 months, supporters over there hated him, and botafogo offered to buy him for the same amount fortaleza payid to tue japanese club. Now back, he really stepped up his game, became the best player of the club's 1st semester before his injury, and now supporters love him. His strenght and weakness is that he did not pass trough the average club formation, so he sometimes lacked on decision making and movement, but kept the raw skill and imprevisibility that is so rare in modern football. He says that, to compensate, he like to see and study the best plays from the best strikers in europe.

[@herrerasauro7429]

To giive some context: On the first half of this year he was playing so well, scoring so much, assisting, helping in build-play with great passes and movements that it was a genuine headache for the coach because he played in the same position as the Libertadores MvP and our most expensive signing, Luiz Henrique that still hadn't hit his stride. Even playing out of position, because of others injuries and to give Luiz Henrique his position, he kept balling basically in all attacking position plugging the gaps (which shows how much evolution, from a one dimensional winger to someone versatile enough to play with his back at goal or in between the defensive lines), up until he broke his legs and the team got retooled which made him a substitute.

[@JoeMercersWay]

"He was from Bahia, which is basically a part of the country"...

[@Lucaz99]

I think it’s funny how we are giving him so much shit but to be fair I think he meant that he moved from the countryside to Salvador.

[@Mateusfsxrc3phun]

Botafogo fan here. He wrote history. The story of Jr Santos on the Libertadores 2024 goes much beyond the goal on the final. He basically classified the team to the pre-libertadores playoffs by himself. Got a serious injure in the middle of the season, stayed out of essentially all o the remaining matches until a couple of matches on the league before the final. Started in the bench on the final until last half of the second time. Scored a last minute goal and still ended up being the main striker of the competition. Absolute Cinema

[@jo_magpie]

He was playing alongside Gabriel marinelli in Ituano in 2018...

[@Otaviomrt]

one more detail: he was the top scorer in this year Libertadores with 10 goals

[@5minutemovies977]

When you said "Brazilian Jamie Vardy", I thought he was just a professionnal trash-talker.

[@thiagonascimento3065]

Junior Santos is a humble player. The man is even a preacher in his church

[@brenoandrade7775]

@@thiagonascimento3065well he did some trashtalking in the celebration of Libertadores. Even rapping over a player. Gotta say that i liked him even more after that.

[@prytooblack]

Salvador is the capital of the state of Bahia, he probably moved from a smaller city, not gonna bother searching now

[@rafaelmetal1]

Yep, you're right. He's from Conceição do Jacuípe, Just google It , if you want to see more.

[@cdeknight00]

There was this other player, Junior Messias, who also started playing professionally really late. He later played for AC Milan

[@chimporila]

Bahia - State Salvador - Bahia's capital

[@toumig6591]

There is a similar and more extreme story from Maravilla Martinez: from being a garbage man, to being falsely imprisoned for 6 months for "commiting arson to the guy who executed his brother", to playing football and winning the Copa Sudamericana with Racing.

[@silaswarren8418]

No views in one minute? Zealand I’m madly in love with you

[@ChrisA2]

hahahhaha best one

[@daniellebittencourt9820]

Wait until you discover THE MAN, THE LEGEND, THE KING OF SHITHOUSERY: Deyverson, or as we call him: Deyvinho.

[@unnwas]

He is the personification of everything I dislike in South American football, but he is so honest about it I can't even be mad, man is funny af

[@daniellebittencourt9820]

@ the most south american player ever

[@henry247]

Deyverson should have played for the national team at least once already... dude has the heart of a lion.

[@juliorabello]

Jr Santos aka THE ALLIGATOR

[@VictorMontel]

This type of story is not uncommon in Brazil, more often times than not you will find a player that played in the Varzea (it's what we call the amateur leagues here) instead of going through a traditional academy set up. This usually happens with players that grew up in small towns and in situations of poverty, they know they have the talent, but they usually drop it to become farmers or bricklayers to support their poor families. So, to get their itch of playing football, they end up playing in the Varzeas. Thing is, if they're playing in a tournament that's big enough, some scouts drop in. Usually from clubs from serie D or C, which is how these guys start off their pro careers. There are cases of course of players that abandon everything at a young age to try getting in the youth systems of a big club, but most of the times, these youth systems have players from around the city. Vinicius Junior played in Flamengo's youth rankings, but lived just a few miles outside of Rio de Janeiro.

[@rogeriopenna9014]

There are actually quite a lot of similar stories in Brazil From the top of my head, Leandro Damião, who was playing amateur until his 20s, and also Jonas, beloved in Portugal, who was studying to be a pharmacist and also started in a pro team around that age

[@henzocolimenezesdesouza346]

My bro, what cool content, keep talking about football around the world and especially here in Brazil

[@HonestTom1892]

Remember the name Junior Santos.

[@5minutemovies977]

I mean... this could have been Neymar's footballing name. It's not hard to remember, but it's hard to remember who that is :D

[@benjaminguzman3428]

With Botafogo's win, he now gets to go to the USA to play in the club world cup

[@5minutemovies977]

Brazilian Portuguese, not just Portuguese, because Portugal Portuguese and Brazil Portuguese have a their share of differences.

[@PatrickIS-mb2hr]

Who was the one player that you played with who went pro cause that’s an interesting story

[@OrlovKruskayev]

Legit beautiful story

[@SwanRonsonDonnyJepp]

Hey Zealand, im Swan fuckin Ronson 🦢💪😁

[@Akiiralol]

And remimber that this guy scored the first and the last goal of botafogo in libertadores

[@Thefrogbread]

I sure hope you review Celtic - Aberdeen

[@rogeriopenna9014]

Salvador is the capital of Bahia state It's a 2.5 million people city, 3.6 million metro area. Founded in 1549, it's one of the oldest cities in Brazil

[@Finnegeas]

Red Bull sign him up.

[@Agnt14]

2-3 videos in we might get Zealand recording with his phone

[@thepetermullins]

Oh mate, Inverness Caledonian Thistle are relentless. Godspeed Zealand Shannon, I have faith you will escape them if you keep running.

[@delaschagas14]

Also ended up as the top scorer of the tournament. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas 🔥🔥🔥

[@maxl.b.m.y.g.5918]

Zealand “Scott Carson” Shannon

[@Topav05]

Thanks Z for continuing to record videos while on the run from the FBI and CIA after attempting to threaten to smuggle in a nuclear bomb.

[@jamespetercharles7532]

1:11 you can totally say Brazilian Portuguese cause it's very different from European Portuguese

[@juliorabello]

The correct term is Brazilian and European Brazilian 😂

[@TenaciousAC]

Video idea : The J League promotion playoff system going on in J2 and J3 in Japan. Each game is a one-leg tie but if the game is tied at the end of regular time, there’s no extra time, no penalty shootout, the higher seeded side just ‘wins’. Needless to say, a lot of draws in its short history and some boring promotions.

[@pashteto]

3000 brazilian reais is 600 usd

[@juliorabello]

and also 2 times the brazilian minimum wage, wich he was paid to work on a construction site. Maybe even less.

[@petersen.a]

500 dollar actually

[@andrefiliks]

Goddamnit now I can't get mad at him for scoring that goal

[@maxl.b.m.y.g.5918]

Salvador is in the state of Bahia btw

[@joshuateixeira2709]

God is good!!!

[@SwanRonsonDonnyJepp]

God is ALMIGHTY 🙏💪

[@ninjalectualx]

Can you explain why your God is homophobic?

[@lkrnpk]

Allahu Akbar!

[@emmanuelmedeiros7]

@@ninjalectualx God is not homophobic, he does not fear homossexuals. He condems the act of homossexuality, but he loves homossexuals just as he loves heterossexuals, and he wants them to stop commiting sin.

[@viniciusguimaraes5674]

not brasil 4 tier (serie D) , 4 tier of são paulo state championship. is like 8th tier of english football.

[@brunoribeiro1043]

BOTAFOGO

[@SLBMFF]

New to the channel, loving it. Subbed imidiately. But one thing..... Botafogo is not even among the five biggest teams in Brazil. Not even the top 3 in Rio

[@ypioca07]

this must be some massive cope

[@eduardosoares7453]

​@@ypioca07No it is not, this is the first tittle Botafogo has won in 30 years. They started to become something meaningful last year.

[@pedromaia9947]

@@ypioca07 it is, we brazilians love to shit on botafogo but they are the strongest team in south america rn

[@kats1646]

​@@pedromaia9947 There's a difference between "biggest" and "best". Botafogo is the best team in South America right now, but they're nowhere as big as some of the others from the G12.

[@joaogvc]

Lots of envious rivals trying to compensate their sadness saying shit here. Botafogo was a sleeping giant and now is showing the world what made Brazilian football what we are. Just need to look into football’s history and you will learn the importance of Botafogo

[@Akilla02]

GO HOME 😭

[@owenfitzgerald5928]

Johny Evans slander will not be tolerated. I am ps i have watched every zealandism vid and subbed from the first vid i think but after this slander of Evans I may unsubscribe. Best man united player for a few weeks there and best man u defender for a few months underrated king. Nis best player after Best and before Bradley

[@JayWhiteMadden]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJarppmbmdF5iMk Need a video about this reaction and why open cups are great and USS still doesn't get it.

[@Bielgv1]

You ate not supposed to pronouce the H i Bahia

[@Swedishpolymath]

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be taken away from the US deal with it.

[@csolivais1979]

Why?

[@Swedishpolymath]

@csolivais1979 Why? Make a guess. I am done doing all the bloody work.

[@5minutemovies977]

My best bet is that you're Gianni Infantino, and you've just decided to send the WC to UAE or something.

[@Lucaz99]

Gianni, why?! 👀😭

[@Swedishpolymath]

@@Lucaz99 I am not Gianni Infantino. I am Alexander Julius Dahlmeier's private secretary Alexander Julius von Mannheim I was born on the 27th of May 1990 in Stockholm. I have a university degree from Strasbourg. I think. Isn't Sanna Marin somehow involved in the Ukraine peace talks. The same year as Henry Kissinger. For fuck sake. Why? Won't someone peace think of the (Central African Republican) children. Paul from Geography Now you know what I am referencing. My dear friend Reinhard is more concerned with the Malagasy children but I don't know. We have plans for Madagascar as soon as we get the Mozambique situation in control.

[@ericrodriguesdeoliveira594]

Actually you can call the language Brazilian, Portuguese people just speak European Brazilian