Who is Matheus França? Newcastle United target has elements of Vinicius & Firmino

Will Matheus França join fellow South American super talents Andrey Santos (to Chelsea) and Máximo Perrone (to Man City) and head from South America to the Premier League this winter? According to a report by the Daily Mail, Newcastle United have made a €15.4 million offer to Flamengo to sign the talented 18-year-old attacking midfielder. Fabrizio Romano has since reported that Newcastle have increased their offer to €16 million and that Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon are also interested in the Brazilian. 

“I'd say he's one of the most promising Brazilian players at his age,” Transfermarkt Area Manager for Brazil Marcos Watts said. Among Brazilian talents, Matheus França has been greatly overshadowed by Endrick, who joined Real Madrid in a record transfer, and Andrey Santos. But you could make a point that the Flamengo star could be the one with the highest ceiling of the three. 

Matheus França has already managed nine goals and three assists in 33 games for Flamengo. Last season he scored four goals in just 17 games, and he has already scored once in the Carioca this season. “He is an 18-year-old on probably the best squad in Brazil, only came out of the academy last year, and has already made 30 appearances for Flamengo,” Watts said. 

Matheus França: Can play as a winger, no. 9 and no. 10

The 18-year-old first made headlines at the famous Copinha, where he scored two goals and three assists in just two games for Flamengo. It was at that tournament that Flamengo realized what they had in the forward. “The kid is a very creative and skillful player, not the fastest but can play as a no.10, 9, or even as a winger,” Watts said. “França is great at reading the game and interpreting spaces.” In fact, the Brazilian is one of the most valuable Brazilians born in 2004. 

Although Watts is not a fan of comparing up-and-coming talent with current stars, he believes Matheus França has elements of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino. “He might be more skilled though, perhaps more comparable to the likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo,” Watts adds. 

Even though it is difficult to compare players across different leagues and age groups, the underlying stats on Wyscout highlight Watts’ observation. Using data from the last calendar year, shows that Matheus França has elements of all three comparables mentioned by Watts. 

While Matheus França seeks fewer one-v-one situations than Vinicius (10.21 dribbles per 90 minutes) and Rodrygo (5.9), his 4.22 dribbles per 90 are more than Firmino’s 1.96 per 90. Matheus França leads the three players with 59.26% winning dribbles. Unlike Vinicius (5.58), Rodrygo (4.85), or Firmino (5.19), Matheus França is also more prone to play outside the box and had just 3.91 touches inside the box per 90 minutes over the last calendar year. 

Matheus França: Vinicius Jr. a comparable ceiling?

Those numbers, in fact, highlight why Watts was reluctant to compare Matheus França to one player, in particular, as a case can be made that he combines the best of all those players. There is also a solid case to be made that Matheus França is most comfortable in the traditional no.10 role, which would situate him just behind a classical no.9 surrounded by two wingers. Matheus França’s outside-the-box goal against Audax (1-0) in the Carioca underlines this point. 

While it is, therefore, hard to find a good comparable for Matheus França among Brazilian talent, Watts believes that the ceiling could be higher than that of Vinicius Junior. “For what he has shown at this age, I would say he could be better than Vini and has the potential to become one of Brazil’s greats.” 

The data at Goalimpact certainly underlines this. With a current Goalimpact of 82.7, Matheus França is already projected to reach a peak Goalimpact of 128.8, which would firmly place him among the top players in a top four leagues (for more on Goalimpact, read here). With a market value of €120m, Vinicius Junior is now one of the most valuable players in the world, and with Matheus França projected to be better than the Real winger, a €16m fee now could be an absolute steal.