The worldwide break is normally seen as an unwelcome break from the highs of membership soccer, particularly on the enterprise finish of the season. Nevertheless, generally, these video games present us a glimpse of how a nationwide staff is progressing. One such event was this week’s pleasant, the place a closely rotated Brazilian facet secured a win in opposition to England at Wembley Stadium. Actually, there have been seven debutants within the match, nicely, eight in the event you embrace supervisor Dorival Junior. One in every of them was PSG’s Lucas Beraldo, who put up a superb show on the coronary heart of Selecao’s defence.
Different gamers who debuted alongside Beraldo have been Bento, Fabricio Bruno, Wendell, Joao Gomes, Pablo Maia, and Girona star Savio. Beraldo, in January, made his trans-Atlantic transfer as he left Sao Paulo to the attract of Paris. This was greater than sufficient proof of his expertise, and one of many high golf equipment in world soccer signed him up earlier than integrating him straight into the enjoying 11.
And now Beraldo has proved his value within the Selecao jersey. So, how good is Lucas Beraldo, and will he be part of Brazil’s golden technology?
Lucas Beraldo profile
Born in Piracicaba, a metropolis in Sao Paulo, on November 24, 2003, Beraldo’s first stint on the youth stage was with União Barbarense, who play within the Campeonato Paulista Segunda Divisão, the fifth division of the Sao Paulo soccer construction. Nevertheless, he would spend just one yr on the membership earlier than becoming a member of one other native membership, XV de Piracicaba.
After spending two extra years on the membership, he was lastly provided an opportunity to affix the famed Sao Paulo youth academy. Beraldo grabbed this chance with each arms, making his mark within the youth ranks. In his first season, he performed for the under-20 facet, serving to them attain the ultimate of the CBF Brasileiro U20.
The next season, he lastly made his senior staff debut on Could 26, 2002, within the Copa Sudamericana event. Nearly two months later, he additionally made his league debut in opposition to Internacional. As well as, he performed seven instances within the well-known youth event, the place Copinha scored one objective and helped his staff attain the semi-finals.
In the beginning of the 2023 season, Beraldo would change into an integral a part of the senior staff, and by the tip of it, he was most likely one of many few positives in a season the place Sao Paulo completed eleventh within the league.
Learn Extra: Georgiy Sudakov: Shakhtar Donetsk produces one other star in artistic midfielder
Lucas Beraldo stats
Within the 2023 season, Beraldo performed 24 instances within the league, scoring one objective. This was the key check in his younger profession, and he got here out of it with flying colours. He averaged a formidable passing success fee of 88.7 per cent. His cross-success ratio was additionally a outstanding 50 per cent, whereas his duel success fee stood at 57.1 per cent.
Stats from fbref present that he ranked among the many high 9 percentile of defenders when it comes to profitable passes. What made him sensible was his spectacular passes, be it brief, medium, or lengthy. Beraldo can be extraordinarily expert at making threatening passes from deadball conditions. Actually, he was among the many high 4 percentile of defenders for creating goal-bound photographs from deadball passes.
Beraldo’s excessive calmness on the ball is nicely coupled along with his impeccable tackling, which regularly helped Sao Paulo get well from a weak state of affairs. The centre-back received 1.56 tackles within the defensive third, among the many high six percentile of defenders, and 0.78 tackles within the center half of the pitch, among the many high 9 percentile.
136 – Beraldo registrou 136 ações com a bola diante do Goiás, estabelecendo um novo recorde de um jogador do São Paulo no Brasileirão 2023. O zagueiro é dono das três maiores marcas tricolores na atual temporada do campeonato. Essencial. pic.twitter.com/JgrU5bLwUE
— OptaJoao (@OptaJoao) October 19, 2023
Nevertheless, one in every of his greatest stats of the season was his 1340 ahead passes, averaging 27.5 per 90 minutes, the third-best common within the league. That is a formidable stat, as Sao Paulo didn’t play a system that inspired ball-playing centre-backs. Nevertheless, such is his expertise that Beraldo by some means managed to include his strengths right into a system that was not appropriate for it.
Becoming a member of Paris Saint Germain was an enormous change not solely within the setting but additionally in high quality. The defender, nevertheless, has elevated his sport already, making 15 appearances throughout Ligue 1, Champions League, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions. One fascinating stat is that PSG have misplaced no sport by which he has performed till now.
Learn Extra: Breno Bidon: Corinthians attacking midfielder is a artistic genius
Lucas Beraldo fashion of play
As talked about earlier, Beraldo is a defender who likes to have the ball at his toes. Nevertheless, the defender appears to have married his spectacular passing with Brazilian dribbling aptitude. This makes him adept at passing and shifting the ball ahead, one thing seen in his heatmap from the 2023 season.
One factor that makes him a uncommon entity is his left-footedness. Often, he fashioned a robust partnership along with his left-back whereas shifting the ball up the pitch. In passing, his best power is vertical passing, which he makes use of to seek out the best-positioned teammate. Beraldo additionally covers loads of floor, which is likely one of the explanation why Liverpool have been additionally a eager admirer of the Brazilians.
At Sao Paulo, nevertheless, Beraldo was typically tasked with taking essentially the most dangers within the backline, which precipitated him to make errors a number of instances. Nevertheless, at PSG, he won’t solely play in a system that performs to his strengths however can even have world-class teammates who will be certain that Beraldo can exhibit his expertise to the fullest.
Lucas Beraldo potential
After Brazil’s heartbreak on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there have been requires the addition of youthful gamers into the squad who could be the subsequent technology of the five-time world champions. Thus, gamers like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, and Eder Militao have been entrusted with extra duties whereas inexperienced however proficient kids like Endrick Felipe and Vitor Roque have been known as as much as the nationwide squad. Beraldo is the beneficiary of this method, and he didn’t disappoint serving to his staff maintain a clear sheet on his worldwide debut,
PSG are altering their switch technique from signing superstars for an exorbitant price to signing younger, proficient gamers who may change into stars sooner or later with the correct coaching and steerage. And it’s right here {that a} participant like Beraldo will discover all the assistance he must take his profession to the subsequent stage.