Girona manager Michel is not one to get carried away too easily.
He couldn’t resist the temptation, however, after watching Savinho train for the first time during pre-season last year, immediately calling sporting director Quique Carcel aside.
“We’re going to finish in the top eight,” he told Carcel, who tried, in vain, to bring him back down to earth. “Are you crazy or what?” As it would turn out, Michel could not have got it more right.
Such was Savinho’s impact at the Montilivi stadium that Michel’s prediction wasn’t bold enough – as Girona fought for the La Liga title until the very end. They finished in third place – behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona – and qualified for the Champions League. It was the best campaign in the club’s 93-year history.
Much of the credit for this was given to their electrifying winger.
In the space of a year, Savinho went from a player struggling in PSV Eindhoven reserves to a breakout star in Spain, making his Brazil debut against England at Wembley.
“I know this is a big statement, but I hadn’t seen anyone so effective in one-on-one situations since Vinicius Jr emerged,” Michel said.
“He was perhaps the most surprising talent in La Liga if you consider that [Jude] Bellingham was already known by everybody.”
It’s no wonder Manchester City have made Savinho their first signing of the summer, snapping him up from sister team Troyes, who had loaned him to Girona.
The 20-year-old has become the first player to climb all the way to the top of the City Football Group pyramid.
Having ended last season with 11 goals and 10 assists for Girona, he will be determined to prove that he’s here to stay. It should not be an issue for someone who, despite his age, has always stood out for his strong character and self-esteem.
“I was born with the gift of playing football,” he has said on multiple occasions.
City manager Pep Guardiola will now be hoping to make the most of it.
Savinho is not your typical footballer.
Having grown up in his grandparents’ home in the rural area of Sao Mateus, in the south-east of Brazil, he learned early in his life to ride horses, milk cows and plant vegetables such as lettuce, okra and tomatoes. It remains his favourite holiday destination.
“If you ask him whether he wants to spend it in Cancun, Mexico or with his grandparents, he will definitely choose the latter. That’s his passion,” his mother Dona Nilma said.
As much as Savinho enjoyed the daily routine on the farm, however, he was meant for football.
It didn’t take long for Nilma to find it out either – he was only five when she heard a prophecy from one of his first coaches.
“This kid will be a footballer,” he predicted.
Savinho started playing on the beach, and after switching to the pitch, was soon on the radar of big teams.
Ultimately, the left-footer signed for Atletico Mineiro after impressing in a match against their under-17s side. He was 11.
Precocious, he went on to become, at 16, the youngest player to play for Atletico in the Brazilian league and, at 18, the youngest to score for them in a Libertadores Cup game.
His meteoric rise convinced City Football Group to move quickly and it beat competition from Arsenal to secure his services in 2022.
Strong on the ball and able to change direction in a second fraction, Savinho was originally registered at third-division club Troyes, but never featured for the French side. Instead, he was sent on loan to PSV.
An early injury, however, stalled his progression and, combined with reduced minutes after that, made it impossible for him to shine in the Eredivisie.
Girona had watched him in the 2023 Under-20 World Cup and decided he was worth the bet, although it was not easy to convince Michel at first as he had asked for an experienced winger.
“Savinho didn’t have much senior football under his belt; he had been sidelined at PSV, played for the reserves, but not as starter, so that was a difficult sell,” said Carcel.
He had to hit the ground running and so he did, imposing himself from the first moment he arrived in Catalonia. He wasn’t allowed to switch off for a minute. He simply couldn’t.
“You have the potential to finish this season with 10 goals and 20 assists, so do it,” Michel told him during half-time in a match in which he had already scored and assisted once.
It certainly won’t get any easier for Savinho under Guardiola.
He doesn’t mind. He’s living his dream.
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