Who is Yuri Alberto? The Brazilian wonderkid interesting Man City and Arsenal

8 Nov 2021 17:47 GMT
6 min read

Manchester City target Yuri Alberto of Internacional — © ProShots

Manchester City could be about to raid the Brazilian market again by attempting to sign young Internacional forward Yuri Alberto.

The defending Premier League champions recently signed fellow wonderkid Kayky from Fluminense, while his team-mate Metinho also joined another City Football Group side in Ligue 1 outfit, Troyes.

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Man City hope to garner further success in the Brazilian market and could make Alberto another acquisition from Serie A.

So, what kind of player is he?

What position does Yuri Alberto play?

Alberto plays as a centre-forward.

How good is Yuri Alberto?

Alberto has already had a relatively big move in his short career as in 2020 he completed a transfer from Santos to Internacional.

Though well thought of an Santos, the club did not provide Alberto with enough game time to convince him to sign an extended contract, which resulted in the free agent move to Internacional.

Finally settled, he has found his goalscoring touch at Internacional, scoring 21 goals in 40 starts in the Brazilian Serie A so far.

At just 20, he has already displayed a knack for knowing where the goal is and is an excellent finisher.

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A post shared by Yuri Alberto (@yurialberto)

What helps him with this, though, is his immense pace and acceleration which allow him to burst beyond the opposition defence to give himself slightly more time to pick his spot.

Team-mate Edinilson hopes Internacional can keep hold of Alberto for as long as possible, but recognises that the young forward will likely move on to bigger things soon.

“Since (Alberto) arrived, I have seen huge potential in him. I know that, soon, we won’t have him here anymore because he has really huge potential,” Edinilson said.

What clubs are interested in Yuri Alberto?

A large number of clubs have been credited with an interest in Alberto, including Man City, Arsenal, Milan, Napoli and Barcelona.

In 2017, the player himself as a 16 year old expressed a desire to play in Italy.

“Europe will eventually be the result of good work rather than the target in itself. Italian football is very tactical and with characteristics that really suit my game," he told Mediaset Premium.

“It's one of the most important leagues in the world, where many Brazilians have shone in the past. Plus it's a wonderful place to live.

“It is certainly my dream to play for a big Italian club and experience Serie A."

Man City are leading the race for his signature, and Internacional president Alessandro Barcellos recently recognised the rumours while also confirming that no bid had been received.

“We heard about it. Of course, nothing concrete has arrived for the club. But we saw it,” Barcellos told ESPN.

“Others have, at some point, concretely approached the club, but we are also making this effort so that we can keep Yuri Alberto”