Half a billion reais striker debuts at Palmeiras U20

Palmeiras’ 1-0 victory against Nacional-SP last Saturday (4), in the fourth round of the Paulista Under-20 Championship, was special for 18-year-old striker Luis Yano. The duel marked the young man’s debut of the season and, consequently, his first game in the Under-20 category.

Discover the Nosso Palestra channel on YouTube! Click here.
Follow Our Lecture on Twitter and in Instagram / Listen to NPCast!
Discover and comment on the Nosso Palestra Forum

At Verdão since 2018, Yano signed his first professional contract in October last year. He was one of the Under-17’s highlights in 2023 and scored 11 goals in 32 matches played for the category, in addition to four assists. The athlete’s contract is valid until February 2025, with a termination fine of R$8 million for Brazilian clubs and €100 million (R$543 million at current prices) for teams abroad.

-I felt really good (in this Under-20 debut against Nacional). It’s always good to be able to be on the field helping my team doing what I love most and what I know best – said the striker.

SEE OUR LECTURE
Check out Estêvão’s goal in Palmeiras’ victory against Cuibá in the Brazilian Championship

With three wins and a draw in the first four rounds of the Paulista U20, Palmeiras leads group 11 of the tournament, followed by Ibrachina, with seven, and Flamengo-SP, with six. The young athlete spoke about the importance of maintaining group leadership.

-Very important to maintain first place for the next stages of the championship. We know it is very difficult and the other teams are very qualified. Everyone wants to beat Palmeiras. So we have to always be evolving and, particularly, I have to be ready to make the best use of every opportunity – he added.

With Yano at the disposal of coach Lucas Andrade, the Crias da Academia return to the field in the state championship next Saturday (11), against Guarulhos, away from home, in the fifth round – the last of the first round. A victory leaves the team qualified for the next stage.

Verdão is in group 11 of the state, alongside AD Guarulhos, Flamengo-SP, Ibrachina, Nacional and Portuguesa. In the first phase, the teams face each other within their brackets in two rounds, and the two highest scorers in each group, in addition to the six best third-placed teams overall, advance to the second phase.

Palmeiras seeks to win the Paulista U20 for the second year in a row. Last year, the title came against São Paulo, with victories by 2-1 and 1-0. In total, the Alviverde team has 13 State cups and has won six of the last seven editions of the tournament – ​​it did not win the cup only in 2022, when he was eliminated by Portuguesa in the quarterfinals.

Parallel to Paulista, the Verdão U20 team competes in the Brazilian Championship in the category. The Academia Crias lead the tournament with 15 points, with five wins in five games, and return to the field next Wednesday (8), when they face São Paulo, at 3pm (Brasília time), in Cotia.