In Porto Alegre, Brazil’s most southern city, few names are whispered more than Ronaldinho. Born in its heart, arguably the most naturally gifted player to ever grace a football pitch put the place on the map, with an intoxicating mix of skill and enjoyment in his game, inspiring Barcelona, Milan and his home country to success.
Now the world is awake to the area, but Ronaldinho’s is a shadow, which looms large. His career, which has spiralled downwards in recent years, has set a precedent for any player to step up and follow, with great difficulty.
A little wider, the state of Rio Grande do Sul has seen a couple of shining lights. From his days at Gremio, Ronaldinho’s first club, now Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa was seen as the natural heir to the king’s throne.
Reaching the heights of a man who was crowned World Player of the Year for two years running is almost impossible, but Costa is forging a great career in Bavaria following last summer’s move under Pep Guardiola.
Now it could be time to welcome a future star to the elite club, with the state willing one of their own on again, in the shape of 18-year-old Inter midfielder Matias Antonin.
He may not possess the same natural ability as his fellow Gremio alumni, having started his career in the youth set up before a move to the Nerazzurri equivalent in 2013, but Brazil as a whole is moving away from developing a plethora of attacking midfielders as it once did.
Usually found in a deeper, more defensive role, Antonini has been compared to Paris Saint-Germain and former Inter midfielder Thiago Motta, and not just because he is Brazilian born with an eligibility to play for Italy.
For both Inter and PSG, as well as Barcelona, surrounded by more talented and effective players in attacking areas, Motta has carved out a reputation for bringing balance to the team.
While Antonini has proven excellent at that with both Gremio and Inter, his style is much more in tandem with the way the game is going these days. As the lines in midfield continue to blur, he possesses the technique, dribbling abilities and passing range to not only start, but also contribute to attacks.
As with Costa, Guardiola is a huge admirer of Antonini, who recently received a call-up for a training camp with the Brazil u-17 side. The former Bayern Munich coach had been encouraging his bosses to pursue a deal, but having now moved to Manchester City, he could be interested in going head-to-head with his replacement Carlo Ancelotti for the player’s signature.
At 1.91 metres tall, Antonini would suit the rigours of English football well, and his skillset and physique bare similarities with Sergio Busquets.
All the interest and speculation should not take away from the impact he could make at the San Siro. Both Milan clubs have endured tough times over the last few seasons, falling from grace having both won the Champions League in the last decade.
Roberto Mancini may end his second spell in charge soon, and uncertainty over the ownership is marring preparations to climb back to Serie A’s summit. It will be a while until Antonini is ready to strut his stuff on the biggest of all stages, but should they hold on to and nurture him, Inter could have a new midfield general on their hands.
Quite bizarrely, Brazilian football is going through a baron spell when it comes to producing pristine, world class footballers, but Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, the nation as a whole and Internazionale will all be hoping Matias Antonini can fulfil his huge potential and reach the top.
About the author – Harry De Cosemo
Harry is a European football writer specialising in English, Spanish and Italian football. He has worked for a number of top publications including MARCA in English, uMAXit football, Four Four Two, Squawka and the Press Association.
twitter: @harrydecosemo
