Vitor Reis: Palmeiras teenager dubbed ‘the new Marquinhos’ who Real Madrid and Arsenal are battling for

The classy centre-back is still only 18, but Europe’s top clubs are already lining up to sign a player touted as a future Brazil captain

• Where it all began

  Reis started out at the R10 Academy, which was set up by former Brazil international Robinho, before being picked up by Palmeiras in 2016 when he was still only 10 years of age. The young centre-back progressed quickly through the Sao Paulo side’s youth-team ranks, regularly lining out alongside the likes of Endrick, Guilherme and Estevao, and impressed with not only his defensive play but his leadership qualities.

  He signed his first professional contract with Palmeiras in November 2022, after a stellar season with the club’s Under-17s in which they won the ‘triple crown’ (Copa do Brasil, the Campeonato Paulista and the Campeonato Brasileiro).

   

  “I have been at this club since 2016 and it has become my home,” he wrote on Instagram. “I have experienced incredible moments and I will remain focused on bringing more joy to the Palmeiras family and working to take the next steps forward in my career.”

• The big break

  Having already captained both Palmeiras and Brazil at Under-17 level, Reis was considered a star in the making at the Allianz Parque and widely expected to make his debut during the 2024 Brasileiro Serie A season.

  After training regularly with the first team, he made his professional debut as a late substitute in a 3-0 loss at Fortaleza on June 26 of this year. Reis only featured for the final 15 minutes, but coach Abel Ferreira was already suitably impressed by the youngster’s ability and composure, and, with Palmeiras still shorn of a number of first-team regulars, including captain Gustavo Gomez, who was away on international duty with Paraguay at the Copa America, he named the teenager in his starting line-up for a home game against Corinthians the following week.

  Reis excelled alongside another academy product in Kaiky Naves at the heart of the Palmeiras defence, and capped a Man-of-the-Match-winning performance with a headed goal from a Raphael Veiga corner to seal a 2-0 victory.

   

  “Unbelievable!” he beamed afterwards. “I’ll tell this story for the rest of my life!”

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  How it’s going

  Reis’ progress has been somewhat checked in recent weeks by a minor muscular problem and he’s struggled to regain his starting spot. However, he’s now made 15 appearances in total during his first season at senior level and he’s considered a shining light within the best backline in Brazil. Many pundits believe it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a key player for club and country.

  It’s certainly a sign of just how much faith Ferreira has in him that the youngster started both legs of Palmeiras’ Copa Libertadores last-16 tie against Botafogo, and it’s also telling that the Verdao have extended his contract from February 2027 to December 2028, with his buyout clause set at €100m (£84m/$110m).

• Biggest strengths

  For one so young, Reis is already quite an accomplished and very vocal defender. He’s quick and agile, but what stands about his play is just how well he reads the game. He never seems to get caught out of position and has a great range of passing.

  He also already looks like a future Brazil captain, given the way in which he both inspires and organises those around him. Encouragingly, he’s also fully aware that he’s far from the finished article.

   

  “I listen a lot to what the senior players say,” he revealed. “And my family are always giving me loads of advice.” In short, he’s a talented young man with a good head on his shoulders.

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  Room for improvement

  Reis is by no means the most imposing of centre-backs – he’s just 6’1 tall and has a very slender frame. As such, he’ll definitely have to bulk up if he does move to Europe because, as it stands, he certainly doesn’t look ready for the rigours of the Premier League, for example.

  However, it is worth remembering that he’s still only 18 and still has plenty of time to develop, both mentally and physically. As he’s said, “When the mind is strong, everything else will be strong too.”

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  The next… Marquinhos?

  As a wonderfully composed central defensive leader who’s very comfortable on the ball, Reis has almost inevitably been compared to compatriot Marquinhos. Even more unsurprisingly, the teenager has admitted that he’s modelled his game on the Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil captain.

  “I’ve always looked up to Marquinhos,” he said. “I’m inspired by his attitude on and off the pitch.”

  However, he’s also admitted that he’s now learning an awful lot from his fellow defenders at Palmeiras.

  “When I was little, I used to watch a lot of not just Marquinhos, but also Thiago Silva,” he explained. “However, as I was progressing, I realised that it didn’t need to look that far afield because here we have Murilo (Cerqueiro), Gomez and Naves. Through them, I saw what I needed to do [to become a top centre-back].”

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  What comes next?

  Reis’ immediate focus will be on becoming a regular in the Palmeiras team. He’s been at the club for eight years now and, having won several titles at under-age level, he is desperate to lift trophies with the senior side.

  “Everybody wants to play in Europe, but my mind is 100 percent with Palmeiras,” he insisted. “I don’t think about anything else. I want to win the Brasileirao. We don’t need to think about the future right now.”

  What’s more, while the very early sales of Endrick, Guilherme and Estevao illustrate that Palmeiras are always willing to do business if the price is right, the Verdao are said to be intent on holding onto their latest academy gem until at least the 2025 Club World Cup

  The sharks are still circling, of course. According to The Athletic, both Arsenal and Madrid have already made enquiries as to Reis’ availability, while Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona are also reportedly interested. It seems only a matter of time, then, before Reis becomes the latest teenage talent to end up in Europe after rolling off the seemingly never-ending Palmeiras production line.