At just 16 years old, and with a career marked by resilience and humble origins in Campos dos Goytacazes, in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, Grêmio striker Gabriel Mec is one of the main promises of Brazilian football and, despite having signed his first professional contract, he is already attracting the attention of European giants, such as Chelsea in England.
In an interview with CNN BrazilRobson Carvalho, father of Gabriel Mec, said that his son’s ability quickly generated comparisons with football stars, such as Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Neymar, Balotelli and Dener. In addition to these inspirations, Mec also learned by observing other idols and, when reproducing plays, he ended up being noticed by major Brazilian clubs.
“We took videos of Mbappé, Neymar, Messi, and Gabriel, aged around 12, trained some of these players’ skills. He practiced handling the ball in Messi’s style, dribbling to both sides like Neymar, and Mbappé’s burst of speed. We recorded these training sessions and, without much pretension, we posted them on social media”, revealed Robson.
In October, the attacking midfielder signed his first professional contract with . The agreement is valid until the end of 2027. A month earlier, Chelsea presented an offer to acquire the young player, in a negotiation that could reach 24 million euros (around R$150.2 million), considering the goals contractual. Conditions were agreed between the parties, but since then, the contract has not been formalized and the agreement remains at a standstill.
“Of course, we didn’t imagine that he, at such a young age, would attract the attention of big clubs in Europe. At the same time, we understand that today’s football is very fast-paced, with everything happening very early. Therefore, we studied situations involving young high-performance athletes, not only with Gabriel, but by observing others who emerged, such as Endrick, Estevão and Lamine Yamal. They serve as an example so that we can be prepared, should something like this happen to us in the future”, said Robson, a promising striker from .
