In addition to Dell: discover five promises from the Bahia base to keep an eye on

The São Paulo Junior Football Cup came to an end for Bahia this Thursday (16), with the Tricolor’s 3-0 defeat to Cruzeiro, in the round of 16, but the Squadron’s base emerged from the competition strengthened. In 2025, the Bahian club used the under-17 team and had the youngest delegation in the Copinha, which is an under-21 competition.

The strategy was adopted so that the under-20 team would stay on Bahian soil representing the club in the Bahia Championship, while the main squad does the pre-season in Girona, Spain. Even among older athletes, the tricolor’s jewels took advantage of the chance.

Striker Dell, 16, was the sensation of the competition. Nicknamed “Haaland do Sertão”, he scored four goals in five matches. The boy has attracted attention at the tricolor base and aroused the interest of European clubs, but he is not the only one.

CORREIO listed six promises from the Bahia base for the tricolors to keep an eye on in the coming years. Check it out:

At 16 years old, Arthur Jampa is from João Pessoa, Paraíba, and carries the name of the city in his nickname. The goalkeeper stands out in the tricolor base and has been called up to the Brazilian team. Last year, he competed in the under-16 South American Championship. Jampa constantly trains with the professional squad and at the beginning of the month he was taken from Copinha to join the delegation in the pre-season in Girona, Spain. Last year, he was also part of the squad that prepared in Manchester, England.

A native of Ilha de Maré, midfielder Sidney is another player who draws attention to the tricolor. He arrived at Bahia in 2019, and has been skipping stages ever since. In 2023, the midfielder became the youngest player to debut for Bahia’s main team, aged 16 years and 204 days.

Sidney also has experience with youth teams, and in 2023 he captained Brazil in the under-17 World Cup. Last year, the midfielder underwent a period of training at Lommel SK, a City Group team in Belgium. At 18 years old, he is a member of the Bahia alternative team that started the Bahia Championship.

Roger Gabriel is one of the best-known base players among the Tricolors. Good performances in the lower categories gave the midfielder the expectation of reproducing in the main team what he did in the amateurs.

The boy was picked up by Bahia in 2018, for the under-12 team, and has been a standout ever since. In 2021, at the age of 14, the midfielder was already part of the under-17 team. In addition to the goals, he has racked up titles for the Squadron. In 2023, the player signed his first professional contract with Bahia. Last year, Roger was decisive in the classic against Sport, in the Copa do Nordeste, assisting Rafael Ratão’s goal. In recent seasons he has also exchanged with teams from the City Group. The tendency is for Roger Gabriel to gain more space in the main team.

Just like Roger Gabriel, Ruan Pablo is another player always asked for by the fans in the first team. No wonder, at just 15 years old he was already shining in Bahia’s under-20s, being decisive and winning titles. Born in the Itinga neighborhood, in Lauro de Freitas, Ruan Pablo is another of the tricolor crop that promises to be a standout in the main team. The striker is closely watched by clubs in Europe. He was even compared to Endrick Vitor Roque by the Spanish newspaper AS. The fine for teams from outside the country is 200 million euros (around R$1.2 billion)

Ruan Pablo was also part of the main delegation during the pre-season in Manchester at the beginning of last year, and at the end of 2024 he returned to England for a period of training in Manchester. He also has been called up to the national team and was in the under-16 South American Championship. The boy made his professional debut last year, in a 1-1 draw with Atlético-GO, in the Brasileirão. In the current season, Ruan has been a starter in the Baianão dispute.

RYAN NASCIMENTO – ATTACKER

Another striker who promises to bring joy to the tricolor is Ryan Nascimento. Highlighted in winning the under-17 Bahia Championship, in which he scored nine goals, the player is another one followed by the Europeans. Last year, Spanish newspaper AS highlighted the striker’s quality and listed him as a possible replacement for Haaland at Manchester City in the future.

The player has been with the Bahian Tricolor since he was ten years old, having won titles in the Under-11, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-20 categories. He was due to compete in the Copa São Paulo in 2025, but was cut after getting injured during preparation.

GABRIEL CARIOCA – ATTACKER

Closing the list of attackers, Gabriel Carioca, 17 years old, is another one to keep an eye on in Bahia. He arrived at the club in 2021, and so far has won titles in the under-15, under-17 and under-20 squad. In total, 58 goals were scored by the Bahian club’s youth division.

In last year’s under-20 Bahia Championship, Gabriel Carioca scored eight goals and provided five assists in 12 games. His good form earned him a contract with Bahia with a fine of 100 million euros (around R$610 million) for clubs outside the country. Last year Gabriel trained under the command of Rogério Ceni. He was in the delegation that competed in the Copinha, but was injured before the start of the tournament.