The attacker Jose Kadir was the hero of Botafogo in a 3-2 comeback victory against Sport, this Tuesday (11/18), in the 34th round of the Brasileirão 2025. The Panama-born center forward came on in the 38th minute of the first half after a physical problem with Chris Ramos and scored twiceleaving Alvinegro closer to a place in the Copa Libertadores 2026.
Kadir, 18 years old, signed with Botafogo in September 2024, but spent almost a year without playing. Learn more about the attacker.
Kadir: history and numbers
José Kadir Barría Rose, born on July 18, 2007 in Panama City, is one of Panama’s biggest recent promises. A 1.83m right-handed striker, he acts as a reference center forward, bringing together physical strength, speed, explosion and good finishing ability, characteristics that quickly transformed him into a standout for the black and white under-20s. On social media, Botafogo fans nicknamed him the Black Swan.
Kadir debuted for Botafogo in early August 2025, but his relationship with the club began much earlier: in September 2024, when he stood out in a tournament in Panama, he was picked up by the base’s scouting department, leaving SD Atlético Nacional, from Panama. As he was an underage foreigner, he could not sign a contract with a Brazilian club, so Botafogo signed a pre-contract and started paying for his salaries, keeping him training and preparing for almost a year, while he alternated training in Rio de Janeiro with trips to Panama so as not to spend too much time away from his family.
Before arriving at Botafogo, Kadir also carried out tests at Palmeiras, where he was pleased, but equally could not be registered. As soon as he turned 18 in June 2025, he signed his first professional contract, valid until July 2028, with a termination fine of 20 million dollars for the national market and 30 million dollars for international transfers. He had already been announced by the club on August 4 and was officially registered as a professional player.
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His debut for Botafogo U20 took place at the beginning of August, and in a very short time he became a protagonist. In the first six games, he scored four goals, including two classics that went viral on social media. On August 23, he scored a goal in the 2-1 victory over Vasco. On September 13, he found the net again in a 3-1 victory against Flamengo. He also scored against Madureira and Boavista, and quickly took over as a starter in the team led by Rodrigo Bellão.
Panamanian fans soon began to follow his games, and videos of his goals began to gain repercussion in the country, which began to treat him as the “new jewel of Panamanian football”. The campaign for him to be called up for the U20 World Cup, which will be played in Chile, grew quickly, although coach Jorge Valdés explained that Kadir would not be on the list as he had not participated in the preparatory cycle. Even so, popular pressure continued to grow.
Kadir’s style of play has already caught the attention of coaches, analysts and fans. He uses his body very well, attacks from deep like few players his age and finishes with power. His physical strength, combined with his explosion and movement outside the box, transforms him into a modern center forward, still in technical development, especially when finishing plays in the final third. Internally, Botafogo believes he has a very high ceiling and treats his development with care.
There is also a strong emotional component to his story: Kadir is a relative of Luis “Matador” Tejada, a Panamanian idol who died in 2024, at the age of 41, a victim of cardiac arrest. The young man is already showing great adaptation to Brazil, to the point of giving interviews in Portuguese right after the under-20 games.
The game against Sport was only Kadir’s third among professionals. In the first, against Grêmio, on September 24, he entered the second half and hit the post with his first shot, almost taking the 1-1 score. Four days later, he played for eight minutes in a 2-0 defeat against Fluminense.
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