Meet Marcos Leonardo: 'Next Neymar' at Santos who wants Premier League transfer

A Santos wonderkid bursting onto the scene and being tipped as Brazil’s next big thing is a familiar tale.

Inevitably, being a teenage striker at the club which produced Pele, Neymar and so many other superstars generates a certain level of buzz.

But, in the case of Marcos Leonardo, the numbers speak for themselves.

He is speaking to Mirror Football less than 24 hours after scoring a stunning winner with the outside of his boot for Santos in their Brazilian top flight win at Juventude. He started the move on the halfway line by holding up a long ball, showcased his pace with a neat give-and-go and, when he reached the box, demonstrated exquisite technique and poise to nestle the ball into the bottom corner.

Just three days earlier, he scored four goals for Brazil Under-20s in a victory over Uruguay. After ten games of the league season, he has six goals in 10 games. Despite turning 19 just last month, he has already scored 25 senior goals and racked up nearly 100 games.

Whilst his early outings for Santos generated a certain level of attention, the last week has, rightly, seen the hype surrounding Marcos Leonardo step up a notch.

“Every player who wants to be successful needs to be prepared for pressure,” he insists. “I play for a big club in Brazil, so all the time you live with pressure.

“I am happy with the recognition in Brazil and now outside. But I'm very down to earth. I realise I need to keep working to grow even more.”

On and off the field, Marcos Leonardo demonstrates a maturity beyond his years underpinned by a patient and calculated outlook. As is generally inevitable for young players in South America, he holds big dreams of playing in Europe and representing Brazil in the FIFA World Cup.

Yet he is happy to