Wunderkids: Building football’s most exciting young XI - week four: Kaiky, centre-back

It is the stuff of management dreams — a blank cheque to build the most exciting young starting XI in world football.

But that is exactly what new BBC Sounds podcast Wunderkids is offering, in fantasy form at least, over its 11 episodes. The first three episodes are available to listen to now.

The Wunderkids team, in conjunction with BBC Sport, have come up with 11 players — and presenter Steve Crossman will be joined by experts to discuss the latest inclusion, with one new player revealed each week.

So far, new Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez, Bayer Leverkusen winger Florian Wirtz and Ajax midfielder Ryan Gravenberch have made the cut — and now Santos defender Kaiky joins them.

Kaiky, who turned 18 last month, is the latest wonderkid to come through the Santos youth academy.

But unlike Pele, Neymar, Robinho or Rodrygo, he is a centre-back who is also capable of playing in holding midfield.

Among his heroes are Paris St-Germain defenders Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos.

He has already played 45 times for Santos — scoring just once, but that goal made him the youngest Brazilian to net in the Copa Libertadores at the time.

In February, it emerged Barcelona have first optionexternal-link on Kaiky and Santos team-mate Angelo.

O Globo's UK news correspondent Fernando Duarte

«He had a breathing problem — kind of like bronchitis or asthma — when he was younger. Usually people in Brazil go swimming a lot and, like every kid in the country, he liked playing football too. Swimming was quickly discarded after his father noticed he could control with both feet and he saw something different there.

»He's a very humble kid like many Brazilian footballers but what's interesting is he only turned 18 last month. He's a mature kid, like an old