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The 15-year-old story is reminiscent of former Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva, another Brazilian-born forward who chose to represent Croatia.
Brazil have suffered a major blow after losing one of their most exciting prospects, Rafael Gomes Cirino — better known as Belinho — to Croatia.
The 15-year-old Dinamo Zagreb wonderkid, often compared to Neymar for his dazzling dribbling and flair, has formally accepted an invitation to represent the Croatian national team.
Born in Rio de Janeiro in 2009, Belinho moved to Croatia with his father after the death of his mother, joining local side Vinodol before quickly rising through the ranks.
His talent was impossible to ignore — he scored 16 goals in nine matches in Croatia’s second-tier youth league before being snapped up by Dinamo Zagreb.
Belinho has since flourished at Dinamo, where scouts and coaches regard him as one of the most technically gifted players to emerge from their academy. His agent, Andy Bara, believes the youngster could soon surpass all expectations.
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If He Continues at This Level, He Will Cost Over €40 Million By 18
“If Belinho performs at this level by the time he’s 18, he will become Dinamo’s most expensive player ever, far beyond Dani Olmo’s €40 million transfer.
“At that age, I saw Eduardo, Halilovic, Kovacic… none of them dominated like Belinho does. He’s the new Neymar — you can’t get the ball off him without fouling,” Bara said.
Although the Brazilian Football Confederation had contacted the family to secure his services, Croatia’s persistence prevailed.
HNS officials Tomislav Svetina and Marijan Kustić played a central role in convincing Belinho and his father, who have embraced life in Zagreb. “He considers Croatia home and speaks the language fluently,” Bara confirmed.
Belinho’s story is reminiscent of former Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva, another Rio-born forward who became a Croatian legend with 62 caps.
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While still at the beginning of his career, Belinho has already notched six goals in 15 appearances for Dinamo’s youth sides last season, underlining the potential that has Croatian fans buzzing.
Time will tell whether the teenager fulfills the lofty ‘new Neymar’ tag, but for now, Brazil must watch from afar as one of their brightest jewels shines in another country’s colors.