When you see Arthur Cabral play, a strange deja vu feeling arises. He is Brazilian, he is strong, he has a deadly extension in front of goal and he combines that with amazing dribbles. Yes, we’ve seen it before, with another Brazilian striker – Ronaldo “Phenomeno”.
The 23-year-old striker has bombed 27 goals in 31 appearances this season in Basel, with “only” 20 goals scored last season. True, this is “overall” the Swiss league, but the world of football is already out of control and it’s hard to blame the enthusiastic scouts – watching Cabral’s best goals is simply a pleasure. He even won a prestigious summons for the Brazilian national team. Although he did not play and sat on the bench, the fact that Chicha noticed him and chose to invite him says a lot about Cabral’s talent. Not every day a Basel player comes to Salsao. If you want no fairy tale. And Cabral’s career path is indeed the path of a prince from the legends.
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Arthur Cabral. the next big thing?
(Photo: Getty Images)
In an age where clubs are about to acquire talent already at the age of 9, and scouts are following everything that kicks the ball, it’s a bit strange that a monstrous striker at the level of Cabral lands in Basel. He is not considered an extraordinary talent, he scored a total of 11 goals in the small Sierra and promoted it to the first Brazilian league. He then got a chance at Palmeiras, but was injured and did not get a chance. So the Brazilian team agreed to loan him to Basel with a purchase option of only four million euros, today it is already worth 15 million according to “transfer market” and the hand is still outstretched, and there is no doubt that it will cost more. According to a report on the website “Gol”, Barcelona has already offered him 15 million euros – and was rejected. The one who recommended Barça to sign Cabral is the legendary midfielder Deco, who also mediates the deal.
Cabral’s style of play is no coincidence reminiscent of Ronaldo, the Brazilian phenomenon was the idol of the young Arthur. “Ronaldo is the one who made Arthur love football,” his father said in a recent interview, “he imitated every move of his and wanted to be like him, and watched his clips for hours on end. He also loves Messi and Samuel Eto’o, but for him Ronaldo was number one.” Ronaldo also starred in Barcelona before being sold in a controversial decision to Inter. And if you are looking for another connection between Cabral and Barcelona, then you can go back to the days of Joan Gamper. The Barcelona-born Barcelona founder adopted the red-blue of Basel and they also became Barça uniforms.
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“Me? Reminiscent of Ronaldo?”
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“He is a humble boy who works hard, he is always ready for any situation and can adapt anywhere. He is very serious in everything he does, came to Europe only two years ago and recorded a significant leap in his ability, I am not surprised, but very happy,” the proud father continued After his son was called up to the Brazil national team.
The media in Brazil arrived during the last national team break to interview the unknown young man who was suddenly called up to the national team. “I grew up very much in Europe, I improved a lot on the tactical issue. I came to Europe at the age of 21, and I think I have more to learn,” he said.
“As I always say, I always try to get better and better all the time, I’m much better than I was a year ago, and in a year I’ll be better than I am now. I learned a lot in Switzerland, in Basel they worked with me a lot on technique as well as tactics.”
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Xavi. Will get the striker?
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When Cabral says he’s getting better from year to year, he really means it. In the 2019/20 season he scored 18 goals in all competitions, in the 2020/21 season he improved his balance to 20. This season he already has 27 goals as mentioned, and the leg is still tilted. In the home stage of the regional league he scored five goals, leading Basel to first place in its home worth a place in the quarter-finals. A prestigious achievement for the Swiss Empire, which lost its crown. The team that dominated the previous decade in unbeaten Swiss football, won its last championship in 2017. At the time it seemed that Basel was an unbreakable monopoly after eight consecutive championships, but the crown was snatched from it by the Young Boys, who made their own run with four consecutive championships.
Because of the interest he is getting, it could be that Cabral will no longer be part of Basel in the knockout stages of the regional league and in the championship struggles. He is attracting interest not only from Barcelona but also from the Premier League: Newcastle, West Ham and Leeds have been mentioned as candidates to sign him in the winter transfer window, and unlike Barcelona they have no cash problem.
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He may be in the Premier League in January
(Photo: Getty Images)
“Arthur Cabral could be the ideal replacement for Mikhail Antonio,” former player Kevin Campbell recently said, “Antonio is in a great season, but West Ham need to be smart with him and not erode him. Cabral is a classic 9-man striker who can help him.” West Ham are fighting this season with all their might for a place in the top 4 of the Premier League, which guarantees a ticket to the Champions League next season. Arsenal, who will probably part ways with Alexander Lacassette at the end of the season, and suffer from problems at the front, have also entered the race for the Brazilian’s services. The British media reported that Edo, the technical director, is very enthusiastic about Cabral’s capabilities.
And where does the striker himself want to go? He did not say so explicitly, but left a thick hint: “No official offer has come as far as I understand,” Cabral said this week, “but it would be wonderful to get to Barcelona.”
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