Midfielder born in 2010 makes Corinthians U20 debut | OneFootball

Throughout the afternoon this Wednesday (22), Corinthians visited Criciúma at CT Antenor Angeloni, in Santa Catarina, for the seventh round of the first phase of the 2026 Brazilian U-20 Championship and came away with a 2-1 win. Timãozinho’s two goals were scored by forward Luizinho in the second half. The win moved the team into sixth place with 12 points — three wins, three draws, and one loss.

Besides the win, the match was special for attacking midfielder Léo Rodrigues. Born in 2010, the 16-year-old made his debut for the U-20 side before even taking the field for the U-17 team, whose season is set to begin in early May. The Filho do Terrão came on in the closing stages of the match, replacing midfielder Vitinho Dourado.

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Despite playing only a few minutes, Léo Rodrigues did find the net against Criciúma, capitalizing on a rebound given up by the defense and beating the opposing goalkeeper. However, the goal was disallowed for offside after a discussion between the referee and one of his assistants. For the U-17 side, the midfielder has so far played only friendly matches since, as mentioned, the official tournaments, such as the Paulista Championship and the Brazilian Championship for the category, have not yet started.

Alongside Miguel Moscardo, brother of defensive midfielder Gabriel Moscardo (Filho do Terrão), Léo Rodrigues was one of the standout players of the U-15 category, coached by Eduardo Vergueiro, in 2025. His current youth contract with Timão runs until November 2027. The player is frequently called up to Brazil’s youth national team and, earlier this month, won the Montaigu International Tournament in France with the Seleção, defeating Portugal 1-0 in the final.

Now, Timãozinho is getting ready to return to the pitch. Next Sunday (26) at 3 p.m. (Brasília time), in Cotia, they will face São Paulo in the Majestoso derby for the eighth round of the first phase of the 2026 Brazilian U-20 Championship. The Filhos do Terrão are seeking to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 2023, when they were eliminated by Palmeiras in the semifinals. In the last two years, Alvinegro finished in the lower part of the table.

The U-17 team, coached by Guilherme Nascimento, will make its 2026 debut and, consequently, its Campeonato Paulista debut on May 2, Saturday, at 11 a.m. (Brasília time), against Terceiro Milênio at Alfredo Schürig Stadium, Fazendinha.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.