Corinthians youth standout signs first professional deal with club | OneFootball

Considered one of the main prospects from Corinthians’ youth academy, 16-year-old midfielder Léo Rodrigues signed his first professional contract with the club and used his social media to celebrate the achievement – see the full post at the end of the article. Talks over signing the new deal began in late June and had been ongoing since then.

The contract, according to the club, is valid until 2029. According to the outlet Meu Timão, the youngster is highly rated internally by first-team coach Fernando Diniz, who has not ruled out promoting the player later this season. His previous youth development deal was set to expire in November 2027.

Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

In an official statement published by Corinthians, president Osmar Stabile said: “I would like to highlight the importance of Léo signing his first professional contract, another graduate from our academy. This moment represents much more than a simple agreement: it is a clear sign of mutual trust between the Club and the player. Corinthians is, without a doubt, the ideal club for Léo to continue his development. With the right support, he can bring a lot of joy to our Faithful Fans,” he said.

Léo Rodrigues, in turn, spoke about his hopes of winning titles with Timão: “I’m very happy to fulfill this childhood dream and sign with the club where I’ve been since I was six years old. I can only thank them for their trust and for always believing in me and in my potential. I want to achieve great things wearing the Corinthians shirt and become a great player at this giant club.”

Between the beginning of June and the second week of July, Léo Rodrigues was sidelined while recovering from bone edema and ended up missing nine straight matches for Timãozinho’s Under-17 team – in both the Brazilian Championship and the São Paulo state championship for the age group. Central do Timão continues to investigate the amounts of the domestic and international release clauses.

Last year, the midfielder born in 2010 was one of the standout players for the Under-15 team in their Mina Cup, Paulista Cup, and Copa Votorantim title wins. The youngster has also earned call-ups to the Brazil Under-15 national team and recently won the Liga Evolución in the age group for the Seleção alongside defensive midfielder Lucas Lopes, also from Corinthians’ academy. Their opponent in the final was Argentina.

In 2026, the midfielder was promoted to the Under-17 team. For the side coached by Guilherme Nascimento, he has scored five goals in nine matches this season, making him the team’s fourth-leading scorer this year. Despite his young age, he has also already played minutes at the Under-20 level, where he has made three appearances. The youngster caught Fernando Diniz’s attention after taking part in training sessions with the professional squad at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava.

Léo Rodrigues, now having signed a professional contract with Corinthians, will take the field for the Under-17s this Wednesday (5) at 3 p.m. Brasília time. Timãozinho will host Bahia at Estádio do Canindé in the 10th round of the national competition’s qualifying stage. At the moment, Timãozinho sits fifth with 19 points – six wins, one draw, and two losses – 27 goals scored and seven conceded – but could return to second place with a victory.

Léo Rodrigues’ new deal in the BID:

Photo: Reproduction/BID

See below Léo Rodrigues’ post celebrating his first professional contract with Corinthians:

PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT!!

Very happy and grateful for this new chapter in my life. Today I am fulfilling one of the biggest dreams I’ve had since childhood: signing my first professional contract.

I want to thank Corinthians, the club I have represented since I was six years old and where I always dreamed of living this moment. I am very grateful for everything the club has done and continues to do for me.

I also want to thank my parents and my family, who have always been by my side, supporting me at all times and never letting me give up on my dreams.

I waited for this day for many years and I know this achievement is the result of a lot of work, dedication, and the help of many people.

But I’m sure this is only the beginning. I still have many dreams to fulfill, and I will keep working, with humility and a strong desire to improve, to build a beautiful story in this shirt.

Thank you, God, for allowing me to live this moment. May many more come!

God first!

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