Luís Castro promotes 17-year-old Tiaguinho to Grêmio squad after U17 panenka | OneFootball

Grêmio have promoted 17-year-old midfielder Tiago Augusto Gonçalves, known as Tiaguinho, to Luís Castro’s first-team group for the Gauchão.

According to Globo.com, the Joinville-born talent has a 100 million euros release clause, R$ 625 million, and has been at Grêmio since age 10. Staff and academy figures are convinced about his professional prospects, with some already fearing he will not stay long.

He was first spotted as an under-nine on the Guaíba waterfront during a friendly at CT do Cristal, when supervisors Cristóvão Salazar and Daniel Otto identified his potential. Contacts were made quickly, a school place and stipend were arranged, and his family relocated to Porto Alegre. The coaches recall he dominated that game and was brought in without a trial.

On the pathway since 2018, he has yet to debut, though he was on the bench for the final Brasileirão win over Sport. He will report on 2 January at CT Luiz Carvalho and could earn early minutes in the state championship. He turns 18 in February, which would allow an international move.

A second midfielder who can also operate as a 10, Tiaguinho often played above his age and is considered mature and cerebral, capable of setting the team’s tempo. That profile impressed Renato Portaluppi, who had already invited him to train in 2024.

In November he converted a panenka penalty against Paraguay at the U17 World Cup, having done similar months earlier against Bragantino in the Copa São Paulo. Inside the club there is no concern about the technique, only guidance on the external reaction if it fails. His personality and varied penalty repertoire have so far delivered only successful spot-kicks.

Source: Globo.com