Meet Vambasten de Sousa, Palmeiras striker named after Dutch star | OneFootball

The name Van Basten always immediately brings to mind one of the greatest strikers in the history of world football. But this time, the one drawing attention is a young striker from Palmeiras’ U-7 team. Wearing the No. 9 shirt for the Verdão side at IberCup 2026 – the biggest youth football competition in the world – Vambasten Moreira Tomé de Sousa is the name of the moment in the São Paulo stage of the tournament.

Palmeiras player with a star’s name

Neto, the boy’s father and a former professional player, says his son’s name is a tribute to the Dutch football legend, who made history at clubs such as Ajax, in the Netherlands, and Milan, in Italy.

– The name is a tribute to the dearly beloved Marco Van Basten, a player from the Netherlands. The idea for the tribute came about because, in my childhood, hearing that name really stuck with me. I used to watch reports on TV channels and read newspapers, and I always saw that name and thought it was a cool name. So I fixed that name in my memory and said that when I had my son, he would be Van Basten – he said

A former player for clubs such as Rio Claro, Ituano, Botafogo-SP, XV de Piracicaba and Paraná-PR, Neto points out that the boy’s mother did not oppose the idea and agreed to the tribute right away.

Photo: Reproduction

At seven years old, Vambasten is one of the standout names on Palmeiras’ U-7 team at IberCup 2026. With the young player in the squad, the team currently leads Group A in the São Paulo stage of the competition. The boy’s father is already confident in his son’s football and envisions a bright future for his career.

– We can’t deny that we have the dream of him becoming a professional player. Especially because I was in the sport myself. But it’s daily work. Education is very important. I advise all parents who have this goal, of their child becoming a professional athlete, to understand that education is everything. To handle the training load, the pressure, the lack of support, you need to have very strong mental education. It is very important for the family foundation to be by his side, because that makes it easier to reach the goal – he concluded

With thousands of young athletes gathered in the 2026 edition, the IberCup has established itself as one of the main showcases for international youth football. Amid so many future talents, Vambasten de Sousa is already carving out a special place for himself by combining a historic name in world football with the dream of forging a successful path in a Palmeiras shirt, fueling expectations that the famous name may, in the future, also be matched by great performances on the pitch.

Who was Van Basten?

Marco Van Basten was a Dutch player who played during the 1980s and 1990s. Voted the best player in the world three times, the striker played for clubs such as Milan, in Italy, and Ajax, in the Netherlands.

Van Basten retired from football at just 28 years old after a series of ankle injuries that affected his performances on the pitch.

Photo: Reproduction

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