Corinthians announce release of Under-20 striker set for Serie B club | OneFootball

Corinthians have made official another move involving youth academy players. This Thursday, the name of 19-year-old striker Rodrigão appeared in the CBF’s Daily Information Bulletin (BID) with the termination of his contract registered, bringing his time at the São Paulo club to an end. The player’s destination will be Ceará.

The transfer was completed without any payment to Corinthians. Even so, the club retained a stake in any future deal, keeping 30% of the player’s economic rights. The other 70% now belong to Ceará. The deal was first reported by journalist Victor Godoy of Rádio TMC.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Ag. Corinthians

The striker’s departure is part of a policy adopted by Corinthians’ youth development department, currently led by Erasmo Damiani. The idea is to direct players who are not among the top priorities in their age group to other clubs, allowing them to receive more playing opportunities without Timão completely giving up its rights over any future deals involving them.

Although he took part in this year’s Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior and got minutes in some matches in the tournament, Rodrigão saw his space diminish over the following months. His farewell on the pitch in the black-and-white shirt came on April 16, when he was brought on in the second half of the goalless draw against Santos in the Brazilian Under-20 Championship.

Currently, the coaching staff led by William Batista have been relying on other names to make up the team’s attack. Youngster Nícollas, just 17 years old, has taken on a leading role in the position, while Wilker, also from the 2008 generation, has been earning more space in recent matches. Another option in the squad is Drude, who is still recovering physically after undergoing surgery and has a contract valid only until July.

Born in the city of São Paulo, Rodrigão joined Corinthians in 2022 to strengthen the Under-15 squad. During his development at the club, he stood out mainly at Under-17 level, a performance that later earned him opportunities with the Under-20 team.

In total, the striker ends his time at Parque São Jorge with 61 matches played in the youth ranks. There were 47 appearances for the Under-17s and another 14 for the Under-20s. During that period, he scored eight goals, all of them while playing for Corinthians’ youth team.

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