Vitor Reis: Why Man City were willing to pay £30m to beat Real Madrid and Arsenal to Palmeiras' 'new Marquinhos'

Reis started out at the R10 Academy, which was set up by former Brazil international Robinho, before being picked up by Palmeiras in 2016 when he was still only 10 years of age. The young centre-back progressed quickly through the Sao Paulo side's youth-team ranks, regularly lining out alongside the likes of Endrick, Guilherme and Estevao, and impressed with not only his defensive play but his leadership qualities.

He signed his first professional contract with Palmeiras in November 2022, after a stellar season with the club's Under-17s in which they won the 'triple crown' (Copa do Brasil, the Campeonato Paulista and the Campeonato Brasileiro).

"I have been at this club since 2016 and it has become my home," he wrote on Instagram. "I have experienced incredible moments and I will remain focused on bringing more joy to the Palmeiras family and working to take the next steps forward in my career."

Having already captained both Palmeiras and Brazil at Under-17 level, Reis was considered a star in the making at the Allianz Parque and widely expected to make his debut during the 2024 Brasileiro Serie A season.

After training regularly with the first team, he made his professional debut as a late substitute in a 3-0 loss at Fortaleza on June 26. Reis only featured for the final 15 minutes, but coach Abel Ferreira was already suitably impressed by the youngster's ability and composure, and, with Palmeiras still shorn of a number of first-team regulars, including captain Gustavo Gomez, who was away on international duty with Paraguay at the Copa America, he named the teenager in his starting line-up for a home game against Corinthians the following week.

Reis excelled alongside another academy product in Kaiky Naves at the heart of the Palmeiras defence, and capped a Man-of-the-Match-winning performance with a headed goal from a Raphael Veiga corner to seal a 2-0 victory.

“Unbelievable!" he beamed afterwards. "I'll tell this story for the rest of my life!"

Reis' progress was somewhat checked by a minor muscular problem that sidelined him for a few weeks in September. However, he eventually regained his starting spot for the conclusion of the 2024 campaign and ended up making 18 league appearances in total during his first season at senior level.

Consequently, Palmeiras moved quickly to extend his contract to December 2028 and increase his buyout clause to €100m (£84m/$110m). Having been widely lauded as a shining light within the best backline in Brazil, many pundits believe it is only a matter of time before he becomes a key player for the national team, too.

For one so young, Reis is already quite an accomplished and very vocal defender. He's quick and agile, but what stands about his play is just how well he reads the game. He never seems to get caught out of position and has a great range of passing.

He also already looks like a future Brazil captain, given the way in which he both inspires and organises those around him. Encouragingly, he's also fully aware that he's far from the finished article.

"I listen a lot to what the senior players say," he revealed. "And my family are always giving me loads of advice." In short, he's a talented young man with a good head on his shoulders.

Reis is by no means the most imposing of centre-backs - he's just 6'1 tall and has a very slender frame. As such, he'll definitely have to bulk up following his move to England because, as it stands, he certainly doesn't look ready for the rigours of the Premier League.

However, it is worth remembering that he's still only 19 and still has plenty of time to develop, both mentally and physically. As he's said, "When the mind is strong, everything else will be strong too."

As a wonderfully composed central defensive leader who's very comfortable on the ball, Reis has almost inevitably been compared to compatriot Marquinhos. Even more unsurprisingly, the teenager has admitted that he's modelled his game on the Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil captain.

"I’ve always looked up to Marquinhos," he said. "I'm inspired by his attitude on and off the pitch."

However, he's also admitted that he's now learning an awful lot from his fellow defenders at Palmeiras. "When I was little, I used to watch a lot of not just Marquinhos, but also Thiago Silva," he explained. "However, as I was progressing, I realised that it didn't need to look that far afield because here we have Murilo (Cerqueiro), Gomez and Naves. Through them, I saw what I needed to do [to become a top centre-back]."

Given his age, it would be a surprise for Reis to be thrown straight into a City line up that is still chasing Champions League glory in 2025, while they also need to ensure that they don't miss out on qualification for next season's competition following their dramatic slump over the past three months. Instead, it is expected that the teenager will join fellow new signing Abdukodir Khusanov in providing depth from the bench before being gradually integrated into Pep Guardiola's line up in the seasons that follow.

“Everyone has seen the amazing achievements in recent seasons, and I want to make my mark as we seek more trophies," Reis said upon his arrival at City, where he will wear the No.22 shirt after signing a four-and-a-half-year deal.

"Working with Pep Guardiola is something every young player wants to do, and I know he can help me to develop into the best player I can be."