Éderson, An Europa League champion dreaming of his first CONMEBOL Copa América™

• The midfielder started for Atalanta in the European final against Bayer Leverkusen.
• He is one of the names chosen by Brazil’s coach Dorival Júnior to participate in the tournament in the United States.

Atalanta were crowned UEFA Europa League champions on Wednesday, with a 3-0 victory over a then-unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the final held in Dublin, Ireland. Among the standouts of the Italian team is midfielder Éderson, a name that has caught the attention of coach Dorival Júnior in the run up to Brazil’s campaign in CONMEBOL Copa America USA 2024™.

Born in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, on July 7, 1999, Éderson’s career is highlighted by a rapid rise: starting from the modest Desportivo Brasil, he passed through Cruzeiro, Corinthians and Fortaleza. It was at the Ceará club where his performances began to win praise, being part of the 2021 team that guaranteed the first ever CONMEBOL Libertadores participation in the club’s history. Early the following year, he was transferred to Italy’s Salernitana.

The Brazilian midfielder’s talent needed less than a year to be noticed by Atalanta, who signed him as a reinforcement for the 2022/23 season. Since then, he has played almost a hundred games for the Bergamo team, starting under coach Gian Piero Gasperini with increasingly impressive numbers: in the 2023/24 campaign alone, which ends with the unprecedented Europa League title, Éderson played 52 games, scoring 7 goals and providing an assist.

Éderson’s talents combine combativeness and physical power to help dominate on the field while also having good offensive production, either progressing the ball or arriving late in the box as a surprise element to score goals. Although he was not directly involved in Ademola Lookman’s three goals in the thrashing of Leverkusen, he had impressive numbers in the European decider: pitching in 28 accurate passes, 8 wins in duels for the ball, 2 tackles and one shot on goal.

With the title under his arm, Éderson closed a fantastic season at club level and is waiting for the icing on the cake: to be part, for the first time in his career, of CONMEBOL Copa América™.

 

Photos: AFP