Get to know Dell, ‘Haaland of the Sertão’, shining for the Brazilian national team in the U-17 World Cup and already dreaming of Manchester City

The Brazilian national team secured their spot in the U-17 World Cup semi-finals on Thursday (21). With two goals from Dell, Brazil defeated Morocco 2-1 and will now face Portugal on Monday (24) in a match for a spot in the final. Italy and Austria are set to play on the other side of the bracket. The second top scorer of the competition with five goals, 17-year-old Wenderson Santos Dell is considered one of the biggest talents in Bahia’s youth teams. The striker scored twice against Honduras and once against Zambia in the group stage, failed to score against Paraguay and France, and returned to the score sheet against Morocco. Proudly watching their striker at the U-17 World Cup, Bahia recently extended Dell’s contract until the end of 2028. His release clause for foreign clubs stands at €100 million (R$621 million). Known as the ‘Haaland of the Sertão’, Dell doesn’t hide his dream of playing for Manchester City and becoming an idol at the English club. It’s worth mentioning that Bahia is owned by City Group, which also owns the Citizens. Nonetheless, he wants to win titles with Tricolor first. ‘Every player dreams of playing at a high level in Europe. I have this dream of playing for a club like Manchester City, which is the best club in the world for me. But I believe things will happen naturally,’ Dell said in an interview with ESPN earlier this year. ‘Before that, I want to play here at Bahia, win titles, become an idol, and then go pave my way in Europe. Who knows, win titles and become a star at Manchester City as well,’ he added. If Dell’s dream comes true, the striker could even play with his nickname inspiration, the Norwegian Erling Haaland, City’s top scorer. ‘I am very happy to receive this nickname. Haaland is an inspiration for many. He is a player I like to watch videos of because of his positioning both on and off the field. I find my movements similar to his. I have a few other references, but besides Haaland, a striker I like and have always followed since the youth level is Marcos Leonardo, who was brought up by Santos. I enjoy watching him play,’ Dell commented. Despite all the success in the youth teams, Dell has only played two games for Bahia’s senior team, one in the Baiano Championship and the other in the Copa do Nordeste this season.