KOCHI: Watching him on the field, one can easily sense why his current club SE Palmeiras in the Brazilian top division has inserted the clause into his contract and also why some European sides clubs like Madrid are considering paying the gargantuan amount for the services of the Sao Paulo-born footballer, who is yet to make his debut for the club's senior side.
A diminutive figure at 5 ft 4 in, Alan has been a livewire for Brazil at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup just like he was at the U-17 Copa Sudamericano in Chile where his country lifted the trophy earlier this year. Playing as the No 10, Alan's dribbling ability and passing range are second to none in the tournament.
With eyes of the footballing world on him, 'Alanzinho' will be expected to carry his purple patch to the quarterfinals in Kolkata where Brazil will face Germany on Sunday. "I think the pressure that comes with wearing the Brazil shirt is a good one," said Alan after their 3-0 win over Honduras in the Round of 16 at Kochi.
"We are Brazilians and we are proud to wear this yellow jersey," Alan said. "It is always a great feeling to wear the No 10 Brazil shirt. It is not a bad kind of pressure and I am totally relaxed about it," said the midfielder whose shirt number was worn by the likes of Ronaldinho, Diego Ribas and Philippe Coutinho in the previous editions of the U-17 championships.
Though a move to Madrid did not materialise last summer, Alan harbours the dream of playing in Europe one day. "It is a dream for almost all footballers around the world to play in the European leagues as well as the Champions League. But my focus right now is to play for the Brazil national team and my senior club team," said Alan, who idolises FC Barcelona's Andres Iniesta.
Germany await Brazil in the last eight with memories of the 7-1 thrashing at the hands of the Germans in the 2014 FIFA World Cup still fresh in the minds of many Brazilians. "We are just thinking about recovering. We will study the Germans in the coming days and will look to progress to the semifinals defeating them," Alan said.