DUDU

Dudu     20     Midfielder     Dynamo Kyiv

There is a lot to like about Dudu and the way he plays football. The pronunciation of his name is usually good for a childish giggle. Go on; allow yourself that. Secondly, he’s just that little bit different from other Brazilians and excels in key areas that help him to stand apart. There is a discipline in his play that never lets him stray too far out of position. He listens to, remembers and acts out the instructions of his coach.

Instead of being considered a South American luxury, Dudu’s hard-work off the ball should help scramble onto the wish list of quite a few managers in the coming months. He can be relied on to help his side keep their defensive shape and structure before doing some rather impressive things on the ball.

Despite being only five feet five inches tall, Dudu is an interesting player. He is bold in his play and audacious with some of the decisions that he makes. He has enough quality thankfully to back up those interesting ideas that he conjures up. Dudu also has enough about him as a fighter that he makes up for his lack of height and years against others.

So far, his club have been very careful with what they have on their hands although the secret is starting to slowly get out. Last month, the Dynamo Kyiv midfielder was one of only two Brazilians named on the long list for the European Golden Boy award along with Philippe Coutinho. He is unlikely to survive the cull of names down to the shortlist but even the mention of him along with the likes of Isco, Iker Muniain and Julian Draxler will do his standing in the world game no end of good.

Last season for Dudu was reasonably quiet. Dynamo allowed him time to settle in at the club and with his new team-mates. His first-team outings were limited and he played just over three hours of first team football in the league, domestic cup and Europa League. This season has seen him feature much more for Kyiv and get his chance from the start of games.

When you consider he’s being deployed in his preferred role rather than being shunted like a square peg into a round hole, things look promising for the kid. At only 20, he has bags of time to play around with. Oleh Blokhin, the Kyiv manager, likes Dudu. He’ll know that learning from experienced, capable professionals like Andriy Yarmolenko, Niko Kranjčar, Oleh Husyev and Raffael is much better for his long-term development. It’s much, much better than playing himself into the ground for a lesser team.

If Dudu can get the next year right; impressing during his time on the pitch and combining it with a strong, hard-working attitude on the training ground, Dynamo Kyiv will be thrilled to sit back and watch the potential transfer value shoot up. He’s already showing signs of being a very strong footballer.

“Always looked an accomplished performer at Cruzeiro and is growing steadily rather than exploding onto the scene in Europe.  Kyiv have handled him well so far and this could be the year that Dudu emerges as a real player.” - Jeff Livingstone (IBWM)

C     This is your year to shine