After lighting up the UAE Under-17 World Cup, Brazil playmaker seals ‘dream’ move to Chelsea

After first coming to the world’s attention at the 2013 Fifa Under 17 World Cup in the UAE, Brazilian playmaker Nathan has sealed a move to Premier League champions Chelsea.

Nathan, 19, was one of the stand-out players at the 2013 tournament, scoring five goals before Brazil were eliminated by Mexico on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Premier League rivals Manchester City reportedly also were interested in Nathan, but it appears he opted for a move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea has not confirmed the move, but Nathan posted a photo and caption on his Instagram page, below, announcing his arrival.

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“A dream is coming true! First of all I want to thank God for always lighting my way, my dad who always believed in my talent and was a real warrior while helping me to reach my goals, my family and friends who always supported me,” he wrote.

“And I am also thankful to Club Atletico Paranaense, which was part of this journey and where I played for 6 years of my career. Thank you Chelsea for trusting in me, I will do my best to support my team on reaching new achievements. WE ARE ALL BLUE.”

The deal taking Nathan to Chelsea is reported to be worth £4.5 million (Dh25.7m).

Since lighting up the U17 World Cup, Nathan had broken into the Atletico Paranaense first team, although a contract dispute preceded his move to Chelsea.

Nathan will join several Brazil compatriots at Stamford Bridge next season, including Oscar, a player he has already drawn comparisons with, Willian, Felipe Luis, and Ramires.

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