With the biggest football talents in Brazil normally leaving the country at a very young age, Nottingham Forest fans have every right to wonder who Gustavo Scarpa is.
Even though the midfielder had shown glimpses of quality since his early years at Fluminense, it’s at the age of 28 that he reached his peak, with his great season finally rewarding him with a move to the Premier League.
And why did it take so long for him to be signed by a European club? Well, let’s say that he had a very Brazilian style of play, both for good and bad.
Scarpa had always been the kind of advanced midfielder who could have magical moments on the pitch, but those would be followed by a long time of nothing. As said in the South American country, he used to be the player who’d be ‘sleeping’ for most of the game.
That’s one of the reasons why he was only called up by the national team in 2017, and hasn’t returned since then. It turns out that now with his great evolution, the media even claimed he should be at the World Cup.
It’s hard to point out exactly what happened with the player’s mentality in recent years. He switched Fluminense for Palmeiras during a legal battle in 2018 and even gave up on some money to make that move. As he recently admitted, he’s doing something similar to join Nottingham Forest now.
His first years at Palmeiras had been full of ups and downs as well, as he struggled to fit into the starting team. Little by little, however, Scarpa started showing more intensity on the pitch, and that not only changed his participation, but even the roles he’d have in the team.
These days, the 28-year-old can play in nearly every position in midfield. And the player who’d once be standing still waiting for the ball has become a lot more influential in the team’s movements, both when trying to find new options in attack as when giving so much of himself in defence.
Intensity has always been a problem for Brazilians in Europe, and with that being Scarpa’s biggest flaw, that may have been why it took so long for him to make such a move.
Along with Scarpa’s mindset and physical improvement, the trophies also arrived, as he was an important player in the 2020 and 2021 Copa Libertadores titles. This year, showing his best, he not only won the Brazilian league, but was just named by ESPN Brasil as the best player in the tournament.
Nottingham Forest obviously stand in a complicated situation and that’s something harmful for a player who’s arriving in a new continent. However, the creativity he can add to the team could be something interesting for the Reds’ recovery in the league, as long as he has a fast and good adaptation.
Scarpa has many times claimed he’s totally focused on how he’ll do in England and is not afraid of potential relegation to the Championship, so seems to have his head in the right place for that challenge.
The player gets lots of love in Brazil for having such a unique personality, with everyone getting to watch him on his skateboard or playing with a Rubik’s Cube on his YouYube channel or in his funny interviews. His hobbies, by the way, were mentioned in his conversation with journalists today, as he won’t change his personality in England.
“I’ll leave the trophies in Brazil for my mother-in-law to take care of, I’ll take a lot of photos. I try not to get attached to past trophies, but my Rubik’s Cube, books and skateboards will accompany me on this trip,” he said (via UOL).
Should Scarpa be able to transfer his Palmeiras form to Nottingham Forest then the club’s fans have a potential cult hero on the way from Brazil.
