The Brazilian winger has been on an unconventional journey to the Etihad Stadium, but looks set to weave his magic there for many years to come
Manchester City forward Savinho grew up on a farm, where his family produced milk and organised rodeos. And trying to defend against the Brazilian trickster has proven just as frightening as attempting to stay on the back of a raging, bucking bull.
Chelsea's Marc Cucurella was taken for a ride in Savinho's Premier League debut, being dribbled past four times in the first half alone. City fans felt like they had been transported back in time and were watching Riyad Mahrez in his prime – and so did Mahrez!
Cucurella must have been mighty relieved when Savinho did not emerge for the second half due to a knock. Ipswich got no such respite a week later, though, as the winger swiftly recovered from his injury and found a new victim.
No sooner had Sammie Szmodics given the Tractor Boys a shock lead at the Etihad Stadium and the visitors were cursing giving away a penalty. Leif Davis was tricked into tripping Savinho and Erling Haaland showed no mercy from the spot.
Ipswich goalkeeper Ari Muric then soon fell victim to the forward's energetic pressing and was embarrassingly dispossessed in his own penalty area, allowing Kevin De Bruyne to gobble up the loose ball and score the second goal in the 4-1 win.
"A short time here and the impact is really good," was Pep Guardiola's assessment. It sounded like a huge understatement, as Savinho looks like being yet another sensational signing for City. But he is also a signing unlike any other.
Pedro Souza/Atletico-MGUnconventional signing
Savinho's rural upbringing is atypical compared to most footballers, but he moved to the big city of Belo Horizonte at the age of 12 to join Atletico Mineiro. At first he lived alone, far from his family, although his mother eventually moved over with him, and when he wasn't playing football, he was playing FIFA. That was how he first discovered City.
"I have a friend whose dream was for me to become a Manchester City player," Savinho told City's official media. "We used to play video games together, and he always played as Manchester City. I played with other teams, and he said that his dream was for me to one day join Manchester City and that I had the potential to get there."
Savinho, then, is not exactly living out his dream at City, but his friend's. He took an unconventional path to the Etihad, though, when he left Atletico in the summer of 2022, aged 18. Rather than sign directly for Pep Guardiola's side, he joined the City Football Group (CFG) and was assigned to Troyes, whom City had acquired in 2020 and were competing in the French top flight at the time.
To make the signing even more unconventional, Savinho did not move to France, but was instead immediately loaned to PSV in the Netherlands. A club source said this was because the player wanted to play on the right wing and Troyes at the time were deploying Wilson Odobert, now at Tottenham, in his favoured position.
AdvertisementGetty PSV pain
Savinho had a far from ideal start to life in Europe, though, as he missed four months with a hamstring injury and spent the bulk of his time at PSV with the reserve side. He only made six appearances for the first team in the Eredivisie, none of which were starts. He did at least get the chance to work under then-head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, who sent him a good luck message when he moved on.
PSV wanted to keep Savinho for another season, but he instead chose a loan move to Girona, whose sporting director Quique Carcel had watched him stand out for Brazil during the Under-20 World Cup. Girona, conveniently, also belong to CFG, and that is why Savinho's transfer movements have been the subject of some debate.
Troyes fans, meanwhile, were expecting Savinho to join up with them after leaving PSV. The French club, however, had been relegated the previous season and Savinho – and CFG – did not fancy him playing in Ligue 2 when he could be playing in La Liga instead.
GettyPerfect match
Savinho and Girona proved to be the perfect match. When coach Michel watched him in pre-season, he became hugely excited and told Carcel he was convinced that they would now finish in the top eight. Carcel tried to bring the manager back to earth and create more realistic expectations as Girona were coming off a campaign where they finished 10th in their first season back in the top flight.
As it turned out, both men dramatically underestimated. Savinho propelled the Catalans to their best-ever season as they finished third, above Atletico Madrid. Against all expectations, they led the table for a large part of the season before eventually being reeled in by champions Real Madridm and subsequently Barcelona.
Savinho was one of the biggest factors in Girona's rise, scoring nine goals and contributing 10 assists. Michel was never shy of heaping praise on him. "I know this is high praise, but I haven't seen a talent as good as him at one-v-ones since Vinicius Jr," he said in September.
XTroyes anger
Towards the end of the season, Michel made it clear he wanted Savinho to stay for another year, calling the winger "the greatest player I've ever coached". This, however, came off the back of a blunt, clumsy statement a few months previously which summed up why he and CFG have caused such controversy.
"He's the best player I've ever coached. I don’t know if he is a Troyes or Manchester City player, but I know he is not our player," Michel said in February. Troyes fans were similarly confused, and they were understandably left angry as Savinho supercharged Girona's title bid while they sank towards a second successive relegation.
Tensions boiled over in their match against Valenciennes as fans threw flares onto the pitch, while ironically chanting 'Merci City', leading to the game having to be abandoned. Troyes finished in the relegation places, but eventually avoided demotion to the third tier of French football thanks to Bordeaux's financial struggles. Needless to say, they are not happy with how their relationship with City is going.
Troyes supporter Benjamin Rund told last May: “We have signed extraordinary players, but one of them is playing for a top team in La Liga. And for me, it is proof that our club is just a business now. It’s, ‘Let’s sign a player and try to make a profit as quickly as possible’. But here in Troyes, we are struggling. We are having a really hard time."