Artur – Red Bull Bragantino’s gritty winger
Artur Victor Guimaraes was born 7 years before Red Bull began investing in football as the 23-year-old has now become one of the key players of their footballing project in Brazil. Born in Fortaleza, Ceara, on the coastline of North-eastern Brazil, his long hair, tattoos and tan complexion give the idea of a calm beach-boy vibe but on the football pitch, he is workman-like and efficient as one of the stand-out wingers in Brazilian football. He played for his local club, Ceara before moving to Brazilian giants Palmeiras where he made his debut at the age of 18 but injuries prevented him from truly staking a claim with the first team as he manoeuvred to Brazilian Serie A football through a series of stops in Serie B.
The 23-year-old first joined Novorizontino in the Paulistao in 2017 before joining Londrina-PR where he was one of team’s stand-out players in Serie B before returning to Palmeiras in 2018. The squad won the Brazilian Championship but Artur only featured with a few appearances as he was a favourite of the coaching staff but injuries kept his appearances limited before it was decided that he would join Bahia. He would return to North-Eastern Brazil, more aware of the gruelling travel schedule linked with Brazilian football while being closer to home and in a more familiar environment was key to him settling as he would be injury free, participating in 55 games, scoring 10 goals and being one of the assist leaders in the Serie B.
Red Bull Bragantino operate much like other Red Bull franchises across the planet, signing talented youngsters from other academies to piece together a young side under a progressive young manager while also utilizing homegrown talent from their feeder club, Red Bull Brasil who operate in the lower reaches of Brazilian football. Artur justified a reported 25 million reais investment at the beginning of last year while continuing to be injury free, being one of the club’s stand out players last season, leading his side to the Copa Sudamericana group stages after early turbulence in the season, when they were placed in the relegation zone, as Red Bull Bragantino will participate in the Copa Sudamericana knockout phase. His ability to maintain fitness has resulted in him playing for Brazil at U17 and U20 level as well as being an option for the Olympic side in the last few years.
Artur is short in size but has a stout physique and a low centre of gravity, allowing him to hold off players to twist and turn out of challenges. He is uncompromising in challenges as well as in his defensive duties while possessing an unceasing motor and unlimited athleticism. Red Bull Bragantino Head Coach, Mauricio Barbieri deploys him as a left-footed right winger as he has also played as a striker at youth level. The 23-year-old being deployed on the right flank makes him a dangerous threat in 1v1 situations as he loves to receive switches on the counter to cut past markers and unleash shots at goal or lobs into the box. In more patient attacking play, he can cut inside off his flank to thread passes into the centre of the pitch as his ability to create shooting opportunities for himself from the right flank is one of his most intriguing qualities.
Away to Palmeiras in September last year, Artur proved to be such a good dribbler from the wide areas with his agility as he would glide past players to create crossing opportunities while he would also curl shots at goal. The 23-year-old is so innate and clever when dribbling from the flank as he eventually moved into the centre to work connections. His low centre of gravity and physical strength allow him to receive possession in the central positions and work connections but the main strengths of his game lie in the wide areas. He managed to finish the game with an astounding 7 out of 9 takeons which were used in mostly cutting inside from the flank.
Away to Atletico Mineiro, he managed to create another opportunity from the right flank, receiving possession on the right flank with Guilherme Arana in front of him for the winger to fearlessly drive the ball at his marker before cutting the ball back to his stronger left foot to cut past Arana and simultaneously play a cut-back to the top of the box for a teammate to hammer the shot off the crossbar and Red Bull Bragantino’s attacker to tap in from close range. He would then create another opportunity for himself when he controlled the ball with his right foot to cut inside and curl a shot straight at the goalkeeper with his left. Despite being groomed at another academy, Artur is a pure Red Bull player as his game is not just effective with possession but also without possession. He used his defensive intelligence to make an interception before cutting past a man to drive the ball to the other flank and play a pass to Claudinho.
Artur is not just intelligent in receiving switch balls on the right flank but what makes him one of the more effective wingers in the Brazilian Serie A is his ability to drive counter-attacks with his directness, impunitive dribbling ability as well as his final ball. On the counter against Vasco Da Gama, he received a pass from Claudinho to cut inside and lob a cross to Helinho at the back post to hammer the delivery over the bar. At home Sao Paulo, he would receive a switch on the counter to stoop low to head the ball past an opposition player before driving the ball at goal with his left foot before shielding the ball from an opponent to have a shot saved with his right foot. Artur is short in stature but his resolve is unyielding, jumping high to control a lobbed pass with his chest before cutting inside and flicking a pass through to Claudinho to string together on the counter-attack.
The 23-year-old is engaged in the defensive phase but once his side regains possession, he will begin to stride forward into space with the grace of a gazelle in the wild to truly take advantage of counter-attacking situations, receiving the ball and always managing to facilitate the transition into a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity, yet another facet of his game that makes him a true Red Bull player. After a turnover in his zone against Sao Paulo, he strode forward to cut inside and poke a pass to the opposite flank before making a surge in behind for his teammate to attempt a pass which was intercepted. He also participated in the build-up phase, moving into the half-space to switch a pass to the opposite flank. Artur would get his goal from a turnover situation as Claudinho won possession in the pressing phase for the 23-year-old to make a vertical run in behind to receive possession before arcing his body and applying a calm finish.
In the Copa Libertadores, at home to Deportivo Tolima, he received a long-pass to beat his man with his first touch before squaring a pass for Claudinho to hammer over. Playing on the right flank, allows him to cut past players with his left foot but also to drive into the centre with the ball on the outside of his left boot, allowing him to shield the ball from defenders as he used this manoeuvre next receiving possession, to cut past two players driving into the centre and switching the ball. He began the game by cutting inside and lobbing a pass to a teammate in the half-space as well as receiving a switch on the counter-attack to drive the ball forward and have a cross with his weaker right foot blocked.
A lot can be made of his energy, work rate and grit but there is also a technical element to Artur’s game as he is capable of stringing together intuitive passing connections as well as the efficiency and simplicity with which he carries the ball effectively. At home to his former club, Bahia, he made an interception in the defensive phase, beat one man before threading a pass into the centre as he received possession to play another penetrating pass to the ten space with his right foot to facilitate a switch and the creation of an opportunity. Dribbling and passing into the centre is another staple of his game as against Flamengo, he received possession to start another counter-attack, cutting past his defender to play a pass for Claudinho to have a shot saved. He would then receive possession to cut inside again and play another pass to Claudinho to hammer a strike over the crossbar.
At home to Ecuadorian side, Emelec in the Copa Sudamericana, Artur would receive possession on the flank to cut past his man and thread another pass to Claudinho in the ten space to facilitate a switch for a chance to be created. He would use this manoeuvre in another move when he received possession by the touchline to glide past a sliding defender, cut past another defender to distribute a pass to the ten space. He would then win an aerial duel after the goalkeeper punched an opposition corner into his path to drive into the opposition half with two men either side of him before threading a pass to Claudinho who sent a shot wide from inside the box. The 23-year-old would score a goal of his own when he won another aerial duel from a long ball to put a teammate in his behind before surging into the box to get into the box and hammer home with his weaker right foot. He could have had a second goal in added time when he ran in behind to trap a lobbed pass with his left foot and hammer a strike over with his right.
In Red Bull Bragantino’s opening Brasiliero Serie A game of the season against newly promoted, Chapecoense, he received possession from an opposition corner on the counter to have a poor first touch negated by the fact that he outmuscled his opponent to drive the ball into the opposition half, cut inside and switch a pass to Claudinho on the opposite flank. In the build-up phase, he received possession closer to the touchline to thread a pass for a teammate in the half-space before making an overlapping run and receiving possession to square a cross with his right foot to Helinho who unexplainedly ballooned a shot over from point blank range with the goal beckoning. He created yet another opportunity when a teammate played a pass to him on the flank for Artur to lob a pass into him for his teammate to send a shot into the side-netting. In the dying minutes of the game, he would create another chance from an opposition corner-kick, receiving a deflection to drive into the opposition half, outmuscle a defender, cut inside and thread a pass to a teammate while he was slipping.
Artur’s strong form has continued into this season as he managed to get a goal and an assist in Red Bull Bragantino’s second game against Bahia, creating as many as 5 chances. His penchant for volume in his dribbling, chance creating and shooting is what makes him such an intriguing player for his team in many different phases of the game. He was the subject of European interest after his excellent spell with Bahia but he has gone to new strengths at Red Bull Bragantino, becoming one of the most efficient wingers at the highest level of Brazilian football. His improvement with his weaker right foot has been exceptional as he can cross, shoot and pass while he is so skilled at cutting onto his left foot, be it with space to drive at a defender or in tighter quarters. His agility allows him to skip past players in tight spaces and rise to win aerial duels with players much taller than him while his relentless nature provide key intangibles that form the base of his game.
Any European team which is coached by an alumnus of the Red Bull philosophy should be looking at signing as he seems like he was purpose-constructed in a laboratory for that style of football. Monaco under Niko Kovac, Southampton under Ralph Hasenhuttl, Borussia Monchengladbach under Adi Hutter and even Eintracht Frankfurt under Oliver Glasner should be scouting the 23-year-old who turns 24 later this year but would still add immense value to his side. He would thrive in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga especially with his intelligence after turnovers as well as his ability on the counter-attack meshed with his endeavour for defensive work in his own half as well as the opposition half. Artur should certainly be one of the under the radar, high value targets for most teams in European football.
