There is no doubt that a number of players from Brazil’s recent triumph at the South American U20 Championships will make the journey across the Atlantic and become successful players. Here are a few from that excellent crop of youngsters from the U20 Brazil side, and others who didn’t join it, but are equally promising.

Dentinho

Bruno Ferreira Bonfim, was ironically given the nickname ‘Dentinho’ meaning ‘little tooth’, as a youngster. In his first season at Corinthians, the striker scored 14 goals as the club regained a spot in the top flight. The youngster played on the left wing for Brazil in the U20 games, revealing his pace and trickery. He could have already arrived in Europe had proposals from Arsenal or Olympiakos not been rejected. A slight figure, his finishing abilities are similar to Henrik Larsson, while his pace and trickery is not unlike Robinho.

Keirrison

Like Carlos Tevez, this young striker is involved in one of those shady 3^rd party deals. Tevez is short, stocky, and outspoken; this Palmeiras striker is tall, skinny and very shy. He is top scorer so far this season with Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s team and scored 41 goals for Coritiba in 2008. While this striker has the natural instinct of scoring, many critics, including the reputable Tim Vickery, claim he relies too much on his strong foot and is relatively one-dimensional in his style.

Neymar

As a 13 year old kid in 2005, Neymar had a $25m release clause fitted into his contract and had Robinho as his godfather. Having only played in the junior leagues for his side Santos, one would expect the player to remain relatively hidden from media attention. Yet, this did not happen, with top European clubs all scouting the player and his talents. Neymar has been included in squads this season for senior games, but has yet to start. All that will soon change and we will see if the much hyped prospect, can in fact cut it at a higher level.

Douglas Costa

Prior to the U20 tournament, Costa’s name was being linked with nearly every club under the sun and the left-footed playmaker was being heralded as the ‘new’ Ronaldinho, as he is also from Gremio. Starting on the bench in the first two games, Costa soon won a starring role, scoring some fantastic goals and dictating Brazil’s play. While there are absolutely no concerns about his technical game, Costa may struggle to adapt to a more physical league, given his slight figure, though with a few years of experience, it is likely he’ll cope well.

Walter

The Internacional striker is said to be a mix between Walter and Romario and his top-scoring tally of 5 goals in the South American Championships reflects his quality. This mix between power and pure finishing ability looks potent, but the party-going lifestyles of Adriano and Romario serve as warning to Walter and, really, any footballer. He is said to be interesting Juventus among other clubs and is seen as a bargain, at least at a price of £5m.