New York City Football Club (NYCFC) just added some serious firepower to its developmental ranks.
On Wednesday, the team announced that it had acquired 18-year-old Brazilian star forward Talles Magno as a Young Designated Player from Brazilian club Vasco da Gama on a contract through the 2026 season. He will be added to the MLS roster upon receipt of a P-1 visa and ITC.
Magno is a highly-regarded youngster who recently was a part of Brazil’s U-17 World Cup-winning team in 2019. He was named one of Goal.com’s 50 wonderkids in world football (No. 41) — placing lofty expectations on the dynamic forward’s boots.
“I’m very happy to be joining New York City FC and I am committed, dedicated, and ready to work,” Magno said. “This is a big club near the top of the table and that convinced me to come here. We are going to work together to accomplish big things.
“I want to show my talent to the club and this league. It’s a league that is very well spoken of in Brazil. I want to give my best to the club, to score many goals, give many assists to help my teammates, and be the champion of the league. I ask the supporters to trust in me and trust what I can give NYCFC. I will give my best effort and fight for the team.”
To properly quantify just how large of a pickup this is for NYCFC, Magno was reportedly a target of Spanish giants Real Madrid and one of England’s legendary clubs, Liverpool.
The 6-foot-1 striker has even drawn comparisons to superstar Brazilian forward, Neymar, who is currently plying his trade for the growing European giants, Paris Saint-Germain in France. His coach at Vasco da Gama, former Real Madrid manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo even went as far as to label Magno as an “artist” during his first season with the club as a 16-year-old.
In 49 games in Brazil’s top-flight league, Serie A, Magno has five goals for a Vasco da Gama team that has churned out notable talents like Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho and Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz in recent years.
“We’re really excited to sign Talles and are ready to welcome him into our dressing room,” NYCFC head coach Ronny Deila said. “It has been really important for us to continue to add attacking talent to our roster, and Talles will be a great addition to our group of forwards. He has a lot of potential and we’re prepared to help him continue his growth as a footballer, but he is still only 18 years old.
“We do not want to put too much pressure on his shoulders right away. There is a great group of players and staff here at NYCFC that will allow him to settle into life in New York and we know he’s a player that can come in and help us win football matches.”
