Who is Rayan, the Premier League's New Brazilian Poster Boy?

Meet the Brazilian Winger with the World at His Feet ... and It's Not Estevão

The Premier League has a rich, complicated, deep-rooted relationship with Brazil and the star-powered players the nation constantly produces.

Some of them, such as Robinho, Jo, and Danilo, delivered so little despite promising so much. Others, like Oscar, Ramires, and Paulinho, all possessed clear and obvious quality but didn’t stay long enough to fulfil their potential in the English top flight.

Still others, such as present-day players Gabriel Magalhaes, Alisson and Bruno Guimaraes, are so consistent in the quality of their performances that they are names regularly bounced around in conversations of ‘best in the world in their positions’, and it’s hard to argue.

Recently, though, there has been a clear shift – gone are the signings of well-known Brazilians with a trophy cabinet already filled to breaking point; the Premier League’s newest focus is on younger, unproven joga bonito talents, in the hope that early investment will pay off big time further down the line.

Chelsea jumped on the bandwagon early with their signing of the star-to-be Willian Estevao, and now one of the Premier League’s finest talent spotters has joined them, following Bournemouth’s signing of 19-year-old Rayan. Notching his first Premier League goal in just his second appearance for the south-coast side at the weekend, people have already started to sit up and take notice.

Rayan is up and running in the @premierleague 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FV7USE9Ltm

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) February 7, 2026

Who is the Cherries' newest toy, and why is he, alongside Estevao, the face of the next generation of Brazilian Premier League talent?

Brazilian Prodigies

The marked shift towards securing the signatures of young Brazilians before they become superstars has been done before – Real Madrid pulled off an identical approach in the signings of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, both of whom are now some of Europe’s most coveted wide players.

It is a clear statement that the buy-young, sell-expensive strategy works, but only if you put the necessary manpower, analysis and painstaking care into the process – watching the Brazilian Serie A is not for the faint-hearted.

One of the most fiery, passion-fuelled, chaotic leagues in world football, it’s no wonder that the players who thrive there go on to become some of the best in the world – Europe’s top five leagues look tame in comparison.

Estevao had a whale of a time in his stint with Palmeiras, netting 27 goals and notching 15 assists in two full seasons before securing a £55 million move to Stamford Bridge, where he has (somewhat predictably) taken European football by storm.

But his last campaign at Palmeiras, where he managed 12 goals and five assists, pales in comparison to Rayan’s – the 19-year-old right-winger hit the 20-goal mark and added a single assist to his tally as he helped guide his side to top-flight survival by just two points. Without his attacking influence, there is no doubt that they would now be trying to work their way back up to the top tier.

A right-winger with electric pace, a physical build, utter confidence in his dribbling ability, and incredible strength with both feet, Rayan is exactly the sort of player that gets bums in seats, and then he gets them standing – in short, exactly the sort of player the Premier League needs more of.

🇧🇷 One of the big European clubs will snap up an absolute gem in Rayan in 2026.

Only 19-years-old and he’s scored 20 goals for Vasco da Gama this season.

An incredibly technical player. He’s a striker who can play as an RW as well.

Fantastic left-foot. He’s a strong build… pic.twitter.com/HIxG4WFRfQ

— Bence Bocsák (@BenBocsak) December 12, 2025

But it’s all very well putting up impressive numbers in your home country, in a league you grew up watching and playing in, but it is a completely different challenge to take these numbers across the Atlantic Ocean to a foreign league which has vastly different expectations, qualities, and an infinite pool of world-class talent.

Has Rayan’s Game Travelled Well?

Typically, Brazilian talents need time to settle in once they arrive in England’s top flight; even Estevao, as supremely talented as he is, went through a period of transition and had to wait until October to net his first Premier League goal, which, of course, happened to be a 95th-minute winner against reigning champions Liverpool.

It seems Rayan has taken to the Premier League significantly quicker than his compatriot, which has no doubt been made easier by his 186 cm frame. Physicality is a priceless commodity in the Premier League, and anyone who can acquire a player with a healthy mix of strength and technical ability automatically has a gem on their hands.

Nevertheless, there are never any guarantees in football, and there were certainly nerves around Rayan's arrival. Brought to the club as a direct replacement for the Man City-bound Antoine Semenyo, Andoni Iraola will have been praying to the footballing deities that his new £24 million signing hits the ground running, and going off what we have been treated to so far, I think it’s fair to say that his prayers were answered.

It has taken just two games for the word ‘bargain’ to start being thrown around. In less than 110 minutes of football, the attacker has notched his first goal and assist, and these weren’t a fluke either.

His assist against Wolves was preceded by a magnificent show of strength and ball control in order to bypass countryman Joao Gomes, and a lovely pullback left to Alex Scott with the simplest of tap-ins, while his goal against Aston Villa on Saturday came after a driving run from the flank that left Lucas Digne motionless, before driving a right-footed shot past Emi Martinez, who, outside of that, was having a superb game between the sticks for the Villains.

🇧🇷 🪄 Bournemouth forward Rayan (19) got an assist on his Premier League DEBUT! ✅ pic.twitter.com/ffpzpJAK7v

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 31, 2026

Granted, Lucas Digne's defending left … plenty to be desired, but even so, Rayan had a huge amount of ground to eat up between where he received the ball and where he ended up taking his shot.

He hasn’t just been a goal and assist merchant either – in his 109 minutes in a Bournemouth shirt, he has created three chances, made four passes into the final third, completed 50% of his dribbles and, to top it all off, has only been dispossessed twice.

His playstyle, while so similar to Estevao’s brand of mazy running, lightning feet, and fearless running, has the added dimension of being a physical challenge for opposing defenders. Defenders are more willing to stand off him and try not to engage, whereas with Estevao, the youngster is marked tighter than the baselayer he wears beneath his kit.

Clearly, Rayan’s muscular build makes him arguably a more fearsome adversary, and though we are yet to see the full extent of the teenager's abilities, one tells me we won’t be kept waiting for long.

A New Era of Brazilian Dominance?

Elsewhere in the Premier League, there is a raft of youthful Brazilian talent waiting for or in the process of making their own – midfield maestro Andrey Santos at Chelsea, tricky winger Alysson at Aston Villa, free-scoring Igor Thiago at Brentford, and up-and-coming left back Souza at Tottenham – the list goes on and on.

But the figureheads of the next generation are undoubtedly the right-wing pairing of Estevao and Rayan, both of whom could be rivalling each other for a spot in the World Cup squad this summer if their seasons continue in a similar vein.

🇧🇷 Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that 11 players have guaranteed World Cup spots in his squad for the summer:

Goalkeepers:
🔸 Alisson

Defenders:
🔸 Marquinhos
🔸 Gabriel Magalhães

Midfielders:
🔸 Casemiro
🔸 Bruno Guimarães

Forwards:
🔸 Vinícius Júnior
🔸 Estêvão
🔸 Raphinha… pic.twitter.com/8G75IpjxQl

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) February 8, 2026

Bournemouth did very well to sign Rayan in the first place – in the weeks leading up to the January transfer window, FA Cup holders Crystal Palace were heavily linked with him, and were rumoured to be ready to pay his €80 million release clause to acquire the teenager.

🚨🇧🇷 According to @espn, Crystal Palace has initiated talks for Rayan and is considering a purchase option for June 2026.

He signed a new deal until December 2028 last week and now has a release clause of 80 million euros. 💶 pic.twitter.com/nbm0Gmk8ju

— Palace Report (@PalaceReport) December 17, 2025

While in reality he was never going to cost as much as that (the Serie A record sale is still held by Neymar’s €88 million move to Barcelona), Bournemouth still did incredibly well to hold off a club that was in the midst of their best ever season, with the Eagles having lifted their first two pieces of silverware within three months of each other.

Both Palace and Bournemouth present attractive projects for up-and-coming talent, but Bournemouth in particular has become renowned for helping young players’ dreams become a reality – in the summer, the sales of Dango Ouattara, Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez raked in almost £180 million, almost £100 million more than what they acquired them for.

Moreover, all four players were aged 23 and under when they were sold on from the Vitality Stadium, underlining the effect that a well-run club and a highly respected manager can have on a young player’s career trajectory.

Bournemouth have had some serious stars come through the club in recent years 😳💪 pic.twitter.com/zrg8k5lbcL

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) February 8, 2026

Whilst the club would obviously prefer to keep a hold of Rayan, the clear end goal is to sell him on for a similar, if not even more significant fee. The talent is there to become one of the best in Europe in the next few seasons, and under Iraola’s tutelage and with reasonable expectations for a club like Bournemouth, the winger has the chance to develop his game at total ease, free of the microscope and scrutiny that would have come with a move to a bigger club.

Between Estevao, Rayan, and all of the talents mentioned above, a new Brazilian dynasty is rolling onto the Premier League’s horizon, and though some will undoubtedly move on to the likes of La Liga, the Bundesliga, and Serie A, if even half of them remain in England, the Premier League will automatically become more watchable for fans and neutrals alike.

Their philosophy of joga bonito literally translates to “play beautifully”, and the new generation of Brazilian players encapsulates this trait perfectly. You cannot take your eyes off them; their flair factor makes them totally unpredictable, infuriating and brilliant in equal measure, and when one particularly special talent comes along, it makes them a world-beater.

Estevao and Rayan fall neatly into this final category, and between the two of them, the future of Brazilian Premier League football is in safe hands. One thing is for sure – Brazil's right flank has been filled for the next 15 years at least.