Gustavo Scarpa is not your typical footballer. While many Premier League players are tempted by luxury cars, Scarpa’s ride — and favourite mode of transport — does have four wheels, but is a long way from a Rolls-Royce.
Within days of his arrival at Nottingham Forest, the 28-year-old had posted a video of himself skateboarding around the city centre, armed with what you sense could quickly become his trademark infectious and seemingly permanent smile and obvious sense of fun.
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Even at his unveiling at the City Ground, the winger or attacking midfielder was pictured clutching his board, sat in the stands in full Forest kit — and skater-style shoes.
But then, he has rarely fitted within many of the footballer stereotypes.
Scarpa was born in Hortolandia, a municipality within the Sao Paulo region of Brazil — an area known for having two well-regarded universities and lots of green spaces and with a population not too different in size to that of Nottingham.
When he moved to Rio de Janeiro to join Fluminense in 2013 — his first big break in the game — Scarpa grew a moustache.
The intent was not to look older or more distinguished, but to make himself a little less attractive. As a religious, conscientious young man, Scarpa did not want to be distracted by the temptations of the big city — of the type that might lure many a young footballer. He wanted to focus on his career.
Almost a decade later, that attitude has paid off as Scarpa makes another big move, this time one that will help him to fulfil a childhood dream by playing in the Premier League.
Scarpa becomes Forest’s 23rd signing of the season and the second Brazil international to play for the club, following in the footsteps of Renan Lodi, who arrived on loan from Atletico Madrid in the summer. The circumstances of Scarpa’s move say every bit as much about his character as his love for skateboarding, wakeboarding, solving Rubik’s Cubes and, in a change of pace, reading classic literature.
It had taken him time to establish himself at Sao Paulo side Palmeiras, following his move there in 2018 — but he was able to make himself a key figure. In 34 league appearances last season, he contributed seven goals and 12 assists. Across all competitions, it was 13 goals and 15 assists.
Palmeiras — both club and fanbase — wanted to see him stay, and fought to keep him. He was made a lucrative offer to extend the contract that expires this month, one that would potentially have been more financially rewarding than the one he accepted to up sticks and move almost 6,000 miles to Nottingham.
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“Palmeiras were desperate for him to stay and offered him a lot of money. But he wanted to play in the Premier League,” says Jon Cotterill, a Nottingham-born Forest fan who is also a Sao Paulo-based expert on Brazilian football.
“He has the ability, he has the attitude — he is a winner. He has clocked up so many trophies. He has won the league twice, he has won the Copa Libertadores (the South American equivalent of the Champions League) twice. He is not coming from a struggling side. He is coming from a side where you have to have a winning mentality.
“He is loved over here. They were desperately sad to see him go.”
Scarpa’s list of honours also includes a Copa do Brasil success in 2020, those title wins in 2018 and 2022 and Copa Libertadores triumphs in 2020 and 2021. He was voted into the team of the tournament in the Libertadores in 2019 and 2022 and, last season, he won the Golden Ball, which is awarded to the best player in Brazil’s top-flight Serie A.
He was close to earning a place in the Brazil squad for the World Cup currently going on in Qatar, to add to his one cap — but was edged out at the last when Flamengo’s Everton Ribeiro got the nod ahead of him.
Scarpa’s first challenge at Forest will be to convince another coach that he deserves an opportunity; to persuade Steve Cooper that he is ready for the physical, demanding surroundings of English football.
The decision to sign him was an opportunistic one. Forest were happy with the attacking, creative options they had in their ranks, having added Jesse Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White in the summer and with Brennan Johnson building a strong reputation of his own.
But the opportunity to sign a player of such obvious quality on a free transfer was too good to turn down.
Scarpa can play as a No 10, but is more comfortable on either side. While he is not the same player as Lingard or Gibbs-White, his first hurdle, nevertheless, will be to earn his place amid that kind of company.
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His efforts to do that have already begun and he got off to a bright start in his first game for Forest, as they took on Athens club Atromitos behind closed doors in the Greek capital on Tuesday afternoon. Forest lost 3-2, but Scarpa played a part in both their goals.
Within four minutes, his delivery from a corner had helped to put them in front, with an Atromitos player deflecting it into the back of the net. After flashing a shot wide, Scarpa then crossed for Ryan Yates to attack a header, the midfielder forcing the ball home at the second attempt, after his initial effort had been blocked.
He will be part of the squad again for their second game of the trip to Greece, against Olympiacos.
“What is his strength? It is his left foot,” Cotterill says. “He can deliver the ball perfectly from set pieces. He can ping it with some real venom. He does not look physically strong, but he is one of those players who is more robust than you might expect. He has developed physically a great deal in the past few seasons.
“It took him a little while to settle at Palmeiras. But last season was easily his best as a professional player. He is not the youngest — but even in that age bracket, he delivers. He laid on more assists than anyone else in the league last season and he can chip in with goals as well.
“He doesn’t have outstanding physical speed, but he is very quick mentally. He has a surprisingly powerful shot. I am not sure if that comes from his technique and how he strikes the ball. You look at him and think, ‘Where is that power coming from?’.”
As a teenager, in 2012, Scarpa had a spell at Desportivo Brasil, who have links with Manchester United — and the Old Trafford side did take an interest in him. But there were doubts over his physical stature. At 5ft 9in, Scarpa is still not the most powerful figure, but those who watch him regularly say there’s more strength in his wiry frame than you might expect.
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He has had to work hard to get this far, making 126 appearances and scoring 21 goals for Fluminense between 2014 and 2018. His team-mates there included his childhood hero, Ronaldinho, and later current international Richarlison, the former Watford and Everton forward now at Tottenham. He regularly played as a left-back for Fluminense and can still operate there now, if required.
His time in Rio ended on a sour note, as he eventually won a court battle to have his contract terminated, following a dispute over the payment of wages. But that allowed him to move on a free to Palmeiras, where he has enjoyed the best years of his career.
In his hometown, Scarpa remains the patron of several skateboarding-based charities, including an academy to teach the next generation.
Having already shared his love of skateboarding in Nottingham, he appears the kind of character who could quickly become a fan favourite here.
But there is a serious side to Scarpa as well.
He arrives armed with the kind of mental strength he will require to cope with the pressures of the Premier League. Flamengo and Corinthians are the two biggest clubs in Brazil. But Palmeiras, as well as being successful, also play in front of 40,000 expectant fans.
“The challenge of playing in front of big crowds, with big expectation on his shoulders, will not be a problem,” adds Cotterill.
And, in the meantime, Scarpa has already found a source of encouragement in Nottingham.
“I am very happy that we have a lot of skate parks near here… I am already feeling at home,” he told the Forest website. “Since I was a little kid, it has been my dream to play in the Premier League. I am very happy and excited. I am a technical player, but I have also grown up defensively. I am dedicated and hardworking.
“It is a new challenge and I cannot wait to start.”
(Top photo: Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)
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