Born in 2002 in the Brazilian town of Minas Gerais, John Kennedy has been one of the players Fernando Diniz has used most as an alternative to Fluminense FC’s principal forwards. After all of his training at the Tricolor das Laranjeiras, the 21-year-old enjoyed a spell at Ferroviária last season, where he found the net six times in 11 games.
With a height of 1.81m, John has a low centre of gravity. It allows him to zig-zag opponents while demonstrating an incredible ability to change direction – he combines speed, agility, strength, and technique in moments of progression with the ball. As far as technique is concerned, the Brazilian always knows which part of his foot to use for different technical actions, whether we’re talking about a dribble made with speed or a pass into space with the first touch.
As far as intelligence is concerned, John Kennedy is a player who needs to start measuring the risks of his actions. By this, I don’t mean he should stop pulling his creativity and taking risks. I am saying that exists scenarios in which it is utopian to look for technical actions due to the congestion of some areas of the terrain. As a result, John should try to keep the ball in order not to expose his team in the defensive transition moments – a less successful moment for Fernando Diniz’s teams. Furthermore, the young Brazilian can break pressures through the first touch, anticipating scenarios and even passing and receiving in the space ahead – a mark of the team’s “victims of Dinizism.” He never hides from the game and always tries to be a good protagonist.
Physically, John Kennedy is a player of medium-high stature and morphologically mesomorphic. In terms of speed, he is a fast player, both in terms of displacement and execution, as I had already mentioned before. He is agile in his movements and can hold the opposing players’ charges in individual duels.
His competitive attitude is commendable in all moments of the game, especially during the defensive transition: he can react very well to lose and is also exemplary if he has to run backwards in search of the ball that he can’t recover in high areas.
The future could be bright for John Kennedy. If he can be more productive in the last third in terms of goals and assists, the young Brazilian could become a dangerous case, especially if we look at the ease with which he can unbalance the game on his own when the ball gets to his feet. In terms of flights, John is a player that needs to enter Europe through a favourable context. Right now, looking at teams like Brighton & Hove Albion FC, SL Benfica, or Feyenoord Rotterdam would be ideal for the youngster managed by Fernando Diniz.