Nadson Juan is a 16-year-old winger who currently plays for the Santos academy. He primarily plays for the U-17 side, but he has also featured for the U-20s. Nadson mainly operates on the left wing, but has also made appearances on the right wing and as an attacking midfielder.
Physically, Nadson is not very tall, standing at approximately 1.65-1.68 m (5’5”-5’6”) with a slender frame. Nadson’s biggest strengths are his agility and pace. He consistently creates separation from his defender in 1v1 situations through his explosive acceleration. He demonstrates elite pace both over short and longer distances. He changes directions very sharply due to his low center of gravity, making it challenging to keep up with him, especially in tight spaces. Despite his stature, he is fearless in duels. While much smaller compared to his opponents, he will consistently challenge for aerial duels, occasionally coming out on top. He can jump relatively high, but does not have frequent success due to the significant height difference compared to his opponents.
When his team is in possession, Nadson likes to receive the ball out wide, hugging the touchline, to isolate his fullback and go at them 1v1. He uses his close control to beat defenders with quick bursts, knocking the ball past them or using body feints or step-overs to unbalance them. It can be difficult to defend him due to his ability to either go down the line or cut inside. When going down the line, he puts floated crosses into the back posts. He consistently executes this using both feet, which makes it difficult to force him to one side. When cutting inside, he will usually look to create separation to get a shot off quickly or look to combine with teammates around the top of the box with quick combinations or 1-2s. Throughout the game, it is common to see Nadson roam around the final third in both central areas and the right wing. When receiving centrally, Nadson demonstrates good awareness in the final third, looking to turn quickly to combine with teammates or spotting them making runs into dangerous areas inside the box to create scoring opportunities. Off the right, Nadson shows the same comfort as he does off the left, able to go both ways against his defender and using both feet to get crosses or shots off. However, his delivery from crosses farther out can be inconsistent due to a tendency to overhit them. He shows a lot of confidence on the ball, but it can sometimes hinder him. He will tend to overdribble or force passes due to his confidence in executing these actions. His decision-making overall is good, even with these sporadic lapses.
During defensive phases, Nadson works very hard off the ball and shows intensity. When his team presses, he regularly sprints to close down defenders when building out the back, forcing defenders to go long. His commitment is further reflected by his willingness to block passes with slide tackles multiple times throughout the game. When his team loses possession, he will track back to support his teammates in recovering possession or getting into defensive shape.
Nadson Juan is a dynamic and technically gifted young attacker. His play style has drawn comparisons to fellow Santos academy graduates Neymar and Rodrygo, demonstrating his potential. His creativity, tactical awareness, and strong work ethic set him apart. It remains to be seen how much more he will grow and how his body will mature. If he continues on this trajectory, there is every reason to believe he could succeed at a high level in Europe in the years to come.
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