From third division to Champions League in two years—he earned it
Em dois anos, Alisson Santos percorreu o caminho que separa o anonimato da Série C brasileira dos palcos da Liga dos Campeões europeia — uma trajetória que diz menos sobre sorte e mais sobre o que acontece quando um talento encontra o ambiente certo para florescer. Aos 23 anos, o atacante está prestes a ser adquirido em definitivo pelo Napoli por €15,5 milhões, numa transferência que transforma também o Vitória, clube que um dia o emprestou por não saber o que fazer com ele, em beneficiário de uma história que não soube escrever.
- Em janeiro, o Napoli trouxe Alisson como solução emergencial para cobrir a lesão de David Neres — e ele transformou uma necessidade em argumento de compra.
- Seis gols marcados, participação decisiva em noites de Champions League e uma atuação determinante contra o Milan consolidaram sua posição como peça de impacto no elenco italiano.
- A opção de compra de €15,5 milhões está prestes a ser exercida, num negócio que soma ainda os €3 milhões já pagos pelo empréstimo.
- O Vitória, que o cedeu por empréstimo à Série C sem enxergar futuro no jogador, receberá cerca de R$11 milhões graças aos 13% que detém na transação.
- O analista Leonardo Bertozzi resume o fenômeno: de jogador que ninguém queria a ativo valorizado por um dos clubes mais tradicionais da Itália, em apenas dois anos.
Dois anos atrás, Alisson Santos era um atacante sem espaço no Vitória, cedido por empréstimo a clubes da Série C — Náutico e Figueirense — em partidas que mal repercutiam além das fronteiras regionais. Ninguém apostava nele como protagonista. Hoje, aos 23 anos, está na iminência de ser comprado em definitivo pelo Napoli por €15,5 milhões.
A virada começou em Portugal. Pelo Leiria, na segunda divisão portuguesa, marcou seis gols em dezoito jogos e chamou a atenção do Sporting CP, que o contratou em definitivo em meados de 2025. Ali, mesmo sem ser titular absoluto, ele demonstrou a capacidade de mudar partidas quando entrava em campo — inclusive em noites de Liga dos Campeões.
Em janeiro de 2026, o Napoli o trouxe por empréstimo para suprir a ausência de David Neres. Alisson chegou como solução de emergência e ficou como argumento de permanência. Velocidade, dribles e eficiência no um contra um: o perfil que o analista Leonardo Bertozzi descreveu como 'diferente' e 'meteórico'. Na última sexta-feira, marcou seu sexto gol da temporada na goleada por 4 a 0 sobre o Cremonese. Contra o Milan, entrou do banco e foi decisivo no gol da vitória.
O Vitória, que não soube aproveitar o que tinha, ainda assim colherá cerca de R$11 milhões pela fatia de 13% que detém na negociação. É um retorno modesto para quem abriu mão cedo demais — mas também um lembrete de que, às vezes, o caminho para o topo começa justamente quando alguém decide que você não serve.
Two years ago, Alisson Santos was a restless young striker bouncing between the lower reaches of Brazilian football, loaned out to clubs in the third division because his parent club, Vitória, had no use for him. He played for Náutico and Figueirense in 2023 and 2024, trying to find his footing in matches that barely registered on the national radar. Now, at 23, he is on the verge of a permanent move to Napoli, one of Italy's most storied clubs, in a deal worth €15.5 million—roughly 90 million Brazilian reais.
The arc of his rise has been sharp enough to startle even those who follow football closely. After his stint in Portugal's second division with Leiria, where he scored six goals in eighteen matches, Sporting CP took notice and signed him permanently in the middle of 2025. It was there, in the Portuguese capital, that something shifted. He was not always a starter, but when he entered matches, he changed them. He scored in Champions League nights. He became the kind of player who could turn a difficult game on its head.
Napoli needed exactly that profile when they brought him in on loan in January. David Neres, their winger, had been playing well before injury struck. Alisson arrived as a solution—a player with pace, dribbling ability, and the kind of one-on-one sharpness that could unsettle defenses. He was not a guaranteed starter, but he was the player who could shift momentum from the bench. On Friday, April 24th, he scored his sixth goal of the season in a 4-0 demolition of Cremonese in Serie A. In a match against Milan, he came off the bench and played a decisive role in the winning goal.
Leonardo Bertozzi, an Italian football analyst at ESPN, watched this unfold and saw something worth remarking on. "The player offers a different profile," he said—speed, dribbling, one-on-one ability, and finishing. "He's had a meteoric rise, going from third-division football to Champions League football in two years, but he earned every step of that growth. Napoli won't let this opportunity slip away."
The numbers tell their own story. If Napoli exercises the purchase option, they will pay 15.5 million euros on top of the 3 million they already spent on the loan. Vitória, the club that once had so little faith in Santos that they sent him away, holds a 13 percent stake in the total transaction—worth approximately 11 million reais. It is a modest return on a player they could not develop, but it is also proof that sometimes the path to success requires leaving home.
Bertozzi framed the fee as fair. "That value of 15 million euros for Napoli to buy the player is just," he said. The analyst saw in Santos a player who had been a signing of necessity—a gap-filler when injuries struck—but who had become something more. He was the kind of player who could enter a game and provide the spark a team needed to break through. From Série C to Serie A, from a player nobody wanted to a player a major European club was willing to spend serious money to keep. The journey is not finished, but the distance traveled is already remarkable.
Citas Notables
He's had a meteoric rise, going from third-division football to Champions League football in two years, but he earned every step of that growth.— Leonardo Bertozzi, Italian football analyst at ESPN
That value of 15 million euros for Napoli to buy the player is just.— Leonardo Bertozzi
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How does a player go from being loaned out to the third division to catching the eye of a club like Napoli?
It's rarely a straight line. Alisson played in Portugal's second division, scored consistently, and caught Sporting's attention. But what really mattered was what happened when he got minutes at Sporting—he performed in Champions League matches. That's the kind of stage where scouts actually see you.
Was he a regular starter at Napoli, or did he come in off the bench?
He wasn't a guaranteed starter. But that's almost the point. He was the player who could change a game from the bench. When David Neres got injured, Alisson became the solution Napoli needed—someone with pace and dribbling ability who could unsettle tired defenses.
What does Vitória get out of this, given they're the ones who let him go?
They get about 11 million reais from a 13 percent stake in the deal. It's not nothing, but it's also a reminder that they couldn't develop him themselves. Sometimes the best return on a young player is letting him leave and taking a cut of his future.
Is 15.5 million euros a lot for a player like this?
For a 23-year-old with six goals in a season and proven Champions League experience, it's fair value. He's not a superstar, but he's proven he can perform at a high level. That's worth paying for.
What happens next for him?
That depends on Napoli. If they exercise the option—and the analyst seems confident they will—he becomes a permanent part of their squad. He's shown he can contribute in Serie A and Europe. The question is whether he becomes a regular starter or remains that crucial impact player off the bench.