Wolves' Samba Stars up for top gongs
Wolves stars Joao Gomes and Pedro Lima have been nominated for a prestigious award in Brazil.
Midfielder Gomes is up for the men’s Samba Gold award, while Lima has been nominated for the under-20 award, for the best Brazilian footballer this year.
Created by outlet Sambafoot in 2008, the gong has grown in prominence over the years and was originally awarded to the best Brazilian footballer in European football, before being expanded in 2021 to include players across the world.
Originally only one award was handed out to the best men’s player – with former Real Madrid and AC Milan attacking midfielder Kaka winning the inaugural award – before women’s and under-20s categories were introduced.
Neymar has won the most men’s Samba Gold titles with six, followed by Thiago Silva with three, while Luis Fabiano, Maicon, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Alisson have also won the award.
Now, Gomes finds himself in esteemed company as one of 10 nominees for the 2024 award.
The 23-year-old is up against Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, who won the award last year, as well as his Madrid team-mate Rodrygo and a host of talent that also includes fellow Premier League players Gabriel Martinelli, Lucas Paqueta, Bruno Guimaraes and Andreas Pereira.
