Mycael

Mycael

Personal information
Full name	Mycael Pontes Moreira [1]
Date of birth	(2004-03-12) 12 March 2004 (age 19) [1]
Place of birth	Porto Velho, Brazil
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) [1]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Athletico Paranaense
Number	41
Youth career
2017–2019	Trieste
2019–2022	Athletico Paranaense
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2023–	Athletico Paranaense	0	(0)
International career
2019	Brazil U15
2020	Brazil U17
2021–	Brazil U20	8	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing   Brazil South American U-20 Championship Winner 2023 Colombia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:15, 14 February 2023 (UTC)

Mycael Pontes Moreira (born 12 March 2004), simply known as Mycael, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Athletico Paranaense and the Brazil national under-20 football team.

Early life

From Porto Velho, Rondônia, his father Moisés Moreira recalls Mycael initially played as a left-back when he first trained with local neighbourhood side Seu Zeca. However, the regular goalkeeper didn’t turn up one day and Mycael played in goal and saved a penalty and made a number of other saves. Mycael has a number of amateur goalkeepers in his family. ^[2]

Club career

Mycael signed his first professional contract with Athletico Paranaense aged 16 in 2020. ^[3] In November 2022 the club announced that Maycael would be promoted to the senior first team squad for the 2023 season. ^[4]

International career

Mycael made his debut with the Brazil under-15 age group team against a Paraguay age group team in July 25, 2019. ^[5] He won the under-15 South American championship that year, and the following year made his debut for the Brazil under-17 team. He was also named goalkeeper of the tournament at the Revelations Cup in Mexico in 2021. ^[6]

Mycael won the 2023 South American U-20 Championship with Brazil. He was awarded man of the match for the final game which secured the title for Brazil, against Uruguay. ^{[7] [8]} He has also saved a penalty in a match for Brazil against Argentina. ^[9] His displays led him to being one of the players singled out from the tournament by South American football pundit Tim Vickery among those who “enhanced their reputations in Colombia [with] careers worth watching”. ^[10]

On March 3, 2023, Mycael was called up to the senior Brazil squad for the first time as interim coach Ramon Menezes prepared a team to play a friendly match against Morocco. ^[11]

Personal life

Mycael joined Trieste, an amateur team from Curitiba, in 2017. There, he lived for two years with teammate and fellow goalkeeper Bernardo Pisetta and his family prior to his move to Athletico Paranaense aged 14. Mycael honours his friend Bernardo, who died in the Flamengo training ground fire in 2019, by wearing an under shirt containing his photo underneath his match day jersey, a practice he has said he will continue throughout his career, saying:

"I'm fulfilling his dream, fighting every day and thinking that there will always be 12 on the field. A goalkeeper down here and a goalkeeper up there.” ^[12]

References

1. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023™ SQUAD LIST: Brazil (BRA)" (PDF). FIFA. 22 May 2023. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
2. "Goalkeeper of the under-20 national team, learn about the story of Rondonian Mycael Moreira". Globo.com.
3. "'I slept dreaming about it', says Mycael from Rondônia after signing a contract with Athletico". globo.com.
4. "Athletico promotes goalkeeper Mycael to the first team and continues to bet on names revealed at the club". globo.com.
5. "Rondonian goalkeeper, who defends the shirt of the Brazilian Under-15 Selection celebrates victory against Paraguay". Globoesporye.globe.com.
6. "Mycael, goalkeeper from Rondônia, wears the number 1 of the Brazilian under-20 team". Folhadevilhena.com.
7. "Goleiro Mycael exalta classificação da Seleção Brasileira ao Mundial Sub-20". Lance.com.
8. "Mycael gives Brazil victory over Paraguay". as.com.
9. "Mycael saves important penalty again against Argentina". UOL.com.br.
10. "Brazil are South American U20 champions, but real winners will be known in a decade". ESPN.com.
11. "Neymar, Alisson, Martinelli out of Brazil squad for Morocco friendly". espn.co.uk. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
12. "Fire at Ninho do Urubu completes four years, and Mycael remembers Bernardo: "Making his dream come true"". globo.com.

External links

• Athletico Paranaense profile (in Brazilian Portuguese)
• Mycael at Soccerway