Nathan Allan de Souza (born 13 March 1996), simply known as Nathan, is a Brazilian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays for

Fluminense Fluminense Football Club (), known as Fluminense, is a Brazilian sports club best known for its professional football team that competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first tier of Brazilian football and the Campeonato Carioca, ...

, on loan from

Atlético Mineiro Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to: Sports Teams Athletico *Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy *Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...

. Mainly an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

, he has also been deployed throughout his career in a central midfield role, as well as a winger and a

second striker Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

Club career

Atlético Paranaense

Born in

Blumenau Blumenau is a city in Vale do Itajaí, state of Santa Catarina (Brazil), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South Region of Brazil. It is away from the state capital of Florianópolis. The city was founded by the German chemist an ...

, Santa Catarina, Nathan joined

Atlético Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (commonly known as Athletico and formerly known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The team ...

's prolific youth setup in 2009, at the age of 13. He was promoted to the main squad in 2014, initially appearing with the under-23 team in

Campeonato Paranaense Campeonato Paranaense, which has been contested since 1915, is the top-flight football league of the state of Paraná, Brazil. Format The format has changed in 2014. 12 teams are together in a single group. They play against each other once, ...

. His debut came on 29 January in the first stage of the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

away at

Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A. is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, football team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by engineer Richard Bentín Mujica ...

, playing ten minutes in place of

Marcelo Cirino Marcelo Cirino da Silva (born 22 January 1992 in Maringá) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Athletico Paranaense. He previously had played for Atlético Paranaense, winning the Brazilian Série A best newcomer award in 2013 ...

in a 1–2 loss. A week later in the second leg, he came on as a substitute and had his attempt saved in the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

, although his team advanced nonetheless. Nathan made his Série A debut on 22 May, coming on as a second-half substitute for

Paulinho Dias Paulo Henrique Dias da Cruz, or simply Paulinho Dias, (born 13 May 1988) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Aimoré. Club career A Cruzeiro youth graduate, Dias made his first-team – and Série A – debut on ...

in a 1–1 away draw against

Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...

. In October, after rejecting a contract renewal, the club and the player went to court, with him being demoted back to the under-23s.

Chelsea

On 1 July 2015, Nathan joined

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

for an undisclosed fee rumoured to be in the region of £4.5 million, having initially confirming he had signed in May 2015.

Loan to Vitesse

Nine days after signing for Chelsea, it was announced that Nathan was join to Dutch side

Vitesse Arnhem Vitesse may refer to: * Vitesse Models, a diecast model car company * Vitesse (band), Dutch rock band * Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, a car * Rover 216 Vitesse, a car * Rover 3500 Vitesse, a car * Rover 800 Vitesse, a car * Triumph Vites ...

on loan, along with

Isaiah Brown Isaiah Jay Brown (born 7 January 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and is currently a free agent. He represented the England national under-20 team. Brown played for West Bromwich Albion's academ ...

and Lewis Baker. He made his debut on 6 August in a

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

third qualifying round second leg against

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

at the

GelreDome The GelreDome () is a football stadium in the city of Arnhem, Netherlands. It is one of the largest and most modern stadiums in the country, built from 1996 to 1998 at a cost equivalent to €75 million, that opened on 25 March 1998. The stadium ...

, replacing Baker for the final 21 minutes of a 0–2 home defeat for a 0–5 aggregate elimination. He made his

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

debut three days later in a 1–1 draw against Willem II, replacing Brown with 25 minutes to spare. On 14 August he scored his first goal, again as a substitute, concluding a 3–0 home win over

Roda JC Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. ...

. On 4 October, Nathan scored his second goal for the club in a 5–0 victory over

FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, province of Groningen. Founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, the team compete in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football. G ...

. On 9 June 2016, Nathan's loan at Vitesse was extended for the 2016/17 campaign. On the opening day of 2016/17 season, Nathan scored a brace against Willem II in a 4–1 win. He played as Vitesse won the final of the

KNVB Beker The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...

2-0 against

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and ho ...

on 30 April 2017 to lead the club, 3-time runners up, to the title for the first time in its 125-year history.

Loan to Amiens

On 31 August 2017, Nathan joined

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

side

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

on a season-long loan. On 17 September 2017, he made his debut during Amiens' 2–0 away defeat against

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, replacing

Bongani Zungu Bongani Zungu (born 9 October 1992) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Mamelodi Sundowns and the South Africa national team. Club career Having joined the University of Pretoria The University of P ...

in the 81st minute. Nathan went onto feature twice more in the

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Football in France, French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was est ...

, before terminating his loan spell in January and returning to Chelsea.

Loan to Belenenses

Following his return from Amiens, Nathan opted to join

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

side

Belenenses Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, commonly known as Os Belenenses (), is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 25,000-seat Estádio do Reste ...

on loan for the remainder of the campaign in January 2018.

Atlético Mineiro

On 24 July 2018, Nathan agreed a deal to return to his native country to join

on a season-long loan, which was extended until mid-2020. On 1 July 2020, he joined the club on a permanent basis, signing a four-year contract. On 4 January 2022, Nathan joined

on a season-long loan.

International career

Nathan has represented Brazil in both under-17 and

under-20 Junior is a category of athletics in which athletes compete under the age of 20 years. Countries all around the world compete in athletics. World Junior Athletics Competitions are held every two years which contain the best junior competitors in ...

levels. He made his debut with the under-17s during the

2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fifteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates between 17 October and 8 November. Nigeria won the tournament after defeating Mexico 3–0 in the final, cla ...

, scoring five goals, including braces in the 6–1 group stage wins against

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

and hosts

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. He scored their equaliser in the 1–1 draw against holders

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in the quarter-finals and netted in the subsequent

, but Mexico won 11–10. Nathan was voted as the second best player of the tournament, winning the Silver Ball. He was also included in

Alexandre Gallo Alexandre Tadeu Gallo (born 29 May 1967), known as Alexandre Gallo or just Gallo, is a Brazilian football coach and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current head coach of Londrina. Career Gallo started his career ...

's 23-man squad for the 2015 South American Youth Championship held in Uruguay. Nathan appeared in all matches during the competition, scoring his first goal on 4 February, netting the first in a 5–0 routing over

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Style of play

Tim Vickery, a reporter on South American football, called Nathan "a playmaker who can thread a little pass". He said that although he performed well as an under-17 international, his performances at under-20 were below standard, concluding that "it’s difficult to see what he has done in the last season to justify interest from Chelsea."

Career statistics

Honours

Vitesse *

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...

: 2016–17 Atlético Mineiro *

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil ( en, Brazil Cup) is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de ...

Campeonato Mineiro Campeonato Mineiro is the state football league of the state of Minas Gerais and is controlled by the Minas Gerais Football Federation FMF (Federação Mineira de Futebol). The history of Campeonato Mineiro can be divided into two parts: befor ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Individual *

FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fédération ...

Silver Ball:

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Team of the Year:

References

External links

Nathan
at playmakerstats.com (English version of ogol.com.br) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nathan 1996 births Living people People from Blumenau Sportspeople from Santa Catarina (state) Brazilian footballers Association football midfielders Association football forwards Club Athletico Paranaense players Chelsea F.C. players SBV Vitesse players Amiens SC players C.F. Os Belenenses players Clube Atlético Mineiro players Fluminense FC players Eredivisie players Ligue 1 players Primeira Liga players Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in England Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in France Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Portugal Brazil youth international footballers Brazil under-20 international footballers 2015 South American Youth Football Championship players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players