Scouting: Bruno Alves
An outstanding ball-playing centre-back emerging in Brazil.
Runners-up at the last edition of the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior (famously known as ‘Copinha’) Cruzeiro has been largely an uninspired, unconvincing team at the 2025 edition, across the initial group stage and the first knockout game. Alongside 16 year-old left-back Kauã Prates, Bruno Alves is the only other player delivering consistent performances at this tournament for the club.
If we are to believe the rumors, some European clubs, including Porto, Torino and Real Madrid, have been watching him for quite some time. I wasn’t originally planning to do this analysis, but I became so awestruck by him that I had to do it. This will be a shorter version of the ones I normally do here, but one I still feel like shows what kind of a player he is.
Roles and positions
Bruno Alves is commonly deployed as the left-sided CB in a back four. Nothing fancy about it. Recent managers have shifted between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 base system.
Ball-playing skills
He’s always involved in the deep build-up and, right away, we can see how good he is at breaking lines, playing through the centre and hitting long diagonal balls. What sets him apart, however, is his willingness to use his non-dominant left foot to control, carry and pass the ball. I could make a left-foot compilation only and you wouldn’t believe that’s not his favored foot — that’s how good he is.
Considering we’re living in an era where ball-playing defenders are more important than ever, having someone capable of operating with both feet is absolutely massive. If an incoming presser blocks this right foot, he’s still able to find teammates curving a pass using his left foot. Whatever you do against him, he’ll probably find a way around it.
Furthermore, he’s got the courage to attempt riskier passes through the middle even when being pressured closer to his goal, in a zone where every loss can result in a goal. That speaks volumes about his confidence in his own game.
Defensive skills
Bruno isn’t just a good passer, however. Besides being a good air duelist, he is also really, really good at handling clearances: under pressure, he’s outstanding at getting the ball out of a dangerous zone and sending it directly to a teammate so his team can immediately start an offensive sequence. He isn’t just sending the ball away, he’s initiating attacks at the same time. That’s a skill reminiscent of some of the greatest defenders ever, like Thiago Silva and Virgil van Dijk. To do that this early in his career is even more impressive.
He’s also fairly quick, but still struggles with his positioning sometimes, especially when dealing with runners in behind. That’s something completely understandable at this level and I’m sure he will get better as he acclimatizes to professional football.
Professional debut looming
Now at Cruzeiro, Fernando Diniz made a name for himself playing a different style of football (branded as relationism). Amongst some of his teams’ defining traits, grouping up players to build up under pressure, even inside his own box, could be characterized as one of them. Comfortable under pressure and good at exploiting opposition gaps, Bruno Alves fits right in. There have been rumors already that he is set to be integrated to the first team after Cruzeiro U20 finishes its Copinha campaign. He definitely does have what it takes to make an immediate impact on professional football — let’s hope he gets at least a few opportunities throughout the season to showcase that.