Santa Clara’s two Gabriels doing justice to their Brazilian football heritage | OneFootball

Whether you’re talking about population, land size, or footballing impact, Brazil is a global colossus. It’s the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, boasting more than 210 million people, and it’s also the only country to have won five World Cups.

One of the most common Brazilian names is Gabriel. According to a study from the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, Gabriel was the second-most common name given to Brazilian boys in the first decade of the 21st century. There were 577,365 Gabriels born between 2000 and 2009 in Brazil, second only to João (787,738).

There are quite a few Gabriels who have made an impact on the footballing scene in recent years. In fact, from Arsenal’s starting XI in their recent FA Cup match vs. Manchester United, there were three Brazilians named Gabriel – Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhães and Gabriel Martinelli. And over in Portugal, there are two Gabriels who are quickly making a name for themselves at the top level of the game.

Tutored by Portuguese coaches at Palmeiras and Flamengo

Born in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, Gabriel Silva came through Palmeiras’ academy before eventually making it to the first team in 2020. He polished his skills under the tutelage of Portuguese manager Abel Ferreira and, alongside compatriots Gabriel Menino and Gabriel Verón, helped the Verdão win the Campeonato Paulista, the Copa do Brasil, and the Copa Libertadores.

On the other hand, Gabriel Batista was born in São Gonçalo, Brazil, and joined Flamengo’s academy at the age of 14. He rose through the ranks at Ninho do Urubu before being promoted in 2017, where he played under Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus and, alongside his compatriot Gabriel Barbosa (Gabigol), helped Flamengo win the Copa Libertadores, the Recopa Sudamericana, two Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles, two Supercopa do Brasil titles and two Campeonato Carioca titles.

When Batista and Silva both decided to head to Europe in the summer of 2022, they were two raw young talents who were in need of regular minutes: Silva had made 30 appearances for Palmeiras, whilst Batista had played 27 matches for Flamengo. They were no longer in their native Brazil, but instead, the Azores, an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atlantic Ocean. Located in Ponta Delgada, Santa Clara is about 1,400 kilometers west of Lisbon, or roughly the same distance from Barcelona to Munich.

After riding the bench for the first few matches of the campaign following his arrival on a free transfer, Batista was given the start ahead of Portuguese veteran Marco Pereira in their 2-1 defeat to Sporting on 8 October 2022. From that point on, he didn’t relinquish his starting spot in goal. Apart from their Taça da Liga fixtures, he started every single match for Santa Clara from that point onwards. As for Silva, he impressed across a number of attacking positions and scored 5 goals and 3 assists in 33 league appearances. Whilst it wasn’t enough to prevent Santa Clara from suffering relegation, it was enough to convince the club to trigger their €1.5 million purchase option for Silva.

Batista plays vital role in immediate return to top flight

After ending a five-year spell in the top-flight, Santa Clara refused to languish in self-pity; instead, they got to work and pursued an immediate return to Liga Portugal. They did just that thanks to their two Brazilian Gabriels: despite only scoring 48 goals – fewer than Nacional (66), AVS (50) and Marítimo (52), Santa Clara were able to finish atop the second tier thanks to a rock-solid backline that conceded just 19 goals in 34 matches.

Whilst Silva chipped in 3 goals and 2 assists in 22 league appearances, Batista excelled between the sticks and even wore the captain’s armband in the final three matches. Batista played every single minute of their league campaign, apart from the final minutes of their 2-0 win vs. Leiria in the last game of the season, when he exited the pitch to a raucous standing ovation from the Santa Clara faithful.

Thriving back in the top flight

It’s been more of the same for them this season. Silva, 22, has racked up 3 goals and 3 assists in 16 league appearances, whilst he also leads Santa Clara in shots on target per game (0.9), shots per game (2.9) and key passes per game (1.7), as well as sharing the top spot for big chances created (4) and big chances missed (6). A tricky customer, Silva has already won two penalties this season, second only to Viktor Gyökeres.

As for Batista, 26, he’s not only played every single league match, but he’s also worn the captain’s armband in every game and established himself as one of the finest shot-stoppers in Iberia. He was even named as the best goalkeeper in Liga Portugal for the month of November, beating out competition from Anatoliy Trubin and Ivan Zlobin, and his 7 clean sheets are bettered only by Benfica’s Trubin and Porto’s Diogo Costa.

Fan favourites

“Batista is one of the best goalkeepers in Portugal,” stated @BravosAcorianos, a digital portal dedicated to providing Santa Clara fans with the latest news surrounding their club. “He’s evolved a lot but benefits from a context where he is called upon to intervene more than someone who spends a large part of the game as a spectator. When he’s a spectator, he can fall asleep sometimes. Batista controls depth very well, and he also seems very good with his feet, while his handling of crosses has improved. Perhaps his reflexes against close-range shots are his biggest weakness. He has been very important for Santa Clara; he is loved by the fans and is a reference point for the team.”

“As far as Silva, he’s very good in transitions, a quick player who has evolved more and is capable of making a difference in the build-up without accelerating the attack. He plays mainly as a left winger in a 3-4-3 and is a player who does not drop deep often but instead is focused on combinations from midfield, especially in quick attacks. His speed, 1v1 ability and shooting ability are his main assets, and he’s improved a lot physically.”

When you take a cursory look at the Liga Portugal table, it seems fairly straightforward at first. The defending champions Sporting are atop the standings, whilst the other two members of the ‘Big Three’, Benfica and Porto, follow in hot pursuit. And Braga, just as usual, find themselves in fourth place.

However, in fifth place, there isn’t Vitória, as we’ve become accustomed to seeing in recent years. Instead, Santa Clara currently occupy fifth place in the table with 31 points from 17 matches, seven behind Benfica, six above Vitória, and level with Braga. And perhaps most importantly, they’re 17 points clear of the relegation zone.

“It’s a defensively cohesive side that’s organized and that prioritizes the group over the individual, and that’s thanks to the manager Vasco Matos,” says @BravosAcoreanos. “It’s a team that doesn’t need a lot of possession (it sits 15th out of the 18 teams with 44.8%), and that’s able to quickly counter and reach the final third.”

European qualification in their sights

We’re only halfway through the campaign, but Santa Clara have evidently been one of the biggest revelations in European football alongside Nottingham Forest, Utrecht and Eintracht Frankfurt. One year after playing in Portugal’s second tier, they look set to challenge for a best-ever top-five finish and confirm their spot in the UEFA competitions for 2025/26, and it’s thanks in no small part to their Brazilian duo in goal and attack.