Kaua Elias does not want to lose count. Every time he gets home after a match, he picks up his blue and black marker pens and updates his season statistics if he has scored a goal or provided an assist. Just one small detail. His record is not kept in a booklet or on his computer. It is written on his bedroom wall!
The Brazil and Fluminense centre-forward is joint top scorer at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™ after the group phase, alongside Japanese forward Rento Takaoka. He was also one of the top scorers at the South American U-17 Championship. The 17-year-old’s bedroom may soon not be big enough to record all his achievements on the pitch.
“I think I’m going to have to extend the wall,” laughed the striker when talking to FIFA after hitting the net again in Brazil’s crucial 2-1 victory over England in Jakarta. The win booked the Selecao’s place in the knockout phase after finishing runners-up in Group C.
Watch the highlights from the match between England and Brazil played at Jakarta International Stadium, Jakarta, November 17 at 19:00 (local time).
The Brazilian youngsters will kick off the Round of 16 on Monday 20 November in Surakarta against familiar opposition in Ecuador. In the best-case scenario, Brazil will only leave Indonesia on 3 December, the day after the final. If that is the case, Kaua will have to keep careful records until he packs his bags.
“I’m going to have to keep notes,” said the player with a beaming smile. “For sure I’m going to record all these goals on the wall. Of course, I want to score as many as possible and note them down.”
The 1.81m centre-forward is exuding confidence having scored four goals in three games so far, carrying on his prolific form this season. Kaua Elias talks with much more conviction in November 2023 than he did at the start of the calendar year. This was the season when he came of age as a footballer.
From Kaua Elias and Idrissa Gueye’s hat-tricks in Indonesia 2023™ to Tim Weah in the 2017 edition, take a look at who were the latest scorers of three goals in a single match in the competition.
“It’s been a very important year in which I’ve made big strides, both for Fluminense and in the colours of Brazil. I had a very good South American Championship, and the goals starting coming. This is down to my hard work.”
Kaua has made the football world sit up and take notice of another young Fluminense striker with huge potential.
The boy from Uberlandia may be following in the footsteps of names such as Pedro (who today plays for rivals Flamengo and was called up to Qatar 2022), Joao Pedro (the Brighton sensation who made his debut this week for Brazil against Colombia in Barranquilla) and John Kennedy (one of the heroes of Fluminense’s recent Copa Libertadores triumph).
“When I am with the senior team I try to talk to John. Joao Pedro and I exchange messages whenever we can, congratulating one another.”
If all goes to plan, a time will come when Kaua Elias will have to find a new way of recording his statistics. Unless that is, he plans on taking the wall with him when he leaves home.
Source : FIFA
