The Curious Case of Matheus Pereira

In late October of 2015, eyebrows were raised throughout Lisbon when Jorge Jesus opted to start a young, unproven winger. 19 year-old Matheus Pereira had barely featured in the first team, so the decision to start him in such an important European game was an intriguing one.

His choice was quickly ratified. Matheus added Sporting's 3rd goal, heading in at the far-post after KF Skënderbeu's goalkeeper misjudged the cross. One goal soon became two, as a deep cross was met by Matheus' left-foot. The ball arrowed into the bottom right-hand corner. It seemed that the Sporting fans would soon have a new hero to worship.

This was a player who'd been at the club since the age of 14, after his family decided to move from their native Brazil to Portugal's capital. So, the chance to finally play for his now local team was no doubt a proud moment for the player and his family.

However, his elevated status wouldn't last. Matheus would only start one more game for Sporting's first team. Diogo Pomba from Expresso told The Athletic that the case of Matheus is a microcosm for Sporting's overall outlook on youth.

"He's a player who was identified as a real talent, with huge potential, at a young age. But he has never been given a chance by any coach, and has never had a proper run in the side."

He'd go another season without breaking into Sporting's first team, as he was loaned out to fellow Liga NOS side, Chaves.

His time at the northern tip of Portugal was a success. In 27 league games, Matheus scored 7 goals and provided a further 5 assists. It's not an overstatement to say that he was instrumental to Chaves' lofty 6th position finish.

Against Feirienes on a cool February afternoon, Matheus exhibited his quality. Bending a whipped free-kick just wide of the post, before dissecting the Feirienes defence with a splitting pass to find fellow winger, Davidson, unfortunately he couldn't convert the opportunity. So Pereira decided to do it himself. He cut in from the right-wing exchanging a neat one-two before dinking the ball over the Feirense goalkeeper. Pereira was now becoming a match-winner for Chaves, and still only at 21 years old.

As the season progressed, so did the importance of Pereira to Chaves. A match against then, 6th place Maritimo would go a long way to determine who'd finish the season higher in the table. Maritimo scored an early goal but that lead was shortly erased, when Pereira came in off the right, chopping the ball to open space for himself, and then poke the ball to Pedro Tiba who successfully slotted the ball home. In the second-half, Matheus once again drifted inside off the right, drilling a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner. Pereira completed the 4-1 rout with a coolly dispatched penalty.

Yet, Matheus' impressive season fell on deaf ears back in Lisbon. Despite a positive pre-season, Pereira was left out of the squad for Sporting's first match of the season.

"Some things are impossible to understand," Pereira posted on Twitter. "I'll just have to cheer from the stands."

With that push of the Tweet button, Pereira's Sporting career was practically finalised.

Sporting's manager, Jose Pereiro, had this to say: "We have a lot of talented players. The coach's job is to teach them to show that on the pitch, with commitment and responsibility. Being a reserve is about being ready to come into the side with determination, with a desire to help. Players who don't have that mindset will be left out. That applies to him [Pereira] or any other player... He's a 'bet' for the future."

Both parties were seeking a quick resolution to the precarious situation, so a move 1,500 miles away from Lisbon seemed the best option. This time the mercurial winger would be honing his skills in the Bundesliga with Nuremberg.

The step up in the quality and physicality of German football would take Matheus time to adapt to. It wasn't until half-way through the season, when Pereira would feature for a full 90 minutes for Nuremberg.

Michael Koellner, the previous coach of Nuremberg, pinpointed the reason for Pereira's lack of minutes:

"In the first weeks he had big problems to work defensively. I still remember his first game against Werder Bremen... Defensively he lacked the attitude and the connection to the game."

This was an issue that Pereira was eager to fix, Koellner believed:

"He worked hard on that [defensive work] and improved. At the beginning he had to be put into physical condition, because apart from the attitude, the physical conditions are also part of the defensive game. He learned both in Nuremberg."

Following the turn of the year, Pereira's hard work would be rewarded, as he featured more prominently for Nuremberg. However, unlike Chaves, the German club would not immediately witness the attacking prowess of their winger.

Pereira was largely ineffective, as Nuremberg would go on to pick up just two points from a possible 27.

Matheus' stint in central Europe would soon go from miserable to laughable. In the 2nd minute of a must-win game against Dusseldorf, Matheus 'hit' Niko Gießelmann in a rather sensitive region. After the referee reviewed the incident, Pereira was sent-off. To make matters worse, Nuremberg went on to lose the game, widening the chasm between themselves and safety.

Pereira's stupendous act would hurt his manager, Koellner, even more than the unfortunate recipient of said act, Gießelmann. Matheus knew more than most that the trust of a manager is by no means a given. For all the ability and unpredictability of Pereira on the ball a dark cloud hovered over the player's professionalism and temperament, now more than ever.

Fortunately for Pereira, Koellner gave him another chance after his 3 game suspension had finished. The Nuremberg manager's faith in his player quickly paid off. After being released down the left channel, Pereira sprinted past the last defender and swiped the ball into the bottom right corner. He celebrated the goal in a rather apologetic way, holding his hands up to the home fans. The best way to gain their forgiveness was to maintain the same quality of performance in the coming weeks.

In the following weeks Pereira maintained his form, scoring against Augsburg. His next victims were Schalke. His quick feet danced around Alexander Nübel, before the goalkeeper hauled him down. But Pereira's teammate couldn't dispatch the spot-kick. Nuremberg did eventually find the net. Following a swift counter-attack Pereira drifted inside of the right, and curled a pinpoint ball onto the head of Kubo. 

Now Matheus could mix it with Europe's best. A beautiful first-half strike, curled past the reach of Sven Ulreich, gave Nuremberg the lead against title-chasing Bayern. The winger was in stellar form, notching 2 goals and 2 assists since his suspension.

The winger had clearly made his mark, being voted the Bundesliga's 'Rookie of the Month' for April. Although his adopted club were heading down, Pereira's career path was on an upwards trajectory.

In the summer of 2019, he was ready to break his way into Sporting's team. The then manager, Marcel Keizer was keen to have him in his team too. But the bridges between Pereira and the club had already been burnt. The Sporting board didn't want him. Although, those views weren't echoed by the club's fans.

Tom Kundert from PortuGOAL stated, "most Sporting supporters and much of the press look at the departure of Matheus as evidence of the incompetence of the board, and not because of any shortfall on the part of the player."

West Brom recognised the opportunity that Sporting's shortsightedness presented. As The Athletic reported, the club had been watching Pereira since his time at Chaves, and were impressed by his determination and fight in a team that was struggling.

Sporting wanted a season long-loan followed by an obligation to buy, which West Brom negotiated to only activate if West Brom gained promotion or Pereira played 32 games or more.

Steve Madeley recently reported that the negotiations between Sporting and West Brom had hit a stalemate, and it was only because of the persistence of new-manager Slaven Bilic that a deal was finally manufactured.

Bilic's stubbornness was well-placed. A clause in the contract made it obligatory for West Brom to buy the player (for £9m) after making 30 appearances. Pereira made his 30th appearance in June.

The reported £9m deal represents incredible value for the midlands club, with the Brazilian winger currently (July 3rd) on 8 goals and 16 assists in 36 Championship games. Especially considering Jarred Bowen, a similarly impactful Championship player, transferred to West Ham for £22m in January.

Matheus' talent was known since his days in Sporting's youth set-up, but his electrifyingseason, spearheading a vibrant West Brom team to a promotion push has solidified his status as a genuine top-class player, ready to play at the highest level.

There are too many mesmerising performances to mention, but his display against Swansea in December, goes a long way to articulate the significant impact that Pereira has had on West Brom.

His 3 assists and goal aided 'The Baggies' in their 5-1 demolition of Swansea.

Matheus' first goal came after he drifted into space on the edge of the box, before receiving a cut-back from Kieran Gibbs. Pereira's first-timed finish fizzed into the bottom corner. His first assist came after receiving the ball on the turn inside Swansea's half before sliding a perfectly weighted pass through Swansea's defence into the path of Robson-Kanu who duly finished. The pick of the assists came in the 2nd half. Pereira won the ball back after a loose touch from Matt Grimes, a sign of his eagerness to defend from the front. He lifted his head up and dinked a ball over the oncoming Swansea defender and onto the head of Matt Phillips. He completed the hat-trick of assists after exchanging a neat one-two on the half way line before continuing his run to the edge of the box where he elegantly guided the ball 'on the slide' to Kyle Edwards, who made the most of the gift.

It's no surprise that Slaven Bilic claimed that he was "delighted" that the deal was happening. His relationship with Bilic is a stark contrast to that with Jose Peseiro. No doubt, credit has to go to the Croatian for his imperious man-management skills. Still, Pereira's increasing influence on the pitch goes hand-in-hand with his ever increasing maturity and awareness of aspects of the game other than dribbling and shooting. If he continues on this current blaize trail it won't be long until Pereira is gracing elite European football.

Despite all the positives some of the drawbacks from his season in the Bundesliga have also surfaced in the Championship. His defensive work, though improving, still leaves something to be desired. Total Football Analysis reported that Pereira was the joint most dribbled past West Brom player (1.2 times per game).

Matheus also picked up a three game suspension after elbowing Joe Allen in January, in a display of petulance similar to that which he displayed against Dusseldorf.

But, overall the Brazilian has coped admirably with the unforgiving demands of the Championship. He is the 3rd most fouled player in the league. And despite the frequent rough and tumble that a flair player like him is bound to receive, Pereira has dusted himself down and got on with the job at hand.

Finally, eight years into his career, Pereira has a permanent deal at a club who backs him. West Brom's willingness to take a 'bet' on a player deemed unprofessional has been rewarded so much so, that the £9m deal looks to be one of the steals of the upcoming transfer window. West Brom and Premier League fans will both be hoping that the Brazilian is able to test himself in the Premier League next season.

For more take a look at Steve Madeley and Jack Lang's piece in 'The Athletic'.