Vinícius Souza
Vinícius de Souza Costa (born 19 June 1999) is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Belgian club K.V. Mechelen on loan from Lommel. Career. Early career. Born and raised in Padre Miguel, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Vinícius arrived at Flamengo in 2014 to play in the club's under 15 team approved by coach Zé Ricardo. In the youth team he played alongside Matheus Thuler and Lincoln, future teammates in the professional team. Flamengo. On 19 March 2019 Vinícius debuted on the professional team playing in the final minutes of a Campeonato Carioca  1–1 draw against Vasco da Gama at Maracanã Stadium. After the transfer of Gustavo Cuéllar to Al-Hilal on August 2019 head coach Jorge Jesus promoted Vinícius to the professional team. The Portuguese coach praised him very much comparing him to his former player Nemanja Matić. On 10 October 2019 Vinícius played his first Campeonato Brasileiro Série A against Atlético Mineiro at Maracanã Stadium replacing Reinier in the injury time, Flamengo won 3–1. Lommel. On 25 August 2020 Lommel signed Vinícius from Flamengo €2.5m on a transfer fee.