Luis Guilherme Explained

Luis Guilherme Lira dos Santos (born 9 February 2006) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a winger for club West Ham United.

Club career

Palmeiras

Born in Aracaju, Luis Guilherme played in numerous soccer schools in his hometown before joining Palmeiras in 2017.^{[2] [3]} He signed his first professional contract with the club in June 2022.^[2] In January 2022, Luis Guilherme was part of the squad that won the 2022 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior for the first time.^[4] He renewed his contract in November 2023, with an increased salary and a release clause of €55 million.^[5]

Luis Guilherme made his first team debut on 12 April 2023, coming on as a second-half substitute for José Manuel López in a 4–2 home win over Tombense, for the year's Copa do Brasil.^[6] On 24 April 2024, he scored his first goal for Palmeiras, in the 96th minute, securing a 3–2 away win over Independiente del Valle during the 2024 Copa Libertadores group stage.^[7]

West Ham United

In June 2024, he underwent a medical with English Premier League club West Ham United with a view to a transfer.^[8] On 13 June 2024, the club announced that they had agreed the signing of Guilherme on a five-year contract, the transfer being finalised the following day when the transfer window opened.^[9] He made his West Ham debut on 5 October coming on as an 85th minute substitute for Mohammed Kudus in a 4–1 Premier League win against Ipswich Town.^[10]

International career

He was called up to the Brazil U17 for the 2022 Montaigu Tournament, where he scored three goals in four games and helped Brazil win the tournament after 38 years.^[11] Luis Guilherme was later called up to the Brazil U20 for the 2023 South American U-20 Championship,^{[12] [13]} being the youngest player of the Brazil U20 squad in the 21st century.^[14] Luis Guilherme played in five matches, totaling 191 minutes, contributing to Brazil's first U20 South American Championship title in 12 years and securing a spot in the FIFA U-20 World Cup after an eight-year absence.^{[15] [16]}

Style of play

A technical winger with good on-field decision making, Luis Guilherme is renowned for his pace, clocking a top speed of 36.4km/h in the 2022 Copa do Brasil Sub-17 final against Vasco da Gama.^[17] He lists Argentine legend Lionel Messi and Rivaldo as inspirations to him.^{[18] [19]} On 11 October 2023, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide, alongside Palmeiras teammates Endrick and Vitor Reis.^[20]

Career statistics

Club!rowspan="2"

Season	League			State league		National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Palmeiras	2023	Série A	19	0	—		5	0	—		3	0	—		27	0
	2024		5	0	6	0	1	0	—		5	1	1	0	18	1
	Total		24	0	6	0	6	0	—		8	1	1	0	45	1
West Ham United	2024–25	Premier League	2	0	—		0	0	0	0	—		—		2	0
Career total			26	0	6	0	6	0	0	0	8	1	1	0	47	1

Honours

Palmeiras

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

2023

• Campeonato Paulista

2024

• Supercopa do Brasil runner-up: 2024

Brazil U20

• U-20 South American Championship

2023

Notes and References

1. Web site: 14 February 2024 . . Luis Guilherme .
2. Web site: Destaque no sub-17, Luis Guilherme assina contrato profissional com o Palmeiras. Highlight in the sub-17, Luis Guilherme signs a professional contract with Palmeiras. 14 June 2022. 16 December 2022. ge.globo.com. Portuguese.
3. Web site: Corre, Luis Guilherme: garoto com velocidade de Mbappé empolga o Palmeiras. Run, Luis Guilherme: boy with Mbappé speed excites Palmeiras. Felipe. Zito. 4 July 2022. 16 December 2022. ge.globo.com. Portuguese.
4. Web site: Veja por onde andam os campeões da Copinha pelo Palmeiras em 2022 . ge . Henrique . Toth . 25 January 2023 . 14 February 2024 . Portuguese.
5. Web site: Palmeiras anuncia renovação do contrato de Luis Guilherme; multa é de R$ 289,5 milhões . ge . Thiago . Ferri . 2 November 2023 . 14 February 2024 . Portuguese.
6. Web site: Do choro no teste à estreia: como Luis Guilherme se preparou para o profissional do Palmeiras. From crying on trials to the debut: how Luis Guilherme prepared himself to the first team of Palmeiras. ge. pt-BR. 14 April 2023. 16 April 2023.
7. Web site: Valladares . José Manuel . Juveniles Endrick y Luis Guilherme guían remontada de Palmeiras ante Independiente del Valle . AP News . es . 25 April 2024 .
8. Web site: Luis Guilherme: Brazil teenager set to have West Ham medical. 9 June 2024. BBC Sport.
9. Web site: West Ham United sign exciting Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme. www.whufc.com. 13 June 2024. 13 June 2024.
10. Web site: Four-star Hammers dazzle in Ipswich victory . West Ham United F.C. . 6 October 2024 . 6 October 2024.
11. Web site: Campeões em Montaigu, Luís Guilherme e Pedrinho querem repetir dose na Seleção Sub-20 . CBF . 9 January 2023 . 14 February 2024 . Portuguese.
12. Web site: Luis Guilherme é convocado pela Seleção sub-20 e não joga mais a Copinha pelo Palmeiras . ge . 4 January 2023 . 14 February 2024 . Portuguese.
13. Web site: Luis Guilherme é convocado pela Seleção Brasileira e disputará Sul-Americano Sub-20 . Palmeiras Official Site . 4 January 2023 . 14 February 2024 . Portuguese.
14. Web site: Joia do Palmeiras e mais jovem da Seleção sub-20 no século, Luis Guilherme projeta torneio ao L! . Lance! . 16 January 2023 . 14 February 2024 . Portuguese.
15. Web site: Saiba os planos do Palmeiras para dupla campeã do Sul-Americano Sub-20 com a Seleção . ge . 14 February 2023 . 14 February 2024 . Portuguese.
16. Web site: Luis Guilherme e Kaique retornam ao Palmeiras após título do Sul-Americano Sub-20 . OneFootball . 14 February 2023 . 14 February 2024 . Portuguese.
17. Web site: Corre, Luis Guilherme: garoto com velocidade de Mbappé empolga o Palmeiras. Run, Luis Guilherme: boy with Mbappé's speed excites Palmeiras. 4 July 2022. 28 June 2024. ge.globo.com. pt. Globo Esporte.
18. Web site: Conheça Luis Guilherme, goleador de 15 anos que se inspira em Messi e já jogou pelo sub-20 do Palmeiras. Meet Luis Guilherme, a 15-year-old goalscorer who is inspired by Messi and has played for Palmeiras under-20s. 22 November 2021. 16 December 2022. ge.globo.com. pt. Globo Esporte.
19. Web site: Luis Guilherme, the first interview. 14 June 2024. 28 June 2024. www.whufc.com. en. West Ham official website.
20. Web site: Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football. Marcus. Christenson. Steven. Bloor. Garry. Blight. 11 October 2023. 11 October 2023. theguardian.com.