CHAPTER 63 — "Two Years That Reshaped a Generation"
Time Span: January 2021 – December 2022
Árman Azevedo — Age: 10 → 12
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When 2021 Began, He Was Already Too Big for His Age
By January 2021, something had quietly changed.
Not in his technique.
Not in his intelligence.
But in how people spoke his name.
They no longer said:
> "That kid."
They said:
> "Árman."
And in football, that difference matters.
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2021 — THE YEAR HE STOPPED BEING A PRODIGY
São Paulo U-15 → U-17 (Unofficial Transition)
Though officially registered in U-15, Árman spent nearly half of 2021 training with U-17.
Not because the club rushed him.
But because:
• U-15 defenders stopped learning
• Matches stopped challenging him
• Coaches needed new data
At 11 years old, he was already:
• Dictating tempo against 16–17 year olds
• Calling positional adjustments mid-match
• Correcting teammates without arrogance
He didn't shout.
He guided.
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Trophies — 2021
São Paulo youth teams entered 7 major competitions that year.
They reached finals in all 7.
They won 6.
Only one slipped away — a penalty shootout where Árman didn't miss, but others did.
No blame was placed.
Because everyone knew who carried them there.
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2021 — Individual Statistics
Matches played (club + tournaments): 46
Goals: 389
Assists: 117
Man of the Match / MVP: 31
By August, youth football journalists stopped publishing his stats.
Not because they weren't impressive.
But because people stopped believing them.
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The First Media Wall
With dominance came something new.
Pressure.
Clips of him started spreading beyond Brazil.
Spanish.
English.
Japanese subtitles.
TikTok edits.
YouTube compilations.
Instagram reels with millions of views.
People argued in comment sections:
> "Fake."
"Scripted."
"He's older than they say."
São Paulo released his documents publicly.
Birth certificate.
Registration.
Medical records.
Born: 18 March 2010.
Silence followed.
Then fear.
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MODELLING — WHEN FOOTBALL WASN'T THE ONLY STAGE
Árman never quit modelling.
He just refined it.
By mid-2021:
• Sportswear brands contacted his agency
• Youth fashion lines wanted his image
• Football magazines requested covers
He never posed arrogantly.
Never exaggerated expressions.
His appeal wasn't flash.
It was calm intensity.
Eyes forward.
Posture straight.
Confidence without vanity.
By the end of 2021:
• 4 national campaigns
• 1 international youth sportswear shoot
• Multiple magazine covers
Yet he never skipped training.
Ever.
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2022 — THE YEAR THE WORLD KNOCKED
If 2021 built the legend—
2022 globalized it.
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Promotion Without Announcement
There was no ceremony.
No press release.
In January 2022, the internal board simply updated one line:
> "Árman Azevedo — Integrated with U-17 / U-20 sessions as required."
He was 12.
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Tactical Evolution
His game changed.
Less dribbling for flair.
More movement to manipulate shape.
He started:
• Dragging defenders to open half-spaces
• Slowing games deliberately
• Controlling emotional momentum
Coaches noticed something unsettling.
He wasn't reacting anymore.
He was pre-deciding matches.
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2022 — Trophy Haul
Across all youth competitions:
🏆 State League Champion
🏆 Youth Super Cup
🏆 National Development Trophy
🏆 Inter-Academy Invitational
🏆 Regional Champions League (Youth)
Finals played: 9
Finals won: 8
The one loss?
A final where Árman recorded:
• 2 goals
• 3 assists
And still walked away apologizing to teammates.
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2022 — Career Statistics (Age 12)
Total matches played (age 10–12):
➡ 94
Total goals:
➡ 812
Total assists:
➡ 236
Total MVP awards:
➡ 67
No youth player in Brazilian records had numbers even remotely comparable.
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SCOUTS — QUIET, RARE, SERIOUS
They didn't come every match.
They came for key ones.
Men who didn't clap.
Didn't film.
They wrote.
Notebooks.
Tablets.
Silent phone calls after matches.
Clubs involved by late 2022:
• FC Barcelona
• Real Madrid
• Manchester City
• Bayern Munich
• PSG (monitoring only)
No offers yet.
Just one sentence repeated:
> "We're watching."
São Paulo knew.
Time was ticking.
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THE BOY HIMSELF
At home, nothing changed.
Leonardo still asked:
> "Did you eat?"
Árman still answered:
> "Yes, Dad."
He studied.
He trained.
He slept early.
He never spoke about Europe.
Never asked.
When teammates joked about money, fame, cars—
Árman only said:
> "I want to play better tomorrow than today."
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THE FEELING BY THE END OF 2022
He wasn't chasing football anymore.
Football was trying to keep up.
At 12 years old, the question was no longer:
> "How good can he become?"
It was:
> "How long can youth football contain him?"
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CLOSING LINE
Two years passed.
Not quietly.
Not gently.
They passed like a storm that reshaped everything in its path.
And when 2023 approached—
Everyone knew.
The real story
was only about to begin.