Rayan shines at Vasco de Diniz and dreams of the 2025 Copa do Brasil title

Summary
Rayan, 19, has become a key player for Vasco under Fernando Diniz, scoring 20 goals this season and helping the team in their quest for the 2025 Copa do Brasil title.

At only 19 years old, the attacker Rayan it took off in 2025 and is currently one of Vasco’s main players. He left behind the promising status of Vasco’s base and became a key player in the club reaching the decision of Brazilian Cup against the Corinthians.

Speed, explosion, dribbling and versatility are some of the attributes that made the player the face of Vasco in 2025. The athlete’s quality was impressive and was even compared by former Vasco full-back Gilberto to that of Adriano ‘Imperador’ at the start of his career.

“Remember, yes (Adrien)early in his career, remembers many things. Rayan is Valkmar’s son, he was a defender for Vasco, I had several clashes with him when I was young in America and then I played with him at Vasco, and he was always a very strong player. He was a strong defender, who had a very refined physique, and I think Rayan comes from that same lineage, he is a very strong player, he has very strong power with his left foot, he hits the ball well, he finishes well, he is fast,” Gilberto said in an interview with ESPN.

With the arrival of Fernando Diniz in the middle of the season, the player had more opportunities, earned his place in the team and became a starter in the scheme proposed by the coach.

In 55 games this season, Rayan has scored 20 goals and provided one assist. Thanks to all these performances, the young man’s market value has soared and increased from 10 million euros at the end of 2024 to 25 million in December this year, according to data from the website. Transfer market.

But it is not today that Rayan wears the Vasco jersey with pride. Raised in Barreira do Vasco, a community in the northern zone of Rio de Janeiro, located on the outskirts of São Januário, he has lived with the Vasco reality since his childhood. Additionally, he is the son of Valkmar, a former multi-champion defender with Cruzmaltino’s team in the 1990s. Thanks to all this history, the player has known what it means to be Vasco his whole life.

“My whole family is from Barreira. I’ve been at Vasco since I was six years old. I practically grew up there, I was almost born there. It’s very rewarding to play and be part of it. Leaving Barreira and being at Vasco, where my father played, had a history. Now everything is fine, said the jewel of the club,” the player said in an interview with Globe.

After a brilliant season, Rayan will try, this Sunday 21, at the Maracanã, to be part of Vasco’s most important chapter of the last decade: winning the Copa do Brasil 2025 title. For him, it does not matter whether he wins in this story the role of protagonist or supporting role. The striker’s only desire is to help Cruzmaltino’s team beat Corinthians and join the Rio club’s gallery of heroes.