Botafogo head coach Oswaldo de Oliveira praised his young striker Bruno Mendes after seeing his side beat bottom of the league Atlético-GO 4-0 on Saturday. Goals from Doria, Gabriel, Mendes and Clarence Seedorf sealed the victory for Botafogo, but it was Mendes who was singled out after the game.
Mendes, who is just 18, has scored 5 goals in 5 games recently and has been compared to Túlio Maravilha, the 43-year-old after his 1000th career goal, in the Brazilian media.
Oswaldo told Globo Esporte: “He is no longer a surprise. This is a very determined guy. He has a compass when facing the goal all the time and he is gradually gaining the trust of teammates and improving with training.
“Football is full of these stories and we will follow him gradually. I really see a lot of potential.”
The win for Botafogo leaves them in 6th place in the table with 5 games remaining, but with 8 points between them and 4th place São Paulo it looks unlikely they will qualify for next season’s Copa Libertadores.
