Arthur Melo

Arthur Henrique Ramos de Oliveira Melo (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈaʁtuʁ ẽ.ˈʁi.ki ˈʁɐ.muʃ d͡ʒi o.li.ˈvej.ɾɐ mewu]; born 12 August 1996), known as Arthur, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool, on loan from Serie A club Juventus.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Ramos de Oliveira and the second or paternal family name is Melo.
Arthur
Arthur playing for Juventus in 2021
Personal information
Full name Arthur Henrique Ramos de Oliveira Melo[1]
Date of birth (1996-08-12) 12 August 1996[2]
Place of birth Goiânia, Brazil[3]
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Liverpool (on loan from Juventus)
Number 29
Youth career
2008–2010 Goiás
2010–2015 Grêmio
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Grêmio 35 (2)
2018–2020 Barcelona 48 (3)
2020– Juventus 42 (1)
2022– → Liverpool (loan) 0 (0)
National team‡
2013 Brazil U17 7 (1)
2018– Brazil 22 (1)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Brazil
Copa América
Winner2019 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 May 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 March 2022

Born in Goiânia, Arthur began his career with Grêmio, and won the Copa Libertadores in 2017. He signed for Barcelona for an initial fee of €31 million in 2018. Arthur joined Italian club Juventus in 2020. On 1 September 2022, Arthur joined Liverpool on a 1 year loan.

Arthur made his senior debut for Brazil in 2018 after previously being capped by Brazil youth team at under-17 level. He was later part of the squad that won the 2019 Copa América.

Club career

Grêmio
Arthur playing for Grêmio in 2017

Arthur began his career with his hometown club Goiás at age of 12. In 2010, after being spotted in a youth tournament, he moved to Grêmio.[4]

In January 2015, following his impressive performances at the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, Arthur was promoted from Grêmio's youth team under first-team manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. He unexpectedly started in his first team debut, against Aimoré for the Campeonato Gaúcho. However, he was substituted at half-time by Argentine full-back Matías Rodríguez and made no more senior appearances that season. In 2016, Arthur made his league debut in the last match of the season, a 1–0 home loss against Botafogo, replacing Kaio in the second half.

In 2017, Arthur become a first-team regular after a string of good performances in Primeira Liga and Campeonato Gaúcho. In his Copa Libertadores debut, a 1–1 away draw against Club Guaraní, he was named man-of-the-match after completing 40 passes, with an impressive 100% success rate. His playing style and build earned drawn comparisons with Spanish midfielders Andrés Iniesta and Thiago,[5] and attracted interest from European clubs such as Chelsea,[6] Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.[7] In May, Arthur scored his first professional goal, the opener in a 3–1 victory against Fluminense for the Copa do Brasil. In July, he scored his first league goal, the second in a 3–1 away victory against Vitória. In November, was elected by Conmebol the man of match in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final against Lanús, despite playing only 50 minutes due to an injury.[8]

Barcelona

On 11 March 2018, Barcelona reached an agreement with Grêmio for the transfer of Arthur. The Spaniards agreed to pay an initial fee of €31 million plus €9 million in added variables.[9] Arthur signed a six-year contract and was officially announced as a Barça player on 9 July 2018.[10] On 28 July, Arthur scored a goal on his debut against Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly match.[11]

Arthur made his competitive debut at the 2018 Supercopa de España on 12 August, in which Barcelona won 2–1 over Sevilla.[12] Arthur made his league debut during the first league match of the season, also registering his first assist for the club in a 3–0 win against Alavés. On 31 August 2019, Arthur scored his first goal for Barcelona in 2–2 away draw against Osasuna.[13][14]

Juventus

On 29 June 2020, Barcelona announced that they had reached an agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Arthur on a five-year contract for €72 million, plus €10 million in variables; the deal was also coordinated with a swap of Miralem Pjanić.[15] He made his club and Serie A debut on 27 September, coming on as substitute in a 2–2 away draw against Roma.[16]

Loan to Liverpool

On 1 September 2022, Liverpool announced the loan signing of Arthur.[17] Juventus specified that Liverpool had paid €4.5 million in loan fees, with an option to purchase the player for €37.5 million at the end of the one-year loan.[18]

Arthur made his Liverpool debut in a 4–1 UEFA Champions League defeat to Napoli on 7 September 2022.[19]

Arthur's Liverpool experience started with physical condition problems having been forced to train alone while he was at Juventus.[20] To increase his playing time, he was aggregated to Liverpool U21.[20]

International career

Arthur has represented Brazil in under-17 level. He was part of the Brazil under-17 squad selected to play in the 2013 South American Under-17 Football Championship.[21]

On 15 September 2017, Arthur received his first senior call-up to the Brazil squad to face Bolivia and Chile for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. In May 2018, he was named in the standby list for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[22]

He made his international debut against United States in a 2–0 friendly win on the 7th of September 2018 coming on as a substitute. The Brazilian's first start was against El Salvador in a 5–0 win on the 12th of September.[23] Tite praised the midfielder's playing style saying, "He always finds the best escape, the best pass out". Even if he doesn't provide the assist, he comes up with the pass that will help a player."[24]

In May 2019, Arthur was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América on home soil.[25] In the 2019 Copa América Final against hosts Peru on 7 July, at the Maracanã Stadium, Arthur assisted Gabriel Jesus's match-winning goal towards the end of the first half; the match eventually ended in a 3–1 victory to Brazil.[26]

Arthur scored his first senior international goal for Brazil on 17 November 2020, the opener in an eventual 2–0 away win over Uruguay in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.[27]

Style of play

"Arthur can mark an era at Barcelona."

—Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi on Arthur[28]

Arthur is capable of playing as a deep-lying playmaker, central midfielder, box-to-box midfielder, and occasionally also as a holding midfielder. His agility, technical ability, dribbling and movement – both on and off the ball – allow him to create space and control the flow of play in midfield, whilst his exceptional vision, playmaking ability, and precise passing allow him to retain possession, create chances, and make decisive passes for teammates.[24] In 2020, former midfielder Enzo Maresca stated that he felt Arthur was best suited to the roles of either an attacking midfielder or a mezzala.[29]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 7 September 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State league National cup League cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Grêmio 2015[30] Série A 001000———10
2016[30] Série A 1000——00—10
2017[30] Série A 2714051—12[lower-alpha 1]02[lower-alpha 2]0502
2018[30] Série A 717310—3[lower-alpha 1]0—184
Total 35212361—15020706
Barcelona 2018–19[31] La Liga 270—70—9[lower-alpha 3]01[lower-alpha 4]0440
2019–20[32] La Liga 213—31—4[lower-alpha 3]000284
Total 483—101—13010724
Juventus 2020–21[33] Serie A 221—20—7[lower-alpha 3]01[lower-alpha 5]0321
2021–22[34] Serie A 200—40—6[lower-alpha 3]01[lower-alpha 5]0310
Total 421—60—13020631
Liverpool (loan) 2022–23[35] Premier League 00—00001[lower-alpha 3]0—10
Liverpool U21 (loan) 2022–23[30] — — — — — — 1[lower-alpha 6] 0 1 0
Career total 1256123222004206020711
  1. Appearances in Copa Libertadores
  2. Appearances in Primeira Liga
  3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearance in Supercopa de España
  5. Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  6. Appearance in EFL Trophy

International
As of match played 29 March 2022[36]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Brazil
201860
2019140
202011
202210
Total221
As of match played 17 November 2020. Brazil score listed first, score column indicates score after each Arthur goal.[36]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 17 November 2020Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay21 Uruguay1–02–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification[37]

Honours

Grêmio

Barcelona

Juventus

  • Coppa Italia: 2020–21[38]
  • Supercoppa Italiana: 2020

Brazil

  • Copa América: 2019[39]

Individual

  • Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2017[40]
  • Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Newcomer: 2017[40]
  • South American Footballer of the Year: 2017 (3rd place)[41]
  • Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2019[42]
  • FIFA FIFPro World11 nominee: 2019 (11th midfielder)[43]

References
  1. "Acta del Partido celebrad el 04 de mayo de 2019, en Vigo" [Minutes of the Match held on 4 May 2019, in Vigo] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  2. "Arthur: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  3. "Arthur Melo". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  4. "Criação da base: conheça trajetória de Arthur, volante goiano que conquista torcida gremista". Vavel. September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  5. "Para Ricardo Rocha, Arthur cairia como uma luva no Barça: "Lembra o Iniesta"". Sportv. June 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  6. "Grêmio recusa proposta de mais de R$ 40 milhões por Arthur". 90Min.com. June 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  7. "Atlético de Madrid envia olheiro para observar Arthur, do Grêmio". Zero Hora. May 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  8. Sport (30 November 2017). "Arthur se doctora ante Robert Fernández". sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  9. "Barça and Gremio reach agreement on option for Arthur transfer". FC Barcelona. 11 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  10. "Agreement for the transfer of Arthur". FC Barcelona. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  11. "Espectacular estreno de Arthur: golazo y partidazo". Mundo Deportivo. 28 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  12. "FC Barcelona win 13th Spanish Super Cup". FC Barcelona.
  13. Sport (31 August 2019). "Arthur Melo scores his first-ever Barcelona goal in draw with Osasuna". sport. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  14. "Arthur: "Felice per il mio debutto in Serie A. Buon lavoro di squadra"" (in Italian). Juventus News 24. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  15. Juventus.com (29 June 2020). "OFFICIAL | Arthur & Pjanic, agreements with FC Barcelona". Juventus.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  16. "AS Roma vs. Juventus - Football Match Report". ESPN.com. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  17. "Liverpool complete signing of Arthur Melo on loan". Liverpool Football Club. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  18. "Agreement with Liverpool for the temporary disposal of player Arthur (PDF)" (PDF). Juventus Football Club. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  19. "Napoli 4 Liverpool 1". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  20. Sport, Sky. "Arthur nel Liverpool U21 per ritrovare condizione". sport.sky.it (in Italian). Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  21. "Volante Arthur é convocado para a Seleção Brasileira Sub-17". Portal Oficial do Grêmio. February 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  22. "Lista de 35 de Tite para a Copa tem três novatos: Dedé, Maicon e Paquetá" [Tite's 35-man list for the Cup has three new players: Dedé, Maicon and Paquetá]. Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 25 May 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  23. "Philippe Coutinho on target as Arthur makes first start". Barca Blaugranes. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  24. "Barcelona: Tite: Arthur always finds the best escape, the best pass out". Marca. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  25. "Brazil name Copa America squad". Football Italia. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  26. Smyth, Rob (7 July 2019). "Brazil 3-1 Peru". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  27. "Arthur enjoys first international goal as Brazil stay perfect". beIN SPORTS. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  28. Sport (12 October 2018). "Xavi Hernandez "Arthur can mark an era at Barcelona"". Sport-English.com. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  29. Conti, Dimitri (18 June 2020). "Maresca: "Sarri va aspettato. Champions? Attenti al Manchester City, è pericoloso"" (in Italian). Tutto Mercato Web. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  30. Arthur Melo at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  31. "Arthur: Arthur Henrique Ramos de Oliveira Melo 2018–19". BDFutbol. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  32. "Games played by Arthur Melo in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  33. "Games played by Arthur Melo in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  34. "Games played by Arthur Melo in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  35. "Games played by Arthur Melo in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  36. "Arthur". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  37. "Uruguay 0-2 Brazil". FIFA. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  38. "Coppa: Juventus end Atalanta dream". Football Italia. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  39. "Brazil 3–1 Peru". BBC Sport. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  40. "Corinthians domina seleção do Brasileiro e tem quatro jogadores entre os melhores" [Corinthians dominate Brasileiro's Team of the Year and have four players amongst the best] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  41. "Luan es el nuevo Rey de América" [Luan is the new King of America] (in Spanish). El Pais. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  42. "El equipo ideal de la CONMEBOL Copa América Brasil 2019" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL.com. 9 July 2019.
  43. "Rankings: How All 55 Male Players Finished". FIFPro World Players' Union. 23 September 2019.
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