Brandon Aveiro was once regarded as one of the brightest talents in Crystal Palace‘s academy but the youngster’s career has gone sour since leaving Selhurst Park.
The attacking midfielder signed a professional contract with the Eagles aged 17 and was a regular for the U23s, but is now without a club after being released from QPR during the summer.
Aveiro joined Palace as an eight-year-old and was tipped for big things by academy director Gary Issott when he signed the pro deal in 2018.
He said: “It is a great success story for Brandon having been with us since being eight years old and he is an exciting player who can play wide, or is just as comfortable playing behind the front two.
“He has shown incredible intensity to keep improving his game, but with signing his first professional contract the hard work starts here for him, and I wish him all the best with us for the future.”
Are you surprised by Aveiro’s decline?
The Portuguese youngster was even linked with a move to European giants Benfica after receiving a Portugal U18 call-up and starring for Palace’s U18s, scoring 14 goals and assisting ten.
However, he would struggle to replicate that form with the U23s and was released by the club last summer after failing to make a single appearance for the first team.
He would join QPR but once again failed to make the grade with the Championship side, and now finds himself without a club as a 21-year-old without a senior appearance to his name.
Aveiro’s career thus far emphasises how easily things can change for a young footballer, as he was clearly deemed a top talent by a number of clubs, as West Ham, Everton and Sporting Lisbon were all linked with signing him just two years ago.
However, no club has taken a chance on the midfielder and he remains unemployed nearly two months into the new season, which suggests that if he can’t find a new club soon, he may have to quit football completely, which represents a huge decline from his standing at Palace only a few years ago.
