The Brazilian might just be the best player in the Saudi Pro League right now, but his career could have turned out far differently
Very few casual football fans would have been aware of Anderson Talisca's existence before Cristiano Ronaldo's shock transfer to Al-Nassr in January. Indeed, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's arrival in Saudi Arabia soon sparked an unprecedented European exodus, with other household names such as Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Jordan Henderson also accepting mega-money contracts in the Middle East.
The Pro League hasn't just attracted players who are into the final stretches of their careers, either. Neymar, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Riyad Mahrez and even 21-year-old Spain playmaker Gabri Veiga have also been persuaded to turn their backs on Europe.
The world is now watching as the Saudi game grows at an exponential rate – which has presented Talisca with a unique opportunity. The Brazilian could easily have shrunk into anonymity at Al-Nassr as merely a supporting cast member, existing only to help keep the spotlight on Ronaldo, but has instead made it his mission to show people that he is also a superstar.
The question is, how did a player with Talisca's immense talent go under the radar for so long?
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Where it all began
Talisca was born in the city of Feira de Santana in Bahia – the fourth-largest state in Brazil. Like most children in the country, he was raised in poverty, and quickly realised that football could be a path to a better life.
After honing his skills on the street, Talisca stepped into Vasco da Gama's youth ranks as a 13-year-old and spent two years with the club, before joining then-Brasileiro Serie B outfit EC Bahia in 2009.
He graduated from Bahia's academy four years later, at which point they had been promoted to the top-flight, and made his professional bow in a clash with Corinthians. Talisca opened his scoring account for the club in his second appearance against Sao Paulo, and soon became a regular in Cristovao Borges' team.
The raw edges in Talisca's game were clear, but so was his limitless potential. "We have to understand that at this age this inconsistency of performance is natural," Borges told reporters when quizzed on the forward's development. "He is a national-team player. Just be patient."
Talisca went on to net a crucial last-minute goal at Cruzeiro that ensured another season in Serie A for Bahia, who parted ways with Borges in December 2013 before appointing another Brazilian coach in the form of Marquinhos Santos. The manager was impressed with Talisca's dedication right from the off, and his ability from a dead-ball.
"Talisca has been reaping the rewards of his training," said Santos. "He is a player who dedicates himself. He is always one of the last to leave the field. After training, he is insistently training free-kicks. It's still early days, he's a young man who has potential and my biggest concern is with his head. Let him continue to evolve and become a great player."
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The big break
Talisca found the net nine times in the first half of Bahia's 2014 season, and his impressive performances eventually attracted the attention of Portuguese giants Benfica, who forked out €5million for the Brazilian starlet that July. Jorge Jesus gave his newest signing big billing, telling the media at his unveiling: "He’s another one who is going to make millions for Benfica."
The manager's words had the desired impact as Talisca scored eight league goals in his first three months at Benfica, including a stunning hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over Vitoria Setubal. Jesus received widespread praise for unearthing a new gem, which prompted a surprise outburst from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
"I think Benfica hired well," Mourinho said to Portuguese broadcaster . "They say Talisca is unknown, but he is only so unknown because he's only not playing in England because he doesn't have a work permit. If he had one, he would be here!"
Jesus then fired back in hilarious fashion: "They knew as much about him as I know about D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers!"
Former Bahia coordinator Newton Mota was the man who really deserved all the credit for discovering Talisca, and he wasn't at all surprised by his fast start to life at Estadio Da Luz. "People call him Yaya Talisca [after Yaya Toure], but I think he is closer to Rivaldo, who was left-footed, with long strides and good shot from distance," Mota told.
Benfica were flying in the Primeira Liga, but had only picked up one point from their opening three Champions League games. They were eight minutes away from being held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Monaco on matchday four, too, only for Talisca to score a last-gasp winner after ghosting in at the back post to meet a corner on the half-volley.
That was the moment he truly announced himself to European audiences and lived up to his tag as the 'new Rivaldo'. Although Benfica still ended up exiting the competition at the group stage, his status as one of the continent's most exciting young players had been secured, and links to Chelsea began to intensify.
Jesus' side finished the 2014-15 season as Portuguese champions and also lifted the Taca da Liga trophy, with Talisca managing 14 goal contributions across all competitions. He also received his first call-up for Brazil, but everything changed when Jesus cut ties with Benfica to join their arch rivals Sporting CP.
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The turning point
Rui Vitoria was the man selected to replace Jesus after an impressive four-year spell in charge at Vitoria Guimaraes, and he instantly set about stamping his authority on the squad, insisting on a 4-4-2 formation with two combative central midfielders, which essentially eliminated the need for the playmaker role Talisca had made his own under Jesus.
The Brazil Under-23 international only started three league games in the first half of the 2015-16 campaign, and he was forced to come out and address reports of tension with the new manager. "Every player has to go through such moments" Talisca said in December of that season. "There is insecurity and lack of confidence, but I am working hard. I played more under Jesus, but there is no personal feud with Rui Vitoria."
Talisca scored nine goals in all competitions despite his limited playing time, including a brilliant free-kick against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. Benfica ended up losing that tie 3-2 on aggregate, but earned plenty of plaudits for their surprise run in Europe, and bounced back to clinch their third successive league title.
Vitoria had undoubtedly taken Benfica to another level, and decided that Talisca's services were no longer required ahead of his second season in the dugout. Liverpool and Wolves emerged as suitors for the former Bahia wonderkid, but Besiktas won the race for his signature – agreeing a two-year loan deal with Benfica.
Less than a month later, Talisca came up against his parent club in the Champions League. Benfica were 1-0 up when the Brazilian was introduced to the action as a second-half substitute, and they managed to hold their lead under deep into stoppage-time. However, with seconds remaining, a needless foul gifted Besiktas a 25-yard free-kick, and Talisca stepped up. Inevitably, he was able to whip the ball into the far corner using his instep, and didn't hold back with his celebration before being mobbed by his team-mates.
In his post-match interview with , Talisca accused Benfica of not paying him his final salary after the birth of his daughter, before emphatically denying that his exit from the club was financially motivated: "I want to send a message to Benfica management, because they didn't respect me. There were people who criticised me and said that I left Benfica because of money, but that is a lie."
Talisca ended his maiden season at Besiktas with 17 goals and another league title, earning the nickname 'Kiralik Katil' from supporters, which translates to 'Hired Assasin'. He was the top scorer for the club in all competitions in 2017-18, too, but Besiktas dropped a level as a team and they were not able to make his transfer permanent.
Benfica were still determined to offload Talisca, who had burned all of his bridges at Estadio Da Luz, and it was reported that Mourinho reignited his interest in the attacking midfielder, this time as Manchester United boss.
Guangzhou Evergrande beat United to the punch, though, snapping Talisca up on an initial loan deal in June 2018. Four months later he joined them outright for €19m (£17m/$21m), bringing his time in European football to a premature end.
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How's it going?
Talisca spent three years at Guangzhou, scoring 39 goals and setting up another 13 in 65 appearances. He added one Chinese Super League title to his crown during that period, and was identified as a top target by Saudi giants Al-Hilal in the early months of 2021.
The allure of even greater riches in the Middle East did indeed prove too much for Talisca to ignore, but it was Al-Nassr who won the race for his signature as they struck a bargain $9m deal with Guangzhou in May that year. Talisca was an instant hero in the eyes of Al-Nassr fans for turning down their main rivals, and their bond grew as he quickly established himself as the most important member of the squad. A prolific haul of 31 goals from his first 37 games saw Talisca singled out as the new Pro League poster boy – but Ronaldo took that title from him at the start of the year.
They quickly forged a strong partnership, though, not least because of their Portuguese language connection, and combined for a number of crucial goals in the second half of Al-Nassr's 2022-23 campaign. However, the league title did not come back to Mrsool Park, which ensured another busy transfer window in the summer.
Al-Nassr bolstered their squad by bringing in the likes of Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Aymeric Laporte and Seko Fofana, along with Ronaldo's Portugal colleagues Otavio and Alex Telles. Talisca's position at the club was called into question after Mane's arrival, with it suggested that head coach Luis Castro would be unable to fit the Brazilian into his line-up next to the ex-Bayern Munich star and Ronaldo.
A potential return to Besiktas was mooted for Talisca, but he committed to staying put – only to suffer an injury that saw him miss the first few weeks of the new season. Fears over Al-Nassr's tactical set-up were raised again upon his return to full fitness, despite the club's poor start in the Pro League.
As it turns out, Talisca was actually the missing piece in the puzzle. Al-Nassr have been flying since welcoming the former Benfica man back into the fold, winning 17 of their last 18 games in all competitions.
That has included picking up maximum points in the AFC Champions League group stages, with Talisca scoring all three goals in their latest victory over Al-Duhail. He's already up to 17 goals for the season in total, just four fewer than Ronaldo.