On the same day that Atlético’s fans said goodbye to idol Hulk, Atlético found reasons to trust in their new goal man.
With the goal scored in the 1-1 draw against Botafogo at Arena MRV in the Brasileirão, Colombian forward Mateo Cassierra reached five goals in 2026, moving to the top of Galo’s scoring chart for the season, precisely alongside the former No. 7.
While Hulk scored his five goals in 22 matches this year, Cassierra reached the same mark in 20 appearances.
The main highlight, however, is his current form: the striker has become the deadliest player in the squad over the last eight matches, totaling four goals and one assist in that span.
“It’s very important for me to feel good in every game. Today I managed to score, but there’s still a long way to go. Physically, I’m getting better every day. Now I’m getting a run of games, playing more. It’s very important,” the Colombian celebrated in a post-match interview.
Cassierra’s victims so far show his presence across every competition the club is playing in:
- Campeonato Mineiro: Itabirito
- Copa Sudamericana: Juventude
- Copa do Brasil: Ceará
- Brazilian Championship: Cruzeiro and Botafogo
His strong form in attack has been helped by his partnership with Alan Minda, which has produced important results for the team. Curiously, when he arrived at the club, Cassierra was asked about competing for a spot with Hulk. Far from feeling pressure, the Colombian was full of praise for his teammate:
“He is a legend, not only at Galo. At Zenit, everyone loves him. That’s very important for me. I want to help the team and win titles. He’s a star. I want to learn a lot from him,” he said at the time.
Investment
Signed in January with the mission of being the team’s “No. 9,” fitting the center-forward profile left vacant by Deyverson’s departure, Cassierra represented Atlético-MG’s biggest investment of the transfer window: around R$ 40 million.
At 28, he signed a four-season contract.
The striker’s career path:
- Youth development and early career: Deportivo Cali (Colombia).
- Spells around the world: Ajax and Groningen (Netherlands), Racing (Argentina), and B-SAD (Portugal).
- Established in Russia: Sochi and, finally, Zenit, where he played 127 matches, scored 49 goals, and provided 23 assists before arriving in Belo Horizonte.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
