“I always remember that saying, the one that says that Brazilians never give up.”
Kaio Jorge lives by that motto. Still only 23 years of age, the Cruzeiro star has had to overcome pain and learn some lessons before reaching the promised land of the Brazilian national team. His 15 goals in 20 games in the Brasileirão caught the eye of Carlo Ancelotti, who handed him his first call-up to the senior squad for their final two FIFA World Cup 26™ qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia.
“I was already very pleased to be in the preliminary squad”, Kaio told FIFA. “The day the squad was announced, I was feeling very confident because of the way I’ve been playing. When [Ancelotti] got to the last few names in the attackers, when he said it… it was an explosion of emotions. I didn’t really know how to celebrate. It was like a film playing in my head, with everything I’d done since I was a kid.”
The plot to the film Kaio Jorge mentioned began in Pernambuco, in the north-east of Brazil. From there, he was picked up by Santos, where he showed that he was one of the most promising young talents on the planet. In 2019, he helped Brazil win the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ and went on to sign for Italian giants Juventus.
His development in Turin, however, was halted by a serious injury. In 2022, the forward suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee while playing for the Juventus U-23 side.
“I had to mature very quickly, I was very young when I moved to Europe,” he explained. “The injury made me grow up as a man and made me stronger mentally.
“The most difficult part of the injury process was seeing my team-mates training every day while I was unable to walk or travel with them. It was very frustrating.”
“I could write a book about it”, said Amil Henrique Lopes, Kaio Jorge’s physiotherapist and personal trainer during that spell. “He is extremely dedicated, he works 24 hours a day. He really is different. Without that [attitude], it would have been even more difficult. He was very professional.”
After recovering from the injury, he had a spell on loan at Frosinone, also in Italy, before making the move back to Brazil to join Cruzeiro on a permanent deal.
The knee injury effectively put an end to his time at Juventus, but the youngster left Turin with a number of invaluable lessons.
One of his main takeaways came from former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri. While he may not have given Kaio Jorge many minutes on the pitch, he did prepare the striker for the future.
“He said that I was a forward with a lot of pace,” explained Kaio Jorge. “He told me that, if I kept dropping deep, into the middle, looking for the ball, I’d have no energy when I got in front of goal and wouldn’t be able to score goals.”
While Allegri’s lessons were much more direct in terms of his game, the rest of the first-team squad also made an impression on Kaio Jorge. He was surrounded by world-class players during his time at Juventus, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I knew that he was very driven, but when you work with him every day you see that it goes far beyond that”, he said. “He is very determined and focused. My focus improved massively in training. Now I train as if it were a game situation. When I miss with a shot in training, I get annoyed at myself. Those kinds of things make the difference.”
Now back in Brazil, Kaio Jorge has reaped the benefits of another European coach when it comes to his performances on the pitch: Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim, who was brought in by Cruzeiro in 2025.
“I’m very grateful to the boss,” said Kaio Jorge. “When he arrived, I was still learning about my characteristics. As soon as I started training with him, he spotted some potential in my pace as I get closer to the box, making runs in behind. He had a big part to play in me getting this call-up. I like his style of play, it really helps me.”
In the middle of 2024, shortly after joining Cruzeiro, Kaio Jorge received the best news of his life: the birth of his daughter, Athena. This changed the way he viewed his career.
“Whether you like it or not, you have to mature a bit sooner,” he said. “Not just in terms of football, but also in life. You have a little person there to look after, to keep an eye on. You also have to concentrate more because, if you switch off, she’ll put her hand in a socket or eat something (laughs). It makes me very happy. When I’m with her, I feel more at ease.”
Compared to the daunting prospect of becoming a parent for the first time, the responsibility of leading the line for Cruzeiro may even seem easy. Based on Kaio Jorge’s performances on the pitch this year, that may well be the case.
An even bigger responsibility on the pitch now awaits the Olinda native. Having already represented Brazil at youth level, the next chapter in his journey is one that anyone who has ever played the game has dreamed of.
“I’m representing the dream of thousands of kids, even adults, who never got to become footballers,” he said. “Even those who have stopped playing. When you make it into the Brazilian national team, everyone stops to watch you, and I’ve already seen that from the other side, as a fan.
“I was already a Seleção fan and now I get to put on the Amarelinha shirt. That is very rewarding for me. I know that I have to fight tooth and nail for this shirt.”
