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Igor Julio dos Santos de Paulo (born 7 February 1998), known as Igor Julio or simply Igor, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Aug 10, 2023 · Brighton ’s head coach played a big role in bringing the 25-year-old, who is known in football by his first name rather than his surname, from his Italian homeland in a deal...
Jul 26, 2023 · Brighton & Hove Albion completed the signing of Igor Julio from Fiorentina. The Athletic reported last week that Brighton had agreed a €17million ($18.8) plus €3m in add-ons fee with ...
- Overview
- How De Zerbi's style drew Igor to Brighton
- 'Great players learn lessons from defeats'
Britain is in the midst of Storm Ciaran's three-day battering, but you will not see any signs of sandbags or flood barriers at Brighton & Hove Albion.
It is Wednesday afternoon at the American Express Elite Performance Centre in Lancing, but for the club's newest recruit Igor Julio, it is business as usual.
Come rain or shine, the smiling Brazilian centre-back with pearly white teeth and body covered from head to toe in tattoos is embracing his latest assault on the senses.
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Igor started out as a midfielder and aged 18, having already been on the books of Atletico Mineiro, he left his home for Austria without having made a single senior appearance.
Red Bull Salzburg were aware of his ability having impressed for Bragantino (formerly Red Bull Brasil) at youth-team level, but he would only play twice for his parent club in between loan spells with Wolfsberger and Austria Vienna before his next adventure in Italy with SPAL came knocking in June 2019.
Due to financial problems and the threat of relegation, Igor would join Fiorentina on a two-year loan the following January. It was here that De Zerbi - then manager of Sassuolo - became familiar with his ball-carrying skills, passing range and physical attributes.
"I always looked forward to the opportunity of playing against him," Igor recalls. "I always watched his teams as he played. But there is quite a difference between watching and practising.
"It's not difficult but the style of play needs a lot of attention. It needs a lot of personality to play.
"At first, I had difficulty with my team-mates' movements. From the moment to pass and the right moment to receive the ball. But I think that with work and with personality, you learn how to play.
Image: Igor was caught flat-footed as Jarrod Bowen scores
The Brazilian made nearly 110 appearances for Fiorentina in all competitions before Brighton paid £14.5m for the 25-year-old in July, signing him on a four-year contract.
He was one of the team's key players in the 2022/23 campaign but his time in Italy would end on a sour note.
Vincenzo Italiano overlooked him in the Coppa Italia final defeat to Inter Milan and, a fortnight later, Igor would be criticised by his manager for his role in Jarrod Bowen's late winner for West Ham in the Europa Conference League final.
Image: Igor made his Premier League debut against Liverpool
But those disappointments have only served to motivate the centre-back further to achieve more success at his new club.
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- Ben Grounds
Jul 28, 2023 · Igor Julio became Brighton’s fifth signing of the summer when he joined the club from Fiorentina for £17m. The Brazilian defender has signed a four-year-deal with the club and is expected to link-up with his new Albion teammates next week once they return back from their pre-season tour of the US.
Jul 26, 2023 · Igor Julio says he will be fulfilling a "childhood dream" of playing in the Premier League after joining Brighton from Italian club Fiorentina for £14.5m. The 25-year-old centre-back has...
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Jul 28, 2023 · Albion’s new boy Igor Julio has been backed to succeed in the Premier League. Journalist Lorenzo Lepore, who works for Italian site TuttoMercatoWeb, has been watching the 25-year-old since he...
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