When it comes to signing strikers in Football Manager, I have long found that buying Brazilian talent is best. There are obvious exceptions to the rule, and Edin Dzeko, Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, and Wayne Rooney are all strikers that should certainly be signed if possible; more often than not it has been my Brazilian strikers that have impressed me most however, and I shall here list some of the Brazilian strikers that I have found to be amongst the very best.

Players such as Pato, Guilherme, and Neymar I was really very impressed with in Football Manager 2009, and in Football Manager 2010 I have discovered that the same names are once again hammering in the goals when brought to the English Premier League.

Vagner Love was always a player that was raved about in FM2009, and in 2010 he is once again a striker to sign. The CSKA Moscow man really can grab an incredible number of goals, and if you’re in need of an extra player upfront then you can definitely do a lot worse than signing Vagner Love.

The previously mentioned Alexandre Pato of AC Milan is another striker that can bang in the goals, and although not my personal favourite, he is very young at the start of the game and if you do sign him then you’ll have a quality striker for many seasons to come. Guilherme (CSKA Moscow) and Neymar (Santos) were the other two players I mentioned before as having been brilliant in FM2009, and given that Neymar is only 17 at the start of the game, he is another player that can serve you well for many seasons. Guilherme was my absolute favourite striker to sign in FM2009, and once again in FM2010 I have found him to be an absolutely stunning signing. More often than not he scores when he starts, and if you’re managing a team with ambitions of winning the title then Guilherme is most definitely a player to invest in.

In Football Manager 2009 I never came across the Brazilian attacking midfielder/forward Taison (Internacional), in FM2010 he has been one of my very favourite purchases however, several times finishing the season as my top goalscorer. Taison is another player that I’d most definitely recommend signing, and if you do so then I’m sure that you’ll be hugely impressed with his ability in front of goal.

Villarreal’s Nilmar is another striker to watch out for, a 25 year-old that can definitely pitch in with a goal or two when you most require it.

Last, but definitely not least, Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano is a Brazilian striker that I have had varied success with in Football Manager 2010. He’s an expensive purchase, and at 28 years-old should perhaps not be the player at the top of your transfer wishlist, I have had great success with Luis Fabiano however, and although I’ve also signed him once or twice and had it not work out; Fabiano can definitely become a key member of your squad. Fabiano is a big strong striker with a real eye for goal, and at best can be a real difference maker in your squad.

I’m sure there are some other strong Brazilian strikers that I’ve perhaps missed out here, and if you know any of your own that you feel are worthy of a mention then please do feel free to leave a comment below.

As a huge fan of Football Manager, I’ve experimented with many different teams and tactics in the series. I’m mainly a fan of managing lower level teams and trying to take them to the top; whilst managing Manchester City I was able to experiment with Brazilian wonderkids however, using my massive transfer budget to try out different options all over the field.

I built an unstoppable title winning Manchester City team with Brazilian talent at the core, and whilst doing so I was able to discover the very best in young Brazilian players and wonderkids.

Quite an obvious choice, but still not one to be overlooked; Pato. In real life Alexandre Pato is already making his mark in football, playing well for both club and country, and if you decide to sign him up in Football Manager 2009 then things will be no different. Pato is a player that just seems to go from strength to strength within the game, and if you’re able to sign him in Football Manager then he’ll score you plenty of goals for many years to come. He’s the sort of striker that you most definitely want in a title challenging team, and with the goals that this guy scores your team is bound to benefit from having Pato in the starting eleven.

A lesser known attacking genius is Cruizeiro’s Guilherme. He’s actually now joined Dynamo Kiev in real life and is doing an incredible job there, and if you sign him in Football Manager then he really shouldn’t let you down. After buying Guilherme for my Manchester City team he quickly became my star man, and when I had him playing alongside Pato upfront he was actually scoring more Premier League goals than Pato. He’s definitely a striker that’s well worth investing in, and as he’s available for a lot less money than Pato; Guilherme is a player that I’d most definitely highly recommend signing.

Douglas Costa is another player worth investing in, and if you’re looking to bolster your midfield then Costa is a good man to have in your squad. He’s definitely a quality player to have in your team, and as he’s recently been linked with Manchester United in the real world of football; it’s obvious that the game has got it right in making Douglas Costa a very special player.

Another player to have been linked with Manchester United in real life, Alex Teixeira is a very strong attacking prospect, and if you decide to sign him for your team then it’s likely that he’ll provide plenty of assists, and score a number of goals each season also. He’s a player that can be relied on to average around a 7 rating for the season, and if you’re going to sign Alex Teixeira then another player that you should also be looking at is Marquinhos.

Much like Alex Teixeira, Marquinhos is an excellent attacking player that you can expect a high average rating from, and these two can combine together nicely to provide a very effective partnership. Marquinhos will also score a lot of goals and provide a quality number of assists, and with these two in your attack you can expect title winning form from them. They provide fantastic quality attacking from the midfield, and can also be used upfront when required. These two players will supply the goals, and if you’ve got someone upfront such as Pato or Guilherme then there’s really no reason why your team shouldn’t become unstoppable in attack.

Manchester United’s Anderson is another excellent attacking player that’s worth signing in Football Manager 2009, and although he hasn’t yet set the world of football alight in real life, in Football Manager he develops nicely to become a very high quality player.

Defensively I’ve found Brazilian wonderkids a little harder to come by, one that has stood out however has been Real Madrid’s Marcelo. He’s a difficult player to get hold of as Real Madrid is very keen on hanging onto him; if you are able to prize Marcelo away from the Bernabeu though then you’ll have yourself a very high quality left back that can also play incredibly well on the left side of midfield.

Central defender David Luiz is another young Brazilian player that you really should look to sign, and if you’re looking for a good reliable defender then I’d definitely say that David Luiz is your man. Fabrico and Breno are two other Brazilian options to consider, David Luiz is the one you should really be setting your sights on first though, and if you sign David Luiz then you can be sure that you have yourself a very high quality player.

If you’d like to have a brilliant Brazilian between the sticks, then Renan is your man. Botafogo’s Renan and Valencia’s Renan are both excellent; Botafogo’s is the younger option though, so if you’re going for a real youth prospect then he’s the man you should be after.

So just to clarify, these are the young Brazilian players/wonderkids that I would well and truly recommend:

Goalkeepers:

Renan (Botafogo)
Renan (Valencia)

Defenders:

Marcelo (Real Madrid)
David Luiz (Benfica)
Fabrico (Flamengo)
Breno (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders:

Douglas Costa (Gremio)
Marquinhos (Palmeiras)
Alex Teixeira (Vasco da Gama)
Anderson (Manchester United)

Forwards:

Pato (AC Milan)
Guilherme (Cruzeiro)