Allan to Man City: How 'Mini Balotelli' overcame tragedy to thrive

With Manchester City signing Allan Elias from Palmeiras, Adam Bate examines the Brazilian late bloomer's tragic but inspiring backstory with insight from the former coach who is backing him to become a success in the Premier League under Enzo Maresca...

Manchester City supporters might not know whether to be amused or afraid to hear that Allan Elias’ nickname as a kid was 'Mini Balotelli' – a reference to the bleached-blonde mohawk haircut that had in fact been inspired by childhood hero Neymar.

They should not be concerned. Allan's £34m move from Palmeiras to the Premier League looks a smart signing by City, a talented and versatile player ready to contribute. With Allan, it is more work ethic than wonderkid as wingers go. And his story is inspiring.

Allan's beginnings are not just humble but tragic. The death of his old Figueirense teammate Vitor Isaias in a fire at Flamengo's academy accommodation in 2019 that killed 10 people had a profound effect. His family moved to Sao Paulo to be near him.

During the pandemic, Allan's sister Leticia died due to Covid-19. The 'L' gesture made with his hands after scoring is in her honour. There is the tattoo of best friend Gustavo Paco, who died in a motorcycle accident the day after the pair had played on the beach.

It is a life blighted by misfortune but also its own little miracle. This football success was not supposed to happen for Allan. He felt close to leaving Palmeiras for very different reasons as recently as late 2024, having seen so many others promoted ahead of him.

He cried with his parents before his final U20 game, thinking it was all over. Approaching 21 and seemingly overlooked by his own club, coach Abel Ferreira then pulled him aside in training to let him know that he would be getting a new contract.

The rest is history. Allan emerged as a key player for Palmeiras over the past 18 months, no teenage prodigy but an underrated gem. "Allan is a different player," his former coach Lucas Andrade tells Sky Sports . "He needed more time, but now he is at the same level."

Andrade was Allan's coach at U15 and U20 level at Palmeiras. "He scored a lot of goals." But it was at a youth tournament in England of all places that he became convinced. "That is when I realised Allan had the level to play here one day," he says.

"He played very well against Chelsea, against Tottenham. The final was Manchester City against Chelsea. And I watched the game with Allan in the crowd. And now, many years later, he has come back to England to play for Manchester City. It is a very nice story."

His youth coach might have believed but others had not seen it. Those tears before his final U20 appearance were because Allan did not know what was coming next. But Ferreira spotted something and told the sporting director that he must stay.

He made his senior debut in January of last year, scoring his first goal the next month. His parents went viral in Brazil after filming their joyful celebrations.