Vinícius Tobias: The Rising Brazilian Star Who’s Enjoying a Resurgence at Shakhtar

Born on February 23, 2004, Vinícius Augusto Tobías da Silva grew up in the Buraco Quente Favela of São Paulo, plying his soccer skills in the Jardim Matarazzo quarter of São Paulo. Oftentimes, he’d pass out at training due to not having eaten enough. He always knew that his way out of poverty was by playing soccer. It’s why he left his family for Porto Alegre at the age of 12 and joined Internacional. Within a year, he gained 16 pounds.

Tobias rose through the ranks for Internacional and Brazil, playing a handful of times for Brazil’s U-15s and U-16s in 2019 before making two appearances for the U-17s in 2021, and he’s since featured three times with the U-20s, and once with the U-23s. It’s why, despite not even playing a single match for Internacional’s senior team, Shakhtar decided to sign the 17-year-old for €6 million in July 2021.

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He was forced to wait seven months before his 18th birthday before making the move to Eastern Europe, undergoing preseason in Türkiye before heading to Ukraine and embracing his new surroundings. But just when he looked set to make his Shakhtar debut, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, kicking off the biggest conflict as well as the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

During this wartime period, FIFA made a special exception and allowed foreign players and coaches to unilaterally suspend their contracts with the Russian and Ukrainian football federations, as well as allowing them to leave on loan despite the transfer window already being shut. Tobias would start a new adventure in Spain with a little club called Real Madrid.

“That was a shock for me, because I was that kid who was fulfilling the dream of arriving at Shakhtar, being able to make my debut, being able to play great games, and unfortunately, the war began and it didn’t come to pass,” said Tobias in an exclusive Urban Pitch interview. “I went to Real Madrid, I stayed for three seasons, and I learned a lot of things there too. Of course, I’ve returned to Shakhtar now, and I’m very happy to be back and continue this dream.”

Upon making the move to the Spanish capital, Tobias played four times for Real Madrid Castilla in 2021-22 before sticking around for another campaign.

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With a full preseason to prepare for his campaign, Tobias enjoyed a superb season under legendary Real Madrid striker Raúl González. Playing alongside a star-studded roster including Nico Paz, Álex Jiménez, Rafa Marín, and Gonzalo García, Tobias emerged as the starting right back with five assists in 41 appearances. In addition to impressing in the UEFA Youth League, Tobias helped them reach the verge of promotion before losing to Eldense in the finals.

“Honestly, my reaction when I found out that I was going to Real…I didn’t even believe it,” stated Tobias to R.Org. “I had just left Shakhtar because of the war, so, when I heard the news that Real Madrid Castilla wanted me on loan, I couldn’t believe it, because I was taking a huge step forward in my career. I didn’t make my debut for Shakhtar when I arrived, and suddenly I ended up at Real Madrid Castilla. Actually, I was a little shaken at first, but it finally clicked after I got there and did my first workouts. I was very happy and very fulfilled because of that.”

Tobias continued his impressive displays in the Spanish third tier and racked up four assists in 21 appearances, and he would make his debut for the senior team on January 6, 2024, playing 88 minutes in a 3-1 Copa del Rey win against fourth-tier outfit Arandina. After Real declined their €15 million purchase option, Tobias extended his Shakhtar contract through 2029 and finally managed to make his presence felt with the Miners, providing six assists in 26 appearances.

After a season that saw him debut in the UEFA Champions League and win the Ukrainian Cup, Tobias has taken his performances up a notch under Arda Turan, racking up two goals and three assists in 32 appearances this season. While he hasn’t completely displaced Yukhym Konoplia from the starting lineup, he is nevertheless proving essential for a Shakhtar side that, after a dismal third-placed finish last season, is getting back to its best form.

Despite playing their home matches in Kraków, Poland, Shakhtar managed to finish sixth in the UEFA Conference League league phase before knocking out Lech Poznán. And if they can defeat AZ Alkmaar, they will face Crystal Palace or Fiorentina in the semifinals. In domestic league play, the club has played its home matches in Lviv, a 17-hour drive from Donetsk, yet Shakhtar sit atop the Ukrainian Premier League standings, level on 51 points with LNZ Cherkasy with a game in hand.

We caught up with Tobias for a Q&A session discussing his move to Europe at such a young age, finding his home in Shakhtar, and the toughest players he’s faced throughout his career.

Urban Pitch: What do you think are the main attributes that made you stand out enough to earn a transfer to Europe at just 17 years of age?

Of course, I went to Internacional at 12, a very young age, and since then, I’ve always been working hard and striving to be able to play for a team outside the country of Brazil. So I was very happy when that happened because of my hard work and dedication. When the transfer to Shakhtar came up when I was 17, I was very happy. It was a dream come true.

There are a lot of stereotypes about Brazilian soccer players, that they only like to go to the beach, party in the night clubs and have fun off the pitch, do you think that these are founded in reality?

I think it depends on each person. I think everyone knows what they’re doing, everyone knows what they want to achieve, what they desire. Speaking for myself, I’m someone who likes to be focused, who likes to do what’s right in order to earn his place. In short, I think it depends on each person, you know?

When you moved to Shakhtar, what was it like starting a new adventure in such a drastically different part of the world, and what do you remember being the biggest culture shock?

Things have always happened very quickly for me because even at only 17 years old, I received the offer from Shakhtar. Of course, it’s actually very difficult, especially at the beginning. A 17-year-old boy leaving his country, leaving his family, his friends, in order to go to a country where you’re not sure if things will work out or if it will even be feasible. It’s a country you’ll have to completely adapt to, especially because of the cold. Because in Brazil, we already know how hot it is, so moving to Ukraine, a very cold country, where the people you don’t know yet, it’s a big deal.

But of course, when I joined Shakhtar, I had a dream of playing in Europe. And when I arrived at Shakhtar, I had the privilege of meeting my Ukrainian teammates as well, who, despite the language barrier, always try to talk to me and help me, and vice versa. Sometimes we can help each other, so I think that it really helps me to have the support of my Ukrainian teammates, who gave me all their strength when I arrived at Shakhtar.

Who’s the toughest player that you’ve faced, both in an actual game as well as a training session?

There have been some great players here at Shakhtar like Alisson, Newerton, even Kevin when he was here. They’re the type of players who are very difficult to mark because they have so much quality, they have so many technical resources. I think for us defenders, facing those kinds of players is very complicated, but of course, we always find a way, because we also try to defend as well as possible.

Lastly, you’ve made some considerable strides in your game since returning to Shakhtar, but it’s safe to say that you still haven’t edged Yukhym Konoplya to a starting spot. What has it been like competing with this slightly older Ukrainian player for the starting right back position, and what do you think you need to do in order to become an undisputed starter?

I think we’ve all been working hard every single day, and the opportunities are always coming. Of course, as I said here at Shakhtar, we have great players, excellent players, both in terms of the Brazilians and the Ukrainians…they’re perfect players. And as far as Konoplya goes, I think that we have a similar dynamic. We’re always united. It doesn’t matter who’s playing. It doesn’t matter who’s on the bench. Sometimes I think that we’re always together, regardless of the game; we want our team to win and take home the title. So, sometimes I’m happy that he plays too. He’s happy when I play. And that’s how things are. And of course, we’ll always be working so we can always play together.