 Luis Guilherme withPalmeiras in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Guilherme Lira dos Santos[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (2006-02-09)9 February 2006 (age 20) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Aracaju, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Winger | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Sporting CP | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2023 | Palmeiras | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Palmeiras | 30 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2026 | West Ham United | 17 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Sporting CP | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Brazil U17 | 4 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Brazil U20 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:04, 1 February 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:04, 1 January 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Luis Guilherme Lira dos Santos (born 9 February 2006) is a Brazilian professionalfootballer who plays as awinger forPrimeira Liga clubSporting CP.
Born inAracaju, Sergipe, Luis Guilherme played in numerous soccer schools in his hometown before joiningPalmeiras in 2017.[3][4] He signed his first professional contract with the club in June 2022.[3] In January 2022, Luis Guilherme was part of the squad that won the 2022Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior for the first time.[5] He renewed his contract in November 2023, with an increased salary and a release clause of €55 million.[6]
Luis Guilherme made his first team debut on 12 April 2023, coming on as a second-halfsubstitute forJosé Manuel López in a 4–2 home win overTombense, forthe year'sCopa do Brasil.[7] On 24 April 2024, he scored his first goal for Palmeiras, in the 96th minute, securing a 3–2 away win overIndependiente del Valle during the2024 Copa Libertadores group stage.[8]
In June 2024, he underwent a medical with EnglishPremier League clubWest Ham United with a view to a transfer.[9] On 13 June 2024, the club announced that they had agreed the signing of Guilherme on a five-year contract, the transfer being finalised the following day when the transfer window opened.[10] He made his West Ham debut on 5 October coming on as an 85th minute substitute forMohammed Kudus in a 4–1 Premier League win againstIpswich Town.[11]
On 4 January 2026, Luis Guilherme moved toPrimeira Liga clubSporting CP on a contract until June 2030, with his release clause set at €80 million.[12][13] According to reports, the Portuguese side paid theHammers an initial €14 million, which could rise to €17 million with add-ons.[14] He made his debut two days later, coming on as a substitute for the final minutes of theTaça da Liga semi-final, as Sporting CP suffered two late goals to lose 2–1 againstVitória de Guimarães.[15]
He was called up to theBrazil U17 for the 2022 Montaigu Tournament, where he scored three goals in four games and helped Brazil win the tournament after 38 years.[16] Luis Guilherme was later called up to theBrazil U20 for the 2023 South American U-20 Championship,[17][18] being the youngest player of the Brazil U20 squad in the 21st century.[19] Luis Guilherme played in five matches, totalling 191 minutes, contributing to Brazil's first U20 South American Championship title in 12 years and securing a spot in theFIFA U-20 World Cup after an eight-year absence.[20][21]
A technical winger with good on-field decision making, Luis Guilherme is renowned for his pace, clocking a top speed of 36.4 km/h in the 2022Copa do Brasil Sub-17 final againstVasco da Gama.[22] He lists Argentine legendLionel Messi andRivaldo as inspirations to him.[23][24] On 11 October 2023, he was named by English newspaperThe Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide, alongside Palmeiras teammatesEndrick andVitor Reis.[25]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | League cup[c] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Palmeiras | 2023 | Série A | 19 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | |||
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 1 | 1[e] | 0 | 18 | 1 | |||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |||
| West Ham United | 2024–25 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 17 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||||
| Sporting CP | 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 44 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 68 | 2 | ||
FIFA was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).