Who is Kaua Santos?

bundesliga.com shines a light on a fledgling talent the Eagles are expecting will take flight over the next few weeks in the injury-enforced absence of Kevin Trapp.

*Stats correct as of 17 September 2024

Kauã Santos

Age: 21 (born 11 April 2003)
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Goalkeeper
Country: Brazil U20 (2 caps)

Key stats

Perhaps the most significant number for Frankfurt’s new Brazilian goalkeeper is two as he is only the second shotstopper from the South American nation to play in the Bundesliga following Heurelho Gomes’ loan cameo at Hoffenheim in 2013.

Watch: Kaua Santos helps Frankfurt to victory on debut in Wolfsburg

Frankfurt will be hopeful Santos is going to stay longer. “He gives off such an aura of calm and comes out well for crosses,” said the Eagles’ sporting director Markus Krösche in the wake of Santos’ Bundesliga debut after he came off the bench to replace the injured Trapp at half-time of the Matchday 3 win at Wolfsburg. “It was a very good performance for a first game. He has a Brazilian self-confidence that radiates from him.”

Santos will need that self-belief as he stands in for Trapp for up to a month meaning he will also be between the posts when Frankfurt’s Europa League campaign kicks off. But having joined one of Brazil’s and South America’s biggest clubs, Flamengo, as a 16-year-old and going on to captain the Rio de Janeiro giant's U20 side, Santos clearly has the mental strength to face up to the challenge. 

Standing at an imposing 6’4”, he certainly has the physical stature, and Frankfurt’s decision to sign him after just a handful of games for Flamengo’s U20 team - and also not send him on loan this season following just 13 matches for their reserve side last term - suggests they believe he has the talent to take the step up. Youth international honours through two U20 caps for Brazil also show that Santos is already on the national team's radar as one for the future.

“Kaua did very well and showed what we have seen from him in training over the last few weeks and months,” said coach Dino Toppmöller after seeing Santos justify his club’s strategy at the Volkswagen Arena. “He’s a very courageous goalkeeper.”

Plays a bit like: Ederson

“I've always liked Ederson, because he has that characteristic of playing with his feet,” said Santos of the Manchester City goalkeeper. “I play with my feet and with my speed. Big goalkeepers are usually slow, but in my case, it's different. Having worked a lot on this, I consider myself a fast goalkeeper.”

That in-built speed of hand and foot has been something Frankfurt have fine-tuned since Santos’ summer 2023 arrival in Germany.

Did you know?

Santos’ mother passed away when he was nine, and he was brought up by his grandmother and aunt. “Obviously, this is a very bad thing, but my grandmother and aunt have always been very present, even when my mother was alive,” he explained to Flamengo’s TV channel. “I always called my grandmother “Mother” too. I’ve always said that I had three mothers.”

What they’re saying

“I always played up front and in goal. There came a time when I needed to make the decision about what I wanted.” - Santos on deciding as a youngster where he would play

“He’s got a bit of something special." - Frankfurt teammate Robin Koch

“Kaua showed talent well above the average as a kid. He was a very focused athlete and always sought perfection.” - Santos’ first coach in his hometown Vassouras, James Bernardes

“In the end, what counts is what excites me about every goalkeeper: he stops shots.” - Frankfurt goalkeeping coach Zimmermann