After making it to the semifinals of the Club World Cup earlier this year, Fluminense have kept their momentum going. They are once again in the last four, this time in the Copa Sudamericana, and remain one of the clear favorites to lift the trophy. As one of Brazil’s biggest clubs, their squad reflects that stature, packed with talent and experience.
Yet, a closer look at the team sheet reveals something striking: one of the players with the most minutes across all competitions is also one of the youngest and least known. That player is Hércules Pereira. With an unconventional path to the top flight, Hércules is now breaking through as one of the standout midfielders in South America.
And while his name might evoke the Greek demigod, the only real connection lies in their shared reliance on strength to achieve their goals.
Born in Brazil’s interior, in the state of Piauí, Hércules didn’t join the structure of a professional club until June 2021, when Fortaleza picked him up from Atlético Cearense after he had impressed in the regional championships earlier that year. Few, however, could have predicted how quickly he would rise from there.
In his first season with Fortaleza’s first team (2022), he played 39 matches and immediately showed himself to be a dynamic midfielder, heavily involved in duels —especially defensively— while also contributing with late runs into the box, finishing the campaign with five goals.
Halfway through the following year, an ACL injury temporarily halted his progress, but in 2024 he returned at an even higher level. His steady development, interrupted only by that setback, soon caught the eye of Fluminense, who needed to reinforce their midfield after the departures of André Trindade (to Wolverhampton) and Alexander Gomes (to Al Ahli).
Hércules is a different type of midfielder compared to Trindade. Without the ball, he is more aggressive and less positional, which leads him to engage in "defensive" actions much higher up the pitch (as seen in the image above). On the ball, he is more dynamic, often making himself available again after passing.
He frequently takes on parts of the role of a second-phase interior, or “number 8,” usually when paired with Facundo Bernal, who tends to drop deeper. Similarly, when Martinelli — another of Fluminense’s midfielders — positions himself closer to the defense to support the build-up, Hércules pushes higher up.
That said, both his future and his most complete version today are tied to the first phase when in possession. Perhaps not as the primary option, but certainly as a supporting midfielder. From that second line, Hércules has a good long-range delivery, is secure in possession, and actively contributes in Fluminense's build-up phase. This is reflected in our xG Build-Up metric, which attributes value to each chance in which a player is directly involved every game.
Hércules may not be the most progressive player with the ball nor an elite line-breaking passer, but he provides security and stability to his team’s possessions —something often just as necessary. In fact, just 18 players in the Brasileirão are more involved in their team’s possessions than Hércules.
Looking at his off-ball work in terms of individual pressing, we find performances well above average across several metrics for the 24-year-old in our ‘Arrigo’ model.
In the matches he has played this year between Série A and the Copa Sudamericana, Hércules averages 9.08 strong on-ball pressures per 90 minutes (actions within two meters of the ball carrier). He is tough to beat in individual duels, but just as importantly, he is smart enough not to be bypassed easily —thanks largely to his reading of the game. Few midfielders are harder to play through: according to the ‘times bypassed by passes’ metric, he ranks in the top 30, being bypassed only 21.1 times per game.
He also ranks clearly above the standards in more traditional stats, such as successful tackle volume.
Returning to ‘Arrigo’ parameters, it’s worth highlighting his strong passing ability when under pressure, with highly commendable accuracy given his dynamism and mobility. Hércules is a reliable presence under pressure: the Fluminense midfielder completes 90 out of 100 passes under pressure (when the nearest opponent is within 2–4 meters), and 85 out of 100 passes under strong pressure (those in which the opponent is within two meters).
Besides being capable of receiving and distributing passes across different areas of the pitch and contributing significantly on the defensive side, one standout feature of Hércules is his ability to arrive in scoring positions from the second line. Although he doesn’t take a high volume of shots (0.98 per 90), he chooses the right moments to get into dangerous areas and executes them with real threat.
Over the 74 matches he has played in the past two years across Série A, Copa do Brasil, and Copa Sudamericana, he has scored 10 goals from chances that our models estimated at 4.5 expected goals (xG). Two of those goals proved decisive, helping Fluminense eliminate Inter Milan and Al Hilal in direct knockout matches at the Club World Cup.
In short, Hércules is a player to watch closely in the coming years. The Brazilian combines mobility with good ball control, is reliable in passing, has a strong long-range delivery, and actively participates in his team’s build-up play.
Defensively, he exerts influence across multiple areas. He wins the ball high up the pitch and is effective when attempting tackles. He posts impressive numbers both in defensive duels due to his activity and in interceptions thanks to his reading of the game. This same game intelligence makes him a difficult player to get past.
There is no doubt that Hércules is a talent to keep an eye on, whether he continues in Brazil or makes the leap to one of Europe’s top leagues, as he possesses a wide array of qualities.
