In his first three Premier League games, Rayan has scored two goals and provided one assist. The only under-19 players to have achieved these figures were Ireland's Robbie Kane and France's Anthony Martial. Rayan has therefore already broken a record that few have managed to achieve.
But numbers, however impressive, do not show the extent of Rayan's brilliance in his early days in England.
In the 90th minute of his first match, in which he came off the bench, he received the ball from a teammate at the edge of the box, quickly turned, putting his body in front of the defender, and won the duel. Then, from the goal line, he looked up and made an accurate pass to the middle of the six-yard box. His teammate only had to tap it in. Strength, agility, intelligence and precision, all in one move.
In the next game, his first as a starter, another brilliant move: in the 55th minute, he received a low pass on the right wing (controlling it with his right foot) and advanced with the ball, driving it with his left foot. When he reached the edge of the area, he noticed the defender leaning to the right and quickly cut to the opposite side. His opponent in defence saw the mistake and tried to cover Rayan's left, where he could shoot with his dominant foot. The Brazilian, however, gave it a slight touch and shot with the tip of his right foot. The ball went into the corner of the goal, sending the crowd into a frenzy. This was Rayan's first goal in the Premier League.
Rayan, at 1.85m, is tall and strong. A raw striker, so to speak, but also very refined. And Bournemouth may not be the only ones wanting to take advantage of these characteristics.