1. He was born in Bom Sucesso
Igor Julio was born in the superbly named Bom Sucesso, which translates as ‘Good Success’ in English, in the state of Minas Gerais in south-eastern Brazil.
He played for Atlético Mineiro and Portuguesa Santista as a schoolboy before joining São Paulo-based Red Bull Brasil at the age of 18 in 2016.
Igor moved to Europe the same year, when he joined Austrian Bundesliga side FC Red Bull Salzburg and was sent to the club’s second-tier farm team FC Liefering.
2. He is a UEFA Youth League winner
Igor spent three seasons in Austria between the ages of 18 and 21, appearing for four different clubs.
The then 18-year-old first established himself at senior level with Red Bull Salzburg’s farm club FC Liefering in 2016/17 – a season that also saw him play alongside a number of his Liefering teammates for Salzburg’s U19s in the UEFA Youth League.
Igor started as Salzburg defeated Vardar of Macedonia, Kairat of Kazakhstan, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid – against whom he scored in a 2-1 win – Barcelona and Benfica to win the prestigious trophy for the first time.