HE is the shining light whose midweek heroics stopped a dismal season from turning into a total disaster.
A rare bright spark in the Etihad gloom, as Pep Guardiola’s serial winners struggle to keep their campaign on an even keel.
And rated such a standout talent back home that — even in a nation boasting the likes of Vinicius Jr and Endrick — many are hailing him as Brazil’s standard bearer of the future.