Jose Manuel Vargas

Jose Manuel Vargas (born November 3, 1989, in São Paulo, the capital of the state of São Paulo in Southeastern Brazil, also known as Plato, is a Brazilian Left winger who has been playing for Esporte Clube Santo André since 2002. His nickname, which he uses on his shirt, is that of the Greek Philosopher Plato, after whom his father (now deceased) was named.

Career

A native of São Paulo, Vargas was spotted by scouts from Esporte Clube Santo André at the age of 8, playing playing indoor soccer (futsal). In 2002, at the age of 13, he joined the club's youth development program, living in shared accommodation with other young hopefuls.

In two years in Santo André's youth team, Vargas scored 19 goals, 14 of these coming in the second season in which he made the left wing position his own.

In 2006, Vargas broke through into the senior team but was mostly limited to substitute appearances. However, he finished the season with 4 goals from 11 appearances, although all but three of these were from the bench.

Vargas has recently been linked in this press with a move to several high profile clubs in Europe, with Liverpool favourite to secure his services, for a fee of £3m rising to £7m based on appearances. Vargas was watched on three occasions by Eduardo Macia, Liverpool's chief scout.