Ryan Francisco

Ryan Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos Silva (born 21 November 2006) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Série A club São Paulo.

Club career
A youth product of Corinthians, Nacional, and Palmeiras, Francisco first played for the Verdão in the under-11s to under-13s before being released and joining SKA Brasil in Santana de Parnaíba. He signed with Palmeiras' rival São Paulo in 2022, starting in their under-16s and moving towards the under-17s side in 2023. After scoring 18 goals in eight games, aged 16, in the U-17 Campeonato Paulista, Francisco signed his first professional contract with the club, until 2026, in June 2023. He finished the season with 42 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions for the under-17s while coming runners-up in the Campeonato Paulista and Campeonato Brasileiro as both competitions' top goalscorer.

Francisco was promoted to São Paulo's under-20s in November 2023. He was registered for São Paulo's 2024 Libertadores squad in March 2024.

International career
In September 2023, Francisco was called up to the Brazil national under-17 team for a series of friendlies against Canada and the United States. He made his debut on 1 October as a substitute in the second friendly match against Canada at the Estádio Novelli Júnior.

Personal life
Francisco was born to Raimundo Alves and his wife Magda, with four siblings. His parents owned a sewing shop when he was growing up. At the age of six, Francisco began playing football, using his parents' sewing as training cones.