As Fluminense struggle to remain above water, it is all the more striking that it’s top forward Fred is currently #1 in the FTBL ranking of forwards in the Brazilian top league.

All this has an explanation, though: Fluminense have won their last 5 games (3 in the league and 2 in the South American Cup), with Fred scoring in all 5 games. He has been able to add an astonishing 106 rating points to his FTBL score in them!

Sure, the former Olympique Lyon striker will find it hard to sustain such a highly productive run, but who can tell when this latest burst of form will fizzle out? We will not risk a prediction. We will restrain ourselves to saying that if Fred continues to score, the leadership in our ranking of Brazilian forwards will be his, all those “European” stars not withstanding.