Carlos Vinícius Alves Morais, known as Carlos Vinícius, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Portuguese club Benfica as a striker.
Club career
Early career
Born in Bom Jesus das Selvas, Maranhão, Carlos Vinícius started his football career at the youth ranks of Goiás in 2009, at the age of 14, as a central defender. In 2011 he moved to Santos, but was initially loaned to Desportivo Brasil before returning to the club. Released in 2014, he subsequently joined Palmeiras and finished his formation with the club in the following year. Carlos Vinícius moved to Caldense for the 2016 season, but spent the first year without playing. He made his senior debut on 19 March 2017, starting in a 2–0 away loss against Uberlândia for the Campeonato Mineiro. At the club, he was mainly used as a defensive midfielder. In May 2017, Carlos Vinícius joined Grêmio Anápolis for the second division of the Campeonato Goiano. For the side, he only contributed with two appearances as a substitute, being utilized as an attacking midfielder, but was moved to the forward position for a friendly and scored two goals in that match; he then impressed some Portuguese scouts in the match, which prompted to a move to the country.
On 5 July 2017, Carlos Vinícius was presented at Portuguese LigaPro side Real, after agreeing to a one-year loan deal. He made his debut for abroad late in the month, in a 2017–18 Taça da Liga 1–0 win over Belenenses, scoring the only goal. Carlos Vinícius made his league debut on 6 August 2017, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–1 home routing of Leixões. He ended the season with 20 goals in 39 matches.
In January 2018, Carlos Vinícius agreed to a deal with Italian side Napoli for around €4 million, effective as of 1 July. In July, he was included in the team's pre-season, and scored in a friendly against Carpi late in the month.
After appearing in the pre-season with the club, Carlos Vinícius returned to Portugal after being loaned to Primeira Liga side Rio Ave for one season. He made his top tier debut on 2 September, playing the last 20 minutes in a 2–1 home defeat of Portimonense. Carlos Vinícius scored his first goal in the main category of Portuguese football on 22 September 2018, in a 3–1 away success over Santa Clara; in that match, he also scored an own goal. Seven days later, he scored a brace in a 2–1 home win against Boavista. Carlos Vinícius ended his spell at Rio Ave with 14 goals in 20 matches.
On 30 January 2019, Carlos Vinícius joined French Ligue 1 team Monaco on a six-month loan deal, He made his debut for the club three days later, replacing Radamel Falcao late into a 2– home win against Toulouse FC. Carlos Vinícius scored his first goal in France on 15 March2019, netting a last-minute winner in a 1–0 away defeat of Lille OSC. Mainly used as a backup to Falcao, he helped the club avoid relegation, scoring two goals in 16 matches.
Benfica
On 20 July 2019, Carlos Vinícius signed a five-year contract with Portuguese champions Benfica on a transfer fee of €17 million and a release clause of €100 million. He scored a goal on his debut for the club, sealing a 5–0 win over Paços de Ferreira on 10 August. On 30 November 2019, Carlos Vinícius scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 home routing of Marítimo, taking his tally up to 12 goals in 16 matches overall during the season.
