Kaiky
Brazilian footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaiky Fernandes Melo (born 12 January 2004), simply known as Kaiky, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli.
|
Kaiky with Santos in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kaiky Fernandes Melo | ||
| Date of birth | 12 January 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Santos, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Shabab Al Ahli | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Portuários | |||
| 2013–2021 | Santos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | Santos | 33 | (1) |
| 2022–2025 | Almería | 44 | (1) |
| 2024 | → Albacete (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2025– | Shabab Al Ahli | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Brazil U15 | 7 | (0) |
| 2022– | Brazil U20 | 3 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 2 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:44, 14 June 2022 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Santos
Born in Santos, São Paulo, Kaiky joined Santos' youth setup from local side Portuários.[1] Initially playing futsal, he started to appear in the club's football categories at the age of nine.[2]
On 21 December 2020, Kaiky signed his first professional contract with Peixe, agreeing to a three-year deal.[3] He made his professional debut the following 28 February, starting in a 2–2 Campeonato Paulista away draw against Santo André.[4]
On his Copa Libertadores debut on 9 March 2021, Kaiky started and scored his first professional goal, netting the winner in a 2–1 home success over Deportivo Lara;[5] aged 17 years, one month and 25 days, he became the youngest Brazilian to score in the competition and second overall, only behind Juan Carlos Cárdenas;[6] his record was broken in the following month by teammate Ângelo.
Kaiky made his Série A debut on 29 May 2021, starting in a 0–3 away loss against Bahia.[7] On 27 April 2022, after establishing himself in the first team squad, he renewed his contract until December 2026.[8]
Almería
On 11 July 2022, Santos agreed to transfer Kaiky to Spanish La Liga side UD Almería for a rumoured fee of €7 million.[9] The move was officially announced eight days later, with the player signing a six-year deal.[10]
Kaiky made his debut abroad on 14 August 2022, starting in a 2–1 home loss to Real Madrid.[11] He scored his first professional goal on 26 August 2023, netting a last-minute equalizer in a 1–1 away draw against Cádiz.
On 1 February 2024, Kaiky was loaned to Segunda División side Albacete for the remainder of the season.[12]
Shabab Al Ahli
On 26 July 2025, Kaiky was transferred to UAE Pro League side Shabab Al Ahli.[13]
International career
Kaiky was called up to the under-15 team in 2019, and featured in the 2019 South American U-15 Championship for the side as captain.[14] He featured in six matches during the tournament as his side lifted the trophy.
In 2020, Kaiky was called multiple times to the under-17s, in a training period ahead of the 2021 South American U-17 Championship.[15]
Career statistics
- As of match played 26 September 2023[16]
- Includes Campeonato Paulista
- Includes Copa do Brasil, Copa del Rey
- Ten appearances and one goal in Copa Libertadores, three appearances in Copa Sudamericana
- Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
Honours
International
Brazil U15