He was the most talked about celebrity at courtside of the Toronto Raptors game on Tuesday night.
And if reports are to be believed, he could become the most talked about soccer player in Toronto this Christmas.
His name is Gilberto Oliveira Souza Júnior and he's currently on the books at 12th-place Brazilian side Portuguesa on loan from giants Internacional. But on Tuesday, he was pictured in a Toronto FC scarf sitting in the courtside seats belonging to TFC owners Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. The photo above was tweeted out by Armen Bedakian.
In a report on Wednesday, Toronto Sun soccer beat writer Kurt Larson called him "statistically one of the top attackers in one of the world’s top leagues." He finished tied for fourth place in the goalscoring charts of the recently concluded Brasileirão season.
On Wednesday, a Toronto FC spokesman would only go as far as confirming that Gilberto was "in Toronto and was at the Raptors game last night." But Gilberto is talking like he's ready to make the jump.
But now just 24 hours later, TSN's Gareth Wheeler tweeted out that an "announcement expected Thursday."
If Wheeler proves right, Toronto FC fans will likely have Drake to thank. Yes, that's the recording artist Drake. They don't call him the "Closer" for nothing.
