Savinho is one of the most exciting young dribblers in world soccer. The Brazilian winger burst onto the scene with a brilliant 2023-24 season on loan at Girona in Spain, then joined Manchester City in the summer of 2024. If you’re a young player learning how to take defenders on, there are few better players to study.
Here’s a breakdown of Savinho’s dribbling skills, the moves he uses, and drills to help you dribble like him.
Savinho’s season so far 🇧🇷✨ pic.twitter.com/e6g5zttvy3
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 8, 2024
Savinho’s Playing Style
Savinho is a winger who can play on either flank, though he has said his favorite position is the right wing. He loves to receive the ball wide, isolate his defender and attack. He’s quick, but what makes him special isn’t raw speed. It’s how he uses it. He slows down, invites the defender in, then bursts past them before they can recover.
Savinho’s Dribbling Skills Explained
1. Change of pace
Like all the great dribblers, Savinho goes slow at defenders and then explodes away once they reach for the ball. That sudden acceleration is the most important dribbling weapon a winger can have.
2. Teasing the defender
He shows the ball to defenders, almost inviting a tackle. When they bite, he takes it away. This “draw and go” is a skill you can practise.
3. Quick feet and close control
Savinho keeps the ball very close, with lots of small touches. That lets him change direction instantly, in either direction.
4. Cutting inside or going outside
From the right wing he can cut inside to shoot or play a pass, or go outside to cross. Defenders can’t simply force him one way.
5. Body feints
A drop of the shoulder or a dip of the hips is often all he needs to wrong-foot a defender before he accelerates.
How to Dribble Like Savinho: A 20-Minute Session
- Ball mastery warm-up (5 minutes): Inside-outside touches, sole rolls and quick toe taps, both feet.
- Slow-fast dribble (5 minutes): Dribble slowly toward a cone, perform a body feint, then sprint 5 yards past it.
- Cut-in and shoot (5 minutes): Start wide, dribble at a cone defender, cut inside onto your stronger foot and shoot at a small goal.
- Live 1v1 on the wing (5 minutes): Attacker starts wide against a defender. Score by dribbling over an end line or finishing on goal.
Common Mistakes When Learning to Dribble Like Savinho
- Dribbling at full speed all the time. Without slowing down first, there’s no change of pace to beat the defender.
- Touches too big. Big touches give the defender a chance to step in.
- Only going one way. Practise cutting inside and going outside so defenders can’t predict you.
Why Ball Mastery Matters for Wingers
Every move Savinho makes depends on close control and quick feet, the foundation we build first at Coerver Coaching. Players who practise ball mastery daily have the touch to pull off moves like his at game speed.
Want to study more great dribblers? Read about Lamine Yamal’s skills, how to dribble like Neymar and George Best’s dribbling skills.
Coaching Points for Young Wingers
- Receive on the half-turn: open your body when receiving wide so you can face the defender immediately.
- Attack the defender’s front foot: make them commit, then go the other way.
- Use your weaker foot: the more options you have, the harder you are to defend.
- Finish the action: a great dribble should end with a shot, cross or pass. Practise the final ball as much as the dribble.
- Be brave: wingers lose the ball sometimes. Keep taking defenders on.
Savinho and the Brazilian Dribbling Tradition
Savinho comes from a long line of Brazilian wide players who love to dribble, from Garrincha to Ronaldinho, Neymar and Vinícius Júnior. What they share is a playful relationship with the ball, built through years of street soccer, futsal and small-sided games. Coaches can recreate some of that environment by giving players lots of touches, small spaces and the freedom to try things.
Five Minutes a Day: A Simple Winger’s Routine
- 20 inside-outside touches with each foot.
- 10 sole rolls across the body, each direction.
- 10 body feints and accelerations past a cone.
- 10 cut-ins onto your stronger foot.
- 5 finishes or crosses after a dribble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which club does Savinho play for?
Savinho joined Manchester City in 2024 after an impressive loan season with Girona.
What position does Savinho play?
He is a winger who can play on either side, and he has said the right wing is his favorite position.
What is Savinho’s best skill?
His change of pace: slowing down to draw the defender in, then accelerating past them.
Want to pull off moves like these?
Coerver Moves breaks down the 1v1 moves the world’s best players use, step by step on video, so you can practise them at home and use them in games.
