Natan's market value didn't rise quietly. In 2023 Napoli paid around €10 million for him. By the following summer they were happy to loan him out for €1 million. Real Betis then made the move permanent for a further €9 million and, according to reports, turned down €27 million and set a €45 million asking price. One club wrote him off, and the other is now pricing him like an asset it can't afford to lose.
So how did a centre-back who made only 14 appearances in his first season in Naples become one of the most sought-after defenders in La Liga? The answer is mostly in his left foot, partly in his stride, and a good deal in Manuel Pellegrini.
Natan, filed
| Full name | Natan Bernardo de Souza |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 2001, Itapecerica da Serra, Brazil |
| Age | 25 |
| Height and weight | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in), 85 kg |
| Position | Centre-back, left footed |
| Club | Real Betis, shirt number 4 |
| Contract | Until June 30, 2030 |
| Career path | Ponte Preta and Flamengo (youth), then Flamengo, RB Bragantino, Napoli, Real Betis |
| Agency | LINK SPORTS |
| EA Sports FC 26 | 78 overall, 84 potential |
| @natansouza04 (335K+ followers) | |
| Estimated net worth | $6 million to $8 million (Icon Polls estimate) |
A Palmeiras debut at 19
Natan grew up in Itapecerica da Serra, on the edge of greater São Paulo, and started out in Ponte Preta's youth setup before moving to Flamengo's academy in 2016. That academy is one of the most productive in Brazil, and Natan's first test was a serious one. On September 27, 2020, aged 19, he started against Palmeiras and played the full 90 minutes in a draw that finished one goal apiece.
He didn't stay long at Flamengo, though. A loan to RB Bragantino became a permanent deal worth around €3.5 million, and Bragantino is where he developed into a player European scouts noticed.
The Naples problem
Napoli signed him in August 2023 to help fill the hole left by Kim Min-jae. That job was always going to be difficult. Kim had just been central to a title-winning defence, and any successor was going to be measured against him.
It didn't work. Fourteen appearances in a season isn't a disaster for a young defender adjusting to Serie A, but it's not what a club expects from a €10 million signing. In 2024 Napoli sent him to Seville on loan with an option to buy.
Seville changed the arithmetic
Betis paid €1 million for the loan and exercised the option in July 2025 for €9 million. That came to about the same total Napoli had paid, and as it turned out, a bargain.
The 2025/26 season was when he arrived properly. He made around 45 appearances, played more than 3,700 minutes and contributed one assist. Pellegrini has reportedly described him as untouchable in the squad. For a manager who doesn't usually talk his players up, that counts for a lot.
Left foot, long stride, short fuse
The reason he's valued so highly is simple. Left-footed centre-backs who are comfortable in possession are rare, and Natan is one. Playing on the left of a central pairing, he can open his body and switch play or find a midfield runner without needing an extra touch. He likes taking the ball under pressure, and that matters to any coach who wants to build from the back.
Without the ball he's proactive. He steps out to win it rather than waiting, times his tackles well and uses his 85 kg frame in the air. His pace is better than you'd expect for his size. He isn't a sprinter, but his long stride gets him back when a forward runs in behind, and that lets Betis hold a higher line against the quick attackers at Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The weakness is clear too: 14 yellow cards in 2025/26. Aggression is part of why he's effective, and it's also the thing a bigger club would want him to control. A defender picking up that many bookings spends a lot of time one challenge from suspension.
What the bidding war says
Most valuation sites put him somewhere between €20 million and €25 million. Betis's reported position is that this figure doesn't apply to them. They reportedly rejected €27 million and named €45 million as their price. Chelsea were said to have been prepared to go to around €40 million, Real Madrid have been linked with him as a centre-back target, and Everton and Leeds United were mentioned during the January 2026 window.
The contract running to 2030 is what gives Betis that leverage. They don't need to sell, so buyers have to pay what Betis asks. If you're following which defenders are moving up in the game, it's also worth checking where the all-time greats stand: vote for the best footballers of all time and see how today's names compare.
The money, estimated
No official figures exist for Natan's personal finances, so everything here is an estimate. Icon Polls estimates his net worth at $6 million to $8 million, based on earnings across Flamengo, Bragantino, Napoli and Betis plus any endorsement income.
His Betis salary is estimated at €1.5 million to €2.5 million a year. That puts him in the middle of the club's wage structure, where Isco is believed to be the top earner at roughly €6 million. If he joins one of the clubs linked with him, his wages would almost certainly go up a lot.
Through the FC 26 lens
EA Sports rates him 78 overall with 84 potential, which makes him a good Career Mode project. He has the Lengthy AcceleRATE type, which matches his height and stride, plus two-star skills and a two-star weak foot, both standard for a centre-back. The rating isn't spectacular, but he's affordable, physical and good with the ball for the price.
Off the pitch
Natan keeps his private life private. There's no confirmed public information about a partner, and his Instagram is mostly training, matchdays and occasional glimpses of life away from football. He's entitled to keep it that way.
Quick answers
Has Natan played for Brazil's senior team?
Not as of 2026. He has represented Brazil at youth level, and his form at Betis means it's a reasonable question to ask, but he hasn't been capped yet.
How much did Real Betis pay for him in total?
About €10 million: a €1 million loan fee in 2024 and €9 million when the deal was made permanent in July 2025.
Why didn't it work at Napoli?
He arrived as a potential replacement for Kim Min-jae and never became a regular, making 14 appearances in his first season before being loaned to Betis.
