Joelinton once struggled to make an impact in a Newcastle United shirt with his £40million price tag weighing heavy on his shoulders.
But in the space of 18 months, he has been transformed from a player struggling for form to a player fit for the international stage. Eddie Howe's decision to convert Joelinton into a midfielder is a testament to his work on the training field with the ex-Hoffenheim star.
Yet the most pleasing thing about Joelinton's full debut for Brazil against Guinea last night - played at the home of Espanyol in Barcelona - was not the fact he scored, it was the way he did it. It was during lockdown when Newcastle under Steve Bruce faced Morecambe.
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That night in Lancashire, Joelinton did score twice in the 7-0 win over the Shrimpers in the Carabao Cup but it was a horror miss that will be remembered from the tie. After Jacob Murphy crossed to Joelinton, the ball ran past him from one yard out and the chance was squandered.
Since then Joelinton has came on leaps and bounds under Howe, not only playing in midfield but also netting goals when switched to attack on occasion. In Spain last night a similar chance to that night in Morecambe presented itself on 27 minutes.
It showed that confidence in football is absolutely everything but so is having somebody who believes in you. In 45-year-old head coach Howe, touted to one day lead England, Joelinton found a match made in heaven in terms of a healthy coach-player relationship.
Howe's show of faith in Joelinton has not only been rewarded, but the Brazilian has taken things to the next level. Nobody will be happier than Howe, but not for himself, for Joelinton.
Playing in a star-studded Brazil team, alongside Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta in a midfield three, with Rodrygo, Richarlison and Vinícius Junior in front of him, Joelinton was presented with a chance from close range but this time - oozing with confidence - he applied the finish.
The Brazilian commentary team's flamboyant yells of "Gooaaalllll" soon went viral across the internet while the Brazil team's Twitter feed simply posted: "What a start." Joelinton's celebration saw him sink to his knees and point to the skies, but his hard work on the training field was simply paying off.
Rodrygo doubled the lead for Brazil before Serhou Guirassy pulled one back for Guinea to make it 2-1 going into the break. Brazil went further ahead when Eder Militao two minutes after the interval before Vinícius Junior's late penalty added gloss to the result.
Joelinton went off with 25 minutes left and was replaced by his big mate Bruno Guimaraes with 25 minutes left. And with that, the dream script for Joelinton had been written.
