| Kaiky | |
| Full Name: | Kaiky Fernandes Melo |
| Birth Date: | 12 January 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Santos, Brazil |
| Height: | 1.87 m |
| Position: | Centre back |
| Currentclub: | Almería |
| Youthclubs1: | Portuários |
| Youthyears2: | 2013–2021 |
| Youthclubs2: | Santos |
| Years1: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Santos |
| Caps1: | 33 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | Almería |
| Caps2: | 21 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Years3: | 2024 |
| Clubs3: | → Albacete (loan) |
| Caps3: | 12 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | Brazil U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2022– |
| Nationalteam2: | Brazil U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 8 June 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 18:44, 14 June 2022 (UTC) |
Kaiky Fernandes Melo (born 12 January 2004), simply known as Kaiky, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Almería.
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]
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]
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.[13] 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.[14]
| Club | Season | League | State league | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Santos | 2021 | Série A | 15 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |||
| Total | 16 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 54 | 2 | |||
| Almería | 2022–23 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 16 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | |||||
| Career total | 32 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 71 | 3 | |||
Brazil U15