Having given the world Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Robinho in recent years, Brazilian football seems to have scratched its head, ditched blueprints for a Robaldinho and gone back to the drawing board.

And 'Fred' is what they have come up with – a name so fantastically blasé about itself it could only be amusing. Unless you're Monaco boss Didier Deschamps, of course, and the South American starlet whose sobriquet it is scored two goals against you to seriously dent your title hopes just six games into the 2005-06 season.

A £10m signing from Cruzeiro in August 2005, Frederico Chaves Guedes – to give him his less catchy full name – was handed the potentially daunting task of replacing Norwegian striker John Carew for the visit of Monaco. It was a mouth-watering fixture on paper, a potential championship decider in years gone by, and no easy way to take your first steps in the French game.

Or perhaps that kind of pressure doesn't apply to a man who netted 40 goals in 43 games for his last club, and who once found the back of the net in fewer seconds (3.17) than he has letters in his name.

The 21-year-old was never likely to better that landmark against the principality club, but his impact was astonishingly rapid nonetheless. Collecting a Jérôme Berthod pass via Sidney Govou's deflection after merely five minutes, he slotted home with his left boot to leave the visitors reeling.

It was exactly the kind of goal his reputation was built on, fox-in-the-box moments of opportunism, yet there was nothing scrappy about his second after the interval - a header from Hatem Ben Arfa's cross, having beaten the tall and aerially-powerful Sébastien Squillaci to the ball. David Gigliotti hit a consolation for Monaco towards the end, but they had been undone by the latest gem on the Lyon payroll.

"He's more than just a goal-poacher," commented Gérard Houllier after the match. "His second was a pure centre-forward's strike, he worked hard for his teammates and his positioning was very good. He was an important anchor for us." Excellent with his back to goal and making up for a lack of pace with a knack for being in the right place, Fred also gave glimpses of why he has been likened to Brazilian legend Careca, and why Cruzeiro's President has received death threats for selling him.

Tapping the rich seam of the Brazilian game has become an increasingly integral part of Lyon's strategy since Sonny Anderson lit up the Stade Gerland. And although they are hardly alone among Ligue 1 clubs in wanting to inject a little 'ordem e progresso' into proceedings, they simply do it better than most. Influential scout Marcelo acts as their eyes and ears in South America and sporting director Bernard Lacombe knows a good thing when he sees it, meaning that the champions have rarely been disappointed.

One sobering exception to that rule is the man Fred replaced, Nilmar, sent out on loan to Corinthians after a single season in France. He too scored twice on his debut, but the fans' new favourite is keen not to let his campaign tail off in the same disappointing fashion.

In fact, he is confident of maintaining his incredible scoring ratio and forcing his way into the national set-up if possible: "Lyon games are shown in Brazil and I know the Coach [Carlos Alberto Parreira] watches them. Part of the reason I came here is because I dream of playing in the World Cup."

For now, the three Rs seem to stand firmly in his way, not to mention Adriano, but don't be too surprised if Fred bucks a few more trends in Brazilian football.