Alamara Djabi, former Benfica prospect, is actually 24, not 18 | OneFootball

Upon arriving in Portugal from Guinea-Bissau, his documents indicated that he was 12 years old. In fact, he was 18. Alamara Djabi stood out in the youth ranks of Benfica, but always in the wrong categories. He currently represents Midtjylland in Denmark.

Alamara was first registered in 2005 as "Alamara Viriato, born on September 28, 2000".

An investigation by Público reveals that the current footballer was listed as the son of Sumba Viriato and Sábado Manuel Intchala.

Fourteen years later, on May 13, 2019, a "miracle" occurred. The same registry office then issued a different certificate, based on several changes made in 2017.

Only in that year did Alamara start to be called Djabi - Alamara Viriato Djabi. His father was listed as Mamadu Cirem Djabi. In addition to these changes, the birth date advanced six years - to September 28, 2006.

According to Público, it was this certificate that was used when Alamara arrived in Portugal to play football in February 2019; and it was also used as the basis for the granting of Portuguese nationality on November 11, 2021.

Alamara came from the Atlético Academy of Guinea-Bissau and his first destination was Sporting, where he stayed only one week. The young footballer - who presented himself as being 12 years old, when in reality he was 18 - then headed to Sporting de Braga. Público reports that he aroused interest, but the lack of essential documents (residence permit and Citizen Card number) prevented registration with the FPF.

At the end of 2019, still without a club, Alamara's representative turned to the well-known businessman Cátio Baldé (Bruma's agent). According to Público, this agent submitted documentation to Olivais and Moscavide, allowing Alamara to be registered with the FPF.

This club served as a "springboard" for Benfica, as, four days later, Alamara was already training in Seixal.

Djabi represented Benfica from 2020 to 2023, playing in the initiates, juveniles, and juniors categories, supposedly between the ages of 13 and 16.

However, in reality he was six years older. That is, he always played in lower categories.

He did not win any titles in the formation of the reds. In 2023/24, the defensive midfielder transferred to the Danes of Midtjylland, where he remains. Last season, he was loaned to Mafra.

As highlighted by the Público investigation, the falsification of age and lack of controls in the case of Alamara is far from being an exception; this exposes a serious structural problem in football.

"Through access to unprecedented databases and multiple sources of information", the morning paper confirms that there are many players in the same situation.

And it's not just in Portugal. Recently it was discovered that the "young" promise of German football, Youssoufa Moukoko of Borussia Dortmund, may actually be four years older than stated in the documents.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.