Daniela Areia Santos leaves Benfica for Porto on free transfer in historic women’s switch | OneFootball

Daniela Areia Santos has left Benfica to join Porto on a free transfer. The 22-year-old centre-back was unveiled on Wednesday for the 2026/27 campaign.

According to Glorioso 1904, she will wear the number 30 and link up with Daniel Chaves’s squad.

A Portugal international, she spent last season on loan at Valadares Gaia after failing to secure a regular role at Benfica. She came through at the club and lifted her first trophies there.

Her Benfica honours include two league titles, the Portuguese Cup, the Super Cup and the League Cup, plus the women’s second tier and the under-19 national crown.

At Valadares Gaia she delivered one of her best seasons, taking a prominent role in a side that finished fourth in Liga BPI.

The transfer is unprecedented in Portuguese women’s football, making Daniela Areia Santos the first player to move directly from Benfica to Porto.

Source: Glorioso 1904