Official! Defender signs and Rui Costa seals new Benfica deal | OneFootball

Benfica announced this Thursday the signing of a professional contract with Tomás Cordeiro, a young centre-back just 16 years old who continues to make steady progress in the club’s academy. Able to play both in central defence and in midfield, the footballer has been linked to the Lisbon club for a decade and now sees his journey rewarded.

Speaking to BTV, Tomás Cordeiro did not hide his satisfaction at reaching another important milestone in his career: "Over time, I think I’ve developed well, I’ve always listened to my coaches, teammates and friends. It was all of that that got me here. One of my biggest goals is to reach Benfica’s first team, always staying very focused on the club. What I have to do is keep working day after day," said the young player.

The defender has already collected notable achievements in Benfica’s youth ranks. In 2024/25, he helped the Reds win the National U15 Championship, and celebrated another title the following season as part of the national champion U17 team in the second division. In the 2025/26 season, Tomás Cordeiro played 17 matches for the Eagles’ youth side, scoring one goal, numbers that reinforce the club’s confidence in his development.

Despite signing a professional deal, Tomás Cordeiro is not expected to join the first team’s pre-season preparations, which begin on 25 June under the management of Marco Silva. Even so, preparations for the new season present a somewhat unusual scenario.

With several first-team squad members absent due to their participation in the Club World Cup, Benfica will turn to several academy talents to complete the training group. Meanwhile, Tomás Cordeiro continues to go through the stages of his development at Seixal, now with the security of a professional contract and the clearly defined goal of one day reaching Benfica’s first team.

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