Former youth coach hails Benfica starlet: a pure talent... | OneFootball

Gonçalo Moreira made history this Wednesday, by scoring his 12th goal in the UEFA Youth League, in 16 games (spread over three seasons), becoming Benfica's all-time top scorer in the competition. To recall the journey taken so far, Bruno Cristiano, the coach who, when he saw him touch the ball for the first time, "never forgot that touch".

"Exactly here, on a Saturday morning. We were at an academy gathering. Gonçalo was seven years old and played for Pedrouços' under-8 team. When I saw him touch the ball, I never forgot that touch," recalls the coach in an interview with the newspaper A Bola, in Pedrouços, where the dream began.

Bruno Cristiano, 40 years old, at the time coach of the under-8 Clip Teams, knew he was witnessing a rare talent. That child was unmistakable: "At seven years old, Gonçalo's relationship with the ball was already fantastic. He was a kid with a different joy from the others. He had a short dribble and ball control. No one remained indifferent when they saw him touch the ball. He had a pure talent that he still has today."

Bruno Cristiano sees in Gonçalo Moreira a player he hasn't seen at Benfica since the days of Pablo Aimar: "In my childhood, my great idols were João Vieira Pinto, Rui Costa, Pablo Aimar, players of the number 10 position, in which Gonçalo plays today — and I see him a bit with those characteristics: a classic number 10, creative."

"He can occupy space well, is very intelligent, has passing ability and can score. He is the kind of player that we, as coaches, love to have on any team. Gonçalo is very competitive, doesn't like to lose at all, and during the game, he is very communicative. He is a leader. In fact, wherever he has been, he has always been the captain, whether in the National Team or at Benfica," concluded the coach.

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