Mourinho compares Benfica's starlet to Didier Drogba | OneFootball

Benfica: Mourinho draws parallels between his gem and Didier Drogba

Jose Mourinho & Didier Drogba / @x.com/TEAMtalk/

Portuguese wonderkid Anisio Cabral (17 years old) is beginning to write the first chapters of his story with Benfica, taking full advantage of the trust José Mourinho has placed in him since his promotion to the first team.

Mourinho: "Cabral reminds me of Drogba"

The forward stands out for his remarkable physical power and his genuine ability to play with his back to goal—qualities that naturally led the Portuguese manager to compare him to Ivorian legend Didier Drogba.

In this context, Mourinho said: "His physique, his hold-up play, his runs in behind... He has so many qualities with his back to goal that strongly remind me of a player I once coached. He makes me think of Drogba in this regard... except Drogba, from five crosses, would score five headers."

He added: "You’ll laugh and call me crazy, but his heading ability leaves something to be desired. With his physique, that’s definitely an area he needs to work on. He’s scored two headers, but I think that was a miracle. We’re going to manage him well, just like we do with the other players already integrated into the first team. He needs to keep working and keep improving."

Cabral wasted no time making his mark. He scored just seconds after coming off the bench against Estrela Amadora, then repeated the feat against Alverca in the league.

With his rapid rise, several top clubs have already shown interest, including PSG. Benfica quickly secured their jewel with a release clause set at 60 million euros, as part of a contract running until June 2027.