Official! Benfica's 19-year-old attacking midfielder joins 4th-place side | OneFootball

It’s official: Maria Cruz has joined Valadares Gaia for the 2026/27 season. The side that finished fourth in the latest edition of the Liga BPI announced the signing of the 19-year-old attacking midfielder, who has left Benfica on a permanent deal.

In her first comments at the new club, the Portugal under-18 international did not hide her satisfaction at representing the northern side. "I’m very happy to sign for such a historic club in Liga BPI," she said.

Maria Cruz joined Benfica at the start of last season, after spells at Porto, Clip Teams and Gil Vicente. In 2025/26, she represented the Eagles’ B team in 20 matches, before leaving the Club at the end of June.

Maria Cruz is therefore another player to swap Benfica for Valadares Gaia within the space of a week. It should be remembered that Joana Silva was also confirmed on a permanent deal, after representing the team in the second half of last season on loan from the Eagles.

The Portuguese defender joined Benfica in 2020/21, having completed her entire development pathway at the Club before making her debut for the first team in the 2021/22 season. In the first half of 2025/26, Joana Silva made two appearances and scored one goal in the Benfica shirt before the loan move.

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