Pote's off! Sporting make surprise call, No 8 already taken | OneFootball

will be Sporting’s new number 8 for the 2026/27 season, leaving behind the number 52 he had worn since establishing himself in the first team. At 19, the Portugal under-21 international midfielder takes on a number with enormous weight in Sporting’s history, and one that, until this summer, belonged to Pote.

The number 8 shirt has been worn by 31 players throughout Sporting’s history, including Manuel Vasques, one of the legendary Five Violins, Carlos Xavier, Pedro Barbosa and Bruno Fernandes. Pedro Gonçalves was the most recent to wear it, after beginning his time at Alvalade with the number 28 and inheriting the 8 following Matheus Nunes’s departure to Wolves in 2023.

Pote built a remarkable spell at Sporting before moving on loan to Fiorentina this summer. The 28-year-old Portugal international left the club with 97 goals, 58 assists and seven trophies won, including three league titles, setting a high bar for the youngster now taking over his number.

João Simões will therefore carry added responsibility, although his first objective is to fully recover his fitness. The midfielder underwent surgery in April on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, an issue that had already been affecting him for several months and kept him off the pitch.

His recovery, however, is in its final stages. In the build-up to this Saturday’s match against Nacional, Rui Borges revealed that João Simões is expected to return to training with the team next week. The coach therefore gains another option in midfield.

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