Roberto Martínez calls up Portugal player who began at Benfica | OneFootball

Preparing for the final round of qualification, Roberto Martínez called up a young prospect to join Portugal's squad. To the surprise of many, the Spanish coach promoted João Carvalho, who was training with the under-21 team. However, the footballer, who has been a standout at Braga, took his first steps in football wearing the Benfica jersey.

Faced with the surprise call-up by the Spanish coach, the newspaper A Bola decided to highlight João Carvalho, who has been shining between the posts for the Braga team. Moreover, the young player, who emerged in football through Benfica, was also noted for his physical stature, standing at 1.92 meters tall, and his cleverness in coming off the line to handle plays.

In the same article, the sports daily outlined the journey of the 21-year-old goalkeeper. His first steps with the ball were taken in Seixal, with Benfica's colors, where he stayed for seven seasons. After the Eagles, the Portuguese moved to Alverca, but only stayed one season in Ribatejo. Subsequently, João Carvalho caught the attention of Braga and, since the 2020/21 season, has been one of the main figures of the Minho academy.

It is worth recalling that João Carvalho was a last-minute call-up, after Roberto Martínez released José Sá. The goalkeeper representing Wolves in the Premier League was left out of the squad after receiving the news of his grandfather's passing.

João Carvalho - currently valued at 1 million euros - thus fulfills his first call-up to the senior national team. In the current season, the Braga goalkeeper has played 10 official matches, all in Liga 3, the third national division. In the 900 minutes he was between the posts for the Minho team, he conceded nine goals.

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