Rui Borges welcomed 29 players for Sporting's start; see who was there | OneFootball

Sporting officially began preparations for the 2026/27 season this Wednesday, on the very day it celebrated its 120th anniversary. In total, 29 players reported to the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy to undergo the usual medical examinations, fitness tests and the first training session of the new campaign under Rui Borges, although one major absence marked the start of proceedings.

Among the players present were names such as Pedro Gonçalves, Daniel Bragança, Geny Catamo, Eduardo Quaresma, Nuno Santos, Iván Fresneda, Fotis Ioannidis and Luís Guilherme, as well as new signings Sergi Altimira, Pedro Lima, Issa Doumbia and Silas Andersen. Rui Borges also had several academy youngsters with him in a session that marked the official start of the lions’ new season.

The main absentee was Morten Hjulmand. The Sporting captain was granted permission to return later due to his commitments with the Denmark national team, but his situation continues to raise doubts at a time when there is a pre-agreement with Atlético de Madrid, although the Spanish club has yet to begin formal negotiations with Sporting. Giorgi Kochorashvili and Georgios Vagiannidis will also return later for the same reasons.

In addition to these cases, Rui Borges was also without Rui Silva, Gonçalo Inácio, Francisco Trincão, Maxi Araújo, Ousmane Diomande, Luis Suárez, Zeno Debast and new signing Rodrigo Zalazar, all of whom were absent due to their participation, or recent participation, in the 2026 World Cup, thus delaying their integration into the group.

With the squad still incomplete, Sporting took the first step in preparing for a season in which they aim to challenge once again for the main domestic titles and make a strong impression in European competitions. Over the coming weeks, Rui Borges is expected to start welcoming back the internationals and define the squad that will officially take on the 2026/27 season.

These were the players present on day 1:

Goalkeepers: João Virgínia, Diego Callai, Francisco Silva and Guilherme Pires

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