Scouting Report – Luís Esteves: a 10 masked as an 8 | OneFootball

Luís Esteves has enjoyed a fabulous 2025/26 season at Gil Vicente (Photo: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

Luís Esteves is probably the oldest player to ever feature in this column. At 27 years old, the central midfielder is enjoying another strong season, this time at Gil Vicente, after two very good years at Nacional.

The first time I watched Luís Esteves was back in 2017, in a 1st Division Under-19s match between Sporting and Braga. On the same pitch were players such as Luís Maximiano, Thierry Correia, Demiral, Djaló, Abdu Conté, Daniel Bragança, Nuno Moreira and Rafael Leão for Sporting, while Braga featured Ricardo Velho, David Carmo and Francisco Moura, all players who reached a higher level faster than Luís Esteves.

At that time, Esteves was struggling to get consistent minutes at Braga and was mainly used either out wide or as a typical number 10.

After leaving Braga, he spent one season at Sanjoanense, followed by a move to Vitória SC’s B team, where he stayed for three seasons. In the 2021/22 season, after making only three appearances for Vitória’s first team, Luís Esteves moved to Nacional (then in the Segunda Liga), first under manager Filipe Cândido and the following season under Tiago Margarido.

Tactical role and playing style

It was under Tiago Margarido that Luís Esteves underwent the positional change that gave his career a new direction. Instead of playing as a 10, Margarido moved him deeper into a number 8 role, a player responsible for building play and controlling the tempo of the game.

Since that change, Luís Esteves has enjoyed two excellent seasons at Nacional and is now reaching an even higher level at Gil Vicente under César Peixoto.

This season, in Gil Vicente’s 4-3-3 (in possession), Luís Esteves is often the first player to receive the ball from the centre-backs, dictating the speed of the team’s attacks. He usually positions himself on the left side of the build-up.

Out of possession, Gil Vicente shift into a 4-2-4. Santi presses the opposition centre-backs alongside the striker, while both wingers press the full-backs. This leaves Luís Esteves with the responsibility of covering the central areas, pressing intelligently and preventing the ball from reaching the opposition midfield.

Strengths

If we had to summarise Luís Esteves in one word, it would be control.

His biggest assets are his passing quality, technical ability and first touch, which allow him to receive the ball cleanly, play forward quickly, or protect possession under pressure.

In the final third, his creativity has been very clear this season. He is the second player in the league for chances created (43) and the third player with the most assists (6).

With Gil Vicente trying to sustain longer periods of possession, Luís Esteves shows a strong understanding of space, especially in the half-spaces, constantly offering passing options to his teammates.

Another key strength in his game is his set-piece delivery, both from corners and direct free-kicks, something clearly shown this season, particularly in the match against Benfica.

Points to improve

There are two main areas where Luís Esteves can improve.

The first is his finishing. Over the last three and a half seasons, across more than 130 games, he has scored only 11 goals. That said, this part of his game is clearly being worked on. This season, he averages 2.4 shots per game and is in the league’s top 10 for shots taken from outside the box.

The second area is more difficult to change. Luís Esteves tends to avoid physical contact and can struggle against more physical opposition. However, thanks to his strong game reading and positioning, he still averages around five ball recoveries per game.

Similar players in the league / conclusion

Luís Esteves was close to a move to the Turkish league in January, but “Os Galos” reportedly demanded €20 million to release the player – a decision that certainly pleased César Peixoto. Having sold striker Pablo Felipe to West Ham for a fee of around €25 million, the Barcelos club had no rush to release another key player behind their superb season.

At 27 years of age, a move to one of Portugal’s big three seems unlikely. However, looking specifically at Sporting, Luís Esteves would be capable of playing as a shadow option for Pedro Gonçalves. While he doesn’t match Pote’s output, some of the technical qualities that make Pedro Gonçalves special are also present in Luís Esteves’ game, though at that price tag, such a move is not realistic.

To summarise, Luís Esteves is enjoying the best season of his career. The most likely outcome is a move abroad, following the path of other players from his generation such as Nuno Moreira or David Carmo. Still, it would be great to continue seeing him perform at this level in Portuguese football.