Who is Kevin Pinto, the youngster Mourinho called up for Benfica v Alverca | OneFootball

Kevin Pinto was the latest name from the squad to be included in José Mourinho's match sheet. The presence of the 19-year-old caught everyone by surprise and confirms the Special One's stance on giving opportunities to the youngsters from Seixal. Although he didn't play any minutes on the field, his presence on Benfica's match sheet was quite notable.

According to the newspaper A Bola, in today's edition, February 9, Kevin Pinto is a right-back who has been a regular presence in Benfica's under-23 and secondary teams and, as the same source found out, he was called up at the last minute due to Daniel Banjaqui's flu symptoms.

Kevin Pinto, just 19 years old, was born in England, however, his entire training journey took place in Portugal. Currently, the defender is entering his fifth season as a Benfica athlete. However, there is a detail that stands out: before representing the Eagles, he wore the Sporting jersey.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that Kevin Pinto's call-up by José Mourinho was not by chance. The right-back is one of the many young players who have been on the Special One's radar and, in recent months, his presence has been spotted in several training sessions of the main squad, where he worked under the watchful eye of the Portuguese coach.

This season, serving Benfica, Kevin Pinto – valued at 300 thousand euros – has already played a total of 17 official matches: 10 in Liga Portugal Meu Super, four in Liga Revelação, and three in the Premier League International Cup. In the 1,155 minutes he was on the pitch, the number 79 recorded one goal and one assist.

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