🐣 Young talent of the week: Rafael Quintas 🇵🇹 | OneFootball

Every week, OneFootball introduces you to the new rising stars of world football. Today, we focus on one of the revelations from the latest U17 World Cup.

Rafael Quintas (17 years old) established himself as one of the most influential players in Portugal’s U17 World Cup triumph.

Last June, he had already been named the best player of the U17 Euro. Enough to draw comparisons with illustrious predecessors like Vitinha.

Trained at Benfica, the midfielder has just come off two major U17 tournaments where his impact on the organization of play caught the attention of many scouts. 

Whether as a defensive midfielder or a box-to-box player depending on the needs, Quintas stood out for his ability to withstand pressing and dictate the tempo in all phases of the game.

His clean first touch, composure under pressure, and positional intelligence allowed him to become the launching pad for Portuguese attacks.

Despite a physique still in development, he has shown remarkable mastery in duels and rare defensive consistency for his age.

Beyond his role in building from the back, Quintas impresses with his reading of the game and his ability to move into the right areas to offer simple and effective solutions.

His profile is reminiscent of modern playmaking midfielders: always oriented, always available, always ready to progress cleanly.

His influence isn’t measured by spectacular statistics, but by the fluidity his team gains when he’s on the pitch.

Observers all agree that his physical development will be the key to making the leap to the top level.

His game, already very mature, could reach new heights if he gains power and impact, especially in the final pass and actions near the box.

Benfica has not yet given Quintas his debut with the first team, but he is considered one of the greatest prospects from their academy.

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