Pedro Lima followed Sporting before signing: asked if I knew Rui Borges | OneFootball

He is one of the signings already announced by Sporting for next season. Having just arrived at Alvalade - in a season in which the Lions are making a major investment - the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder, signed from AVS for €4 million, has put pen to paper on a contract until 2031.

“Although he is young, he is an intelligent person who likes to learn and know a little more about our culture, and that helped him settle in, not only in the dressing room, but also with the medical department and the kit man. We all liked him for that friendliness as well,” explained Kiki Afonso, AVS defender, to the newspaper 'Record'.

Besides showing interest in countless areas, Pedro Lima never passes up a good conversation about football and, as such, during training it was common for him to comment on and discuss with his teammates other matches, especially Champions League games and Sporting’s: “He always brought a lot for us to talk about. One of those times was during the tie with Arsenal. At the time he even asked me if I knew coach Rui Borges (...) Although he came from Brazil, he was delighted by the packed stadium.”

Although his idol is Busquets, Pedro Lima joins the green and whites with a different style from his role model. He describes himself as a box-to-box midfielder, who can play either in a three-man midfield or a two-man one, and who also brings a strong presence arriving in the box.

His spell at Vila das Aves was short and, according to Kiki Afonso, the great opportunity of his career begins at Sporting. “He has a golden opportunity to show what he can do and he has a very good coach. As soon as a chance comes, he will try to make the most of it, but I know it is not easy to arrive at a big team and play. He is an open-minded person, willing to learn and help. Of course, nobody likes being left out, but he knows the difficult challenge he has ahead of him. And I believe he will be ready.”

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