Ex-Benfica man who found Tomás Araújo has no doubts: A centre-back who... | OneFootball

As a consequence of Otamendi’s possible departure from Benfica this summer, Tomás Araújo will, from next season onwards, be the new ‘boss’ of the Eagles’ defence. The centre-back from Vila Nova de Famalicão has spent almost his entire youth career with the eagle on his chest, but before arriving at Benfica Campus, he also represented smaller clubs, including Palmeiras, a kind of satellite club of Braga.

Miguel Costa, until recently the youth development deputy coordinator at the Arsenalistas, discovered him at Operário de Famalicão and, at just 13 years old, brought him in for a trial at Seixal. Costa was Benfica’s scout in Minho and did not take long to identify Tomás Araújo’s main qualities.

“He stayed on Benfica’s radar, but they decided to wait another year so that he could develop aspects related to making the step up to the next level. I believed in him a lot and even helped Tomás’s father find an 11-a-side football environment so that he could develop, especially in the tactical side of the game,” he began by saying, in an exclusive interview with Record newspaper.

Those in charge at Palmeiras/Braga were aware that, that season, they would be no more than a ‘stopgap’ for the young Tomás Araújo who, the following year, had a one-way trip to Seixal. “His standout performances in the national championship were huge and he ended up fulfilling the commitment and moving to Benfica,” assured Miguel Costa, who naturally continued to follow the footballer’s path through Benfica’s youth ranks very closely.

“He had a more inconsistent spell when he reached Benfica’s first team, eventually being loaned to Gil Vicente. It did him good, in the sense that he kept developing, established himself in senior football and made his mark in Benfica’s first team, becoming a key player,” considered Benfica’s former scout in Minho - who has a plan until the end of the season.

In closing, Miguel Costa shared an opinion that, deep down, matches what also seems to be the view of Rui Costa and José Mourinho: “Portugal is producing fewer and fewer centre-backs, and Tomás Araújo is clearly a centre-back who breaks the mould. Essentially, he follows Otamendi’s line of thinking — a very quick centre-back who is technically very strong in linking defence and attack.”

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