Benfica, watch out! Andreas Schjelderup loses award because of... age | OneFootball

Andreas Schjelderup came very close to winning the Liga’s Best Young Player award for the month of March. The Benfica winger received exactly the same percentage of votes as the winner, in a closely fought contest right until the end. Even so, a regulatory detail ended up deciding the outcome.

The young Norway international collected 20.41 percent of the coaches’ votes. That figure was exactly the same as the one recorded by Gustavo Sá, Famalicão’s captain, making it necessary to apply a tie-break criterion. That was when the decision came down to a less obvious factor.

According to the regulations, in the event of a tie, the award is given to the younger player. Although both were born in 2004, Andreas Schjelderup is around five months older than the Portuguese midfielder. That detail ended up tipping the balance and denying the Benfica player the distinction.

The result was particularly harsh for the Benfica winger, who shared the voters’ preference. The complete tie in percentages showed the impact he had throughout the month, in which he scored two goals (Gil Vicente and Porto) and provided one assist (Arouca). Even so, the minimal age difference ended up being decisive.

Schjelderup saw the award slip away because of an administrative criterion. An outcome that highlights how small details can decide individual honours.

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