Official! Benfica's 19-year-old playmaker joins fourth-placed side | OneFootball

It’s official. Maria Cruz has joined Valadares Gaia for the 2026/27 season. The club, which finished fourth in the latest edition of Liga BPI, announced the signing of the 19-year-old attacking midfielder, who has left Benfica on a permanent deal.

In her first statements at her new club, the Portugal under-18 international did not hide her delight at representing the northern side. "I’m very happy to sign for such a historic club in Liga BPI", she said.

Maria Cruz joined Benfica at the start of last season, after spells at Porto, Clip Teams and Gil Vicente. In 2025/26, she represented the Eagles’ B team in 20 matches, before leaving the club at the end of June.

Maria Cruz is therefore another player to swap Benfica for Valadares Gaia within the space of a week. It should be recalled that Joana Silva was also confirmed on a permanent deal, after representing the team in the second half of last season on loan from the Eagles.

The Portuguese defender joined Benfica in 2020/21, having completed her entire youth development at the club before making her first-team debut in the 2021/22 season. In the first half of 2025/26, Joana Silva made two appearances and scored one goal in the Benfica shirt, before the loan move.

Watch Benfica B Women’s goal against Porto:

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