Official! Rui Costa signs left-footed creator, Benfica strengthened | OneFootball

Benfica have officially signed Kristupas Liutvinas for their youth ranks. The 16-year-old Lithuanian midfielder, arrives from the Vilnius Football Academy and will join the Eagles’ Under-17 team for the 2026/27 season.

An international for Lithuania’s youth teams, he already has 11 caps to his name. After representing the Under-15s on two occasions, he made his debut for the Under-16s, a level at which he scored one goal, before moving up to the Under-17s, for whom he has made eight appearances despite being a year younger than most of his teammates.

Upon arriving at Benfica, the left-footed playmaker did not hide his excitement at taking one of the biggest steps of his still short career: "It is a very special moment for me and my family. I’m very excited to be here, I want the next season to start, to feel the level of Portuguese football and to play," he said.

What’s more, he said he was impressed by the conditions at the Benfica Campus: "Benfica have one of the best academies in the world, maybe the best in the world. I know it will be a good experience for me and I will give my best, as much as I can. I know it will be difficult, I will face many challenges, but I like the team, the coaches, the conditions and the facilities. I know I want to be here, and I will give my best," he assured.

Kristupas Liutvinas also revealed that the presence of Arnas Voitinovicius, also Lithuanian, will be important in the process of adapting to Portuguese football: "Arnas Voitinovicius is my friend, we are from the same country, Lithuania. He is here at Benfica, and I’m sure he will help me, and it is very good to have a friend like Arnas here. It is great for me and for my experience, and I know he will help me," he stressed. Aljabir was also announced.

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