Palhinha sticks to tradition with Benfica shirt number | OneFootball

João Palhinha arrived at Benfica with the mission of taking over the ‘6’ role in Marco Silva’s midfield, but he will not be able to use the number he likes so much on his shirt. The reason has a first and last name: Alexander Bah, the owner of the No. 6 since arriving at the Club of Light, in 2022.

Given the number’s unavailability, the Portugal international had to choose an alternative, something he is actually quite used to throughout his career. Palhinha has already been through several clubs and has rarely managed to keep the same squad number, but there is one detail that almost always repeats itself: the number 6 remains present on his shirt.

At Benfica, the midfielder will wear the No. 36, a squad number he had never used before as a senior player. Even so, the choice allows him to keep the digit that has followed him for several years, in a kind of personal tradition that has grown stronger over the course of his career.

When he began to establish himself at Sporting, Palhinha wore No. 66, before switching to No. 60 during his loan spells at Moreirense and Braga. It was only upon returning to Alvalade that he finally managed to take the No. 6. His time in English football brought another change: at Fulham, the Portuguese player wore No. 26, while at Bayern Munich he wore No. 16. Then at Tottenham, last season, he reclaimed the iconic No. 6.

Now, on his return to Portugal and in a new adventure in the Benfica shirt, Palhinha will have to settle for No. 36. The No. 6 belongs to Bah, but Benfica’s new signing still carries with him the tradition of keeping the digit that identifies him so strongly.

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