Sporting’s no. 7 in safe hands, Quenda inspired by Luís Figo | OneFootball

Geovany Quenda has regained prominence in Sporting's starting 11. The 18-year-old has been surprising on his return to Rui Borges' starting options and some say that the winger has been drawing inspiration from another 'number 7' in the history of the lions, Luís Figo.

After a long period of time when this number was a sign of curse for the fans of the Alvalade Club, the supporters hope that the right winger of the lions can replicate the career of the former 4-year-old player, and may even win a Ballon d'Or. As a sign of this, the current young Portuguese international will make the leap to a major European football league when he heads to Chelsea at the beginning of next season.

It's not only in Luís Figo that Geovany Qeunda may have drawn inspiration from former 'number 7's of Sporting. When the youngster scored against Kairat, it was the first time a lion's athlete scored in the Champions League with that number on the jersey, since Ricardo Sá Pinto, against Real Madrid in 2000.

It's worth remembering that, recently, the number 7 has been a bad omen for the green and white fans, as the athletes who wear the jersey have left much to be desired, such as the cases of Rafael Camacho, Matheus Pereira, Rúben Ribeiro, Joel Campbell, Shikabala, Jeffrén, Valeri Bojinov or Marat Izmailov.

This season, with Sporting's jersey, Geovany Quenda - valued at 45 million euros - participated in eight matches, five as a substitute and three as a starter. In the 405 minutes played, the new 'number 7' of the Alvalade Club already has one goal and four assists.

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