Rui Costa loses key Benfica player to Champions League winners | OneFootball

In the aftermath of yet another transfer window, Rui Costa already knows he will lose an important member of Benfica, who already has a new challenge ahead.

Rui Costa is now obliged to look for a new Sporting Director, after seeing Rui Pedro Braz embrace a new professional challenge. Thus, the former Benfica executive will continue his career in Saudi Arabia, working for Al Ahli, after having been, over the years, one of the key figures of the Eagles.

After several rumors that have emerged in recent days, it is now more than certain that the Portuguese’s future lies in Saudi football and, more specifically, with the club that won the last edition of the Asian Champions League. Thus, Rui Pedro Braz leaves European football to embrace an adventure in the Middle East, which already features several familiar faces from Benfica, such as Jorge Jesus or João Félix.

It should be remembered that Rui Pedro Braz, who had been at Benfica since 2022, was one of the leading figures in the club’s structure, responsible for the Eagles’ football operations. During his tenure, he was in charge of some of the most high-profile signings in recent years, such as Orkun Kokçu or, more recently, Richard Ríos and Georgiy Sudakov.

Moreover, after already informing Rui Costa of his departure, the Portuguese did not slack in his commitment to the Eagles during this last transfer window, proving to be an extremely important figure in the club’s negotiations. As was evident, the Club of Light hardly had to resort to intermediaries, since it was Rui Pedro Braz himself who conducted the negotiations.

The active participation of the now Al Ahli executive—a move that has not yet been made official by the Saudi club—allowed the red and white structure, led by Rui Costa, to save many millions that would otherwise have been spent had they relied on sports agents and intermediaries.

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