Official! Deadlock broken as Rui Costa ties down one of Benfica's top gems | OneFootball

Benfica announced this Saturday the contract renewal of Rafael Quintas, one of the biggest prospects in the club’s academy and the European and world Under-17 champion with the Portuguese national team. The 18-year-old midfielder therefore remains tied to the club where he has always played, after difficulties in negotiations.

Despite having turned 18 on March 8, the renewal of his contract has only now been made official, unlike what happened with other players of the same generation, such as Anísio Cabral, Daniel Banjaqui and José Neto, who extended their respective contracts shortly after coming of age.

Speaking to BTV, the player showed his satisfaction: "I’m very happy. It’s another opportunity to show my worth and what I have to offer. I grew up at Benfica, with Benfica’s values and with the great support of the entire structure. I feel very happy to be able to continue growing as a person and as a player at this club."

The midfielder already has a title-filled journey through the youth ranks, highlighted by winning the National Under-15 Championship in 2022/23, the National Under-17 Second Division Championship in 2023/24, two National Under-17 Championships in 2023/24 and 2024/25, and the National Under-19 Championship, won in the 2024/25 season.

In the 2025/26 season, despite still being of under-18 age, Rafael Quintas split his playing time across three age groups, totaling 37 official matches and four goals. The midfielder took part in six UEFA Youth League matches, made 15 appearances and scored two goals for the under-23 team, in addition to playing 16 matches and scoring another two goals for the juniors.

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