Rui Duarte thought Gabriel Índio would join Napoli before Benfica move

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·21 de junho de 2026

Rui Duarte thought Gabriel Índio would join Napoli before Benfica move

“I really thought he would be heading to Napoli,” said Rui Duarte, the 47-year-old who coached Gabriel Índio at Athletic MG, reflecting on the Brazilian’s switch to Benfica. He was speaking to Record.

“I was surprised as well, because I knew he was close to Napoli. Since the Minas Gerais state championship, that was the information we had.”

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“We had many approaches from big European clubs, and teams from the ‘big five’ knew him very well. I know scouts at major clubs, and all of them asked me, ‘What about Índio?’ That shows he was firmly on the radar of Europe’s biggest sides.”

“Palmeiras, Flamengo, Atlético Mineiro, Cruzeiro and others knew him well.”

“This is a product, a discovery of Athletic’s scouting. At the time, the scouts and the academy director decided to bring him to the club.”

Source: Glorioso 1904