U17 world champion Duarte Cunha signs new FC Porto deal | OneFootball

“Renewing with the club of my heart is a very special moment. Above all, whenever I wear this shirt, I give my all, because that is what this club has demanded of me since I arrived, at the age of nine. Over these years, I have always dreamed of this moment. By renewing my contract with FC Porto, I am fulfilling another dream,” stressed the 18-year-old player, in statements to the Porto club’s website.

Duarte Cunha’s new contract, for a player who has represented the Invicta emblem for nine seasons, follows that of Bernardo Lima, his teammate in the international achievements of the under-17 national team, who also extended his link with the new national champions three days ago, likewise until 2031.

On their website, Porto highlight “the winger who stands out for his influence in the final third,” recalling that, along his path, he has been “establishing himself as one of the main attacking weapons of Porto’s youth teams.”

This season, the player has already been living the “dream” of training with the senior team, while holding on to the hope of “still being able to play” and thus joining the group of national champions.

“I believe opportunities come with time and hard work. I take in everything I can in every training session and try to learn from the more experienced players, who have already been through all the major competitions, including the Champions League. I try to absorb what they teach me,” he said.

On its website, FC Porto highlights the fact that the blue-and-white number 57 has achieved notable milestones in recent months: in June 2025 he became European under-17 champion, in November he won the world title in that age group, in February 2026 he scored for the first time in professional competitions, and in May he renewed his contract until 2031.

Duarte Cunha arrived at FC Porto at the age of nine, joining the under-10s, after scoring 54 goals in 46 games for his hometown club, CD Cerveira.

The 2024/25 season was a breakthrough one for the 1.76-meter-tall player, as he scored 16 goals and provided 21 assists in the 34 matches played by the under-17s, even ending up in the tournament’s Team of the Tournament.

In his international under-17 journey, he was world champion alongside teammates Bernardo Lima, who has already renewed, Martim Chelmik, Yoan Pereira, and Bernardo Lima and Mateus Mide, the latter considered the best footballer of the tournament in Qatar, and it is expected that the Dragons will also renew with this trio.

His professional debut came on February 6, in FC Porto B’s away win over Académico de Viseu (3-1), and three weeks later he scored his first goal in Liga Portugal 2, in the visit to Torreense (3-0).

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