Portugal is one of the leading football nations in the world, home to numerous successful clubs in European competitions and one of the best national teams. With Portugal home to many successful clubs in European competitions, many clubs have improved their youth systems and appointed higher-quality scouts. The focus on the next generation for Portugal is massively important, and in recent years, we have seen some of the best footballers in the world come from the country.
Portugal’s footballing culture is deeply woven into everyday life, with matches often discussed alongside other leisure interests such as dining out, live events or even conversations around entertainment with games such as blackjack online, where fans gather socially rather than purely to follow results. This broader cultural backdrop helps explain why football remains such a powerful unifying force across the country.
In recent years, a range of youthful stars have made their mark in the footballing world, competing in some of the highest-level competitions. In this write-up, we will cover some of the hottest Portuguese stars right now, their accomplishments to date, and what the future may hold for them.
Geovany Quenda
Geovany Quenda is an 18-year-old right winger who has set the sporting world ablaze in recent years. Geovany Quenda currently plays for Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga, after rising through their youth ranks after joining in 2019. Despite currently applying his trade in Portugal, Quenda has a career set for European glory in the biggest leagues of them all. Geovany Quenda has a contract signed with Premier League giants Chelsea, which will see him join the reigning World Champions in the summer of 2026. Chelsea put pen to paper with the Portuguese wonderkid in March 2025, signing him for an estimated £42 million, showcasing his quality and potential.
Sporting CP handed Quenda his professional debut in the 2024/25 season under Ruben Amorin, who initially operated the starlet as a right wing-back. Geovany Quenda impressed the former Manchester United boss immediately in pre-season, earning high praise. In his professional debut for the club, Quenda scored in the Super Cup clash against FC Porto, becoming the youngest scorer in the club’s history at 17 years and 95 days old.
Following his impressive start, Geovany Quenda was implemented regularly in Sporting’s side and contributed to the Primeira Liga title in 2024/25. Quenda was named the Primera Liga Young Player of the Season, playing in 54 matches for the Lions, which him the joint most selected player by the Lisbon giants in their memorable league and cup double winning season, alongside Portugal international Francisco Trincão who also played 54 games.
Rodrigo Mora
FC Porto are one of Portugal’s most successful clubs, with 30 top-flight titles and two UEFA Champions League/European Cup titles. Over the years, Porto have regularly looked to their academy, bringing a range of talented Portuguese internationals into professional football. One of the latest examples of Porto’s academy structure is Rodrigo Mora, a youthful attacking midfielder who is comfortable operating from the left as well. Rodrigo Mora is a highly technical footballer, known for his low centre of gravity, close control, and ability in tight areas of the pitch, which have drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi!
After rising through the ranks of Porto after joining the youth set-up in 2016, Rodrigo Mora made his professional debut for Porto B in 2023. He became the youngest professional debutant in the history of Portuguese football, aged 15 and 8 months. Mora was promoted to the Porto first team in the 2024/25 season and made his debut against Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Europa League.
Following his European debut, Mora made his bow in the domestic league just four days later. Mora had an incredible debut campaign despite Porto’s poor season, the team building their entire attacking game around him despite his young age. Rodrigo Mora ended the 2024/25 Primeira Liga season with 10 goals and 4 assists, an impressive achievement for his young age.
In the future, we expect Mora to continue performing at an excellent level, and with interest from footballing giants, a move out of the Portuguese top flight is inevitable.
Dário Essugo
As part of the same deal that saw Geovany Quenda join Chelsea, Dário Essugo also made the switch from the capital of Portugal to the capital of England. The 20-year-old defensive midfielder joined the Sporting CP youth set-up in 2014, rising through the ranks before making his professional debut for the club, a week after turning 16. His debut came in a Primera Liga fixture against Vitoria de Guimarães, and made him the youngest ever debutant in Sporting CP’s history.
Dário Essugo continued to break records, becoming Portugal’s youngest-ever player in the UEFA Champions League and the club’s youngest-ever starter, breaking a record previously held by Luís Figo.
On deadline day in 2024, Dário Essugo was loaned to Chaves, a fellow top division side, where he gained valuable first-team experience. Following the end of his loan, Sporting decided that a season-long loan for Essugo would be best, sending him to Las Palmas in La Liga. At Las Palmas, Dario Essugo made 27 appearances, starting 25 games, and became an important player for the struggling Spanish top-flight team.
Chelsea signed Dário Essugo on the back of his impressive showings in Spain for a deal believed to be worth £18.5 million in March 2025, although the transfer would not be made effective until June 2nd. The transfer was made in time for the FIFA Club World Cup, where he made his debut for the English giants in the group stage, as well as appearing in a further two matches in the competition.
Although he has not yet made his Premier League debut owing to injury, the future is bright for Dário Essugo, learning his trade from one of the world’s best in his position, Moisés Caicedo.
