Portuguese rock with the number 66. Benfica’s António Silva has caught the eye of more than just Real Madrid. How did he impress the big clubs?

António Silva settled into the starting line-up almost immediately after his move to Benfica’s A-team. The 19-year-old Portuguese stopper is one of the most promising players ever and it’s no wonder that he’s not only being watched closely by Real Madrid.

The Viseu native is 187 cm tall, but he looks much more robust on the pitch compared to his opponents. He is also very mature for his age, not only in receiving the ball but also in passing.

Plus, we’re talking about a man of big games. In the last edition of the Champions League, he scored goals in the Juventus and Inter nets. In total, he scored 5 goals in 46 games. And guess how he did it – with his head.

He is very dominant in his header, which of course helps defensively, but also in attacking standard situations. In addition, he is also quick and, as mentioned, the ball is certainly not a problem for him, as he recorded a 91.4% pass success rate last year, averaging 65 passes per game.

This, of course, has also earned him an invitation to the Portugal national team, as he also played a full game against South Korea at the World Cup in Qatar.

There is no doubt that the talented stopper is being watched by all the big European teams. In Spain, however, the media often mentions the interest of Real Madrid in particular, who have had Silva on their radar for a long time. The royal club likes a born winner and it can be assumed that he will like the White Ballet.

However, due to the big investments this year, it is not expected that he will transfer this summer, but next year Real Madrid may well have to act if they don’t want Silva to start against them one day.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese defender has had an amazing season, winning the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League in the youth league and the Portuguese league a year later, while Benfica fell short to later finalists Inter in the Champions League quarter-finals.

But Silva is under contract at Benfica until 2027, and where else to develop his talents but there. Virtually guaranteed minutes on the pitch, Champions League participation and a new teammate in Ángel Di María? Perfect.

Source: Transfermarkt, Benfica, Whoscored