LISBON
Geovany Quenda turned up for his first training session at Damaiense, an amateur club in Amadora on the outskirts of Lisbon, wearing jeans and trainers. Naturally, he was told he couldn’t take part. Then, a loose ball bounced his way. He controlled it in one touch and beat the nearest player. That got him an invite to join. As per Portuguese reports, one of the coaches present turned to his father that same day and said: “You have a future Cristiano Ronaldo here.”
Quenda was born in April 2007 in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, in West Africa, and moved to Portugal as a child. Benfica’s scouts noticed him at Damaiense and brought him into their academy around 2017. Two seasons later, when Benfica failed to provide him a room they had promised at their residential academy in Seixal, he left for Sporting Lisbon.
His godfather Basaula Lemba, a former professional footballer in Portugal, played a central role in that transition and has remained closely involved in Quenda’s career since. At Sporting’s academy in Alcochete—officially named after Cristiano Ronaldo, who trained there as a boy—Quenda rose quickly. He signed his first professional contract in August 2023, and made his senior debut for Sporting in August 2024, in a cup match against Porto. He scored. At 17 years and 95 days, that goal made him the youngest player ever to score for Sporting. He went on to make 86 appearances for Sporting, scoring nine goals and assisting 17, and won a league-and-cup double in 2024-25.
For most of his rise, Quenda played as a wing-back in Sporting’s system under then-manager Ruben Amorim. That grounding in a role with defensive responsibilities shaped how he reads the game. “One characteristic he didn’t have before, but has now perfected, is defending,” said Lemba. “Before, he only played from midfield forward, but now he can combine attack with defence.”
Fabio Roque, an assistant coach at Sporting’s academy, told THE WEEK that Quenda is incredibly demanding of himself during defensive situations. “He is quick to recover and capable of winning defensive duels for his teammates,” said Roque. “This is reminiscent of [Arsenal and England superstar] Bukayo Saka’s early playing style when he operated as a full-back.”
Quenda’s attacking game is built around posing a direct, one-on-one threat from the right flank. The 5’8” left-footer can freeze a full-back with body feints and medium-length strides before accelerating. His ability to carry wide as well as cut in forces deep-lying defences to shift their shape to cover him.
Chelsea won the race to sign him in March 2025 for £40 million, but, allowed him to stay in Lisbon for a further season to continue his development. He moved to London this season and there were hopes that he would mirror Saka’s path on his way to becoming one of the best players of his generation. But, he has so far had only 28 minutes and it seems like he will have to wait for his chance. If he does not get it at Chelsea soon, the 19-year-old has to look for a move away. After all, Saka had over 90 games for Arsenal by the time he turned 20.
