Florentino renews contract until 2024

Florentino extended his contract with Sport Lisboa e Benfica until 2024. The 19-year-old midfielder is part of an extensive batch of players nurtured at Caixa Futebol Campus and, nine seasons after he arrived at the Club, he became Champion with the first team.

He arrived at Benfica in 2010/11 as a U-12 player to play 7-a-side football and came through the ranks in Seixal. Indeed, he is one of the pearls Made in Caixa Futebol Campus who were launched in the first squad.

At Benfica, he was also a U-15 (2013/14) and U-19 champion (2017/18), as well runner-up in the UEFA Youth League, in 2016/17, an international competition in which he played 5 matches (432 minutes).

“I look back on my academy football career with great pride because it was a very good one. I was lucky enough to have great conditions, coaches and teammates that helped me evolve with every training session and every match to get where I am now”, said Florentino, in statements with BTV.

“We have goals, but we always try to do things step by steps, to live the present, because if we don’t, we will hardly be able to achieve what we want. It’s a pride to follow the patch I’ve taken because it’s full of good moments”, he claimed.

Presently, aged 19 (19.08.1999), he is a member of the first team and has 72 caps with the youth national teams: U-15 (2 matches), U-16 (10 matches and one goal), U-17 (16), U-19 (26) and U-20 (18). With the national team jersey, he was crowned U-17 European Champion (2016), U-19 European Vice-Champion (2017) and U-19 European Champion (2018). He also played the U-20 World Cup in 2017, when he was still a U-18 player and the 2019 U-20 World Cup.

The young midfielder made his debut for the Reds’ first team under the coach Bruno Lage (in 2018/19).

Since February 1, Florentino has made 14 appearances (3 in the Europa League and 11 in the Liga NOS), 1080 minutes played and one goal scored.

Florentino wants to continue to grow the individual and collective stats in the 2019/20 season.

“I hope that it will be a very productive season and that, with the help of the and my teammates, I will be able to evolve every day to make it a great season. It’s going to be a very difficult season because the teams are always evolving, but we’re going to try to achieve our goals”, stated the Reds midfielder.

FLORENTINO IN THE FIRST SQUAD

Florentino Ibrain Morris Luís penned his first professional contract with Benfica in  October 2015. Last year (2018), also in October, he renewed his contract until 2023. "I promise the Benfiquistas that I'm going to work hard to seize my opportunity when it comes", he said at the time. And he kept his promise!

Text: Filipa Fernandes Garcia e Márcia Dores

Pics: Tânia Paulo and Archive / SL Benfica