Bajrami renews until 2029

INTERVIEW

Sport Lisboa e Benfica and center-back Bajrami – who was tied to the club until 2026 - have agreed to renew his contract for another three seasons. The new deal runs until 2029.

"I WANT TO GROW WITH THE TEAM AND IMPROVE EVERY DAY"

Exactly six years after signing his first contract with the Glorioso, Bajrami has formalized the extension of the commitment that binds him to the eagles.

"It's a very happy day for me, for my family too. I'm extremely proud, I want to thank my family and everyone at the club too. I'm grateful for the trust, and I'm going to keep working,", said the player to BTV.

The 22-year-old central defender, already an A international for Albania, has his sights set on the season ahead.

"Personally, I want to improve every day, to learn from the coaching staff, from my colleagues in my position - Nico [Otamendi], António [Silva], Tomás [Araújo]. I want to keep working and learning from them. In collective terms, I want to be a champion, win every game with the team, grow with the whole team and win everything possible," said the defender.

In a quick tour of his career with an eagle on his chest, Bajrami highlighted some of the best memories that serve as inspiration and impetus for his future at the club. "One was clearly winning the Intercontinental Cup [U-20], when we became champions, and the other was my first call-up to the team," shared the left-footed defender.

Signed from Swiss side BSC Young Boys in 2018/19, Adrian Bajrami arrived at Glorioso, saw and won... in his first year, contributing to the team that won the U-17 National Championship that season. Later, in 2022, he was part (starter, 90 minutes) of the Benfica squad that won the U-20 Intercontinental Cup against Peñarol.

U-17s, U-19s, U-23s and B team: from level to level, completing evolutionary stages, Bajrami made his debut for the main youth team (as a substitute) in the final stretch of the 2021/22 season. And on June 13, 2022, he had the opportunity to make his first international appearance (and as a starter) for Albania's senior team, in a friendly match against Estonia.

The young central defender's consolidation at the B team was worked on during the 2022/23 (23 games) and 2023/24 (32 games) seasons, a period in which he made 55 appearances (and scored 4 goals) for the Liga 2 side, which in recent years has also competed in the Premier League International Cup.

As a result of his career at the club's youth academy, Bajrami joined the professional football squad at the start of this season (2024/25).