Renato Sanches

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Luz and the second or paternal family name is Sanches.
Renato Sanches

Sanches playing for Bayern Munich in 2016
Personal information
Full name Renato Júnior Luz Sanches
Date of birth (1997-08-18) 18 August 1997
Place of birth Amadora, Portugal
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Bayern Munich
Number 35
Youth career
2005–2006 Águias da Musgueira
2006–2016 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Benfica B 34 (3)
2015–2016 Benfica 24 (2)
2016– Bayern Munich 8 (0)
National team‡
2012 Portugal U15 2 (0)
2013 Portugal U16 7 (1)
2013 Portugal U17 19 (4)
2014– Portugal U19 12 (3)
2016– Portugal 12 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:22, 2 December 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2016

Renato Júnior Luz Sanches ComM (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁɨˈnatu ˈsɐ̃ʃɨʃ]; born 18 August 1997) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for German club Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team.

He began his career at Benfica, making his professional debut for the reserves in October 2014 and for the first team in October 2015. In his only season for them, the team won the Primeira Liga and Taça da Liga. He then agreed a move to Bayern Munich for an initial €35 million, the then highest fee for a Portuguese player leaving the domestic league.

Sanches won 40 caps and scored 8 goals for Portugal at youth level. He made his full international debut in March 2016 and was chosen for UEFA Euro 2016 at the age of 18, making him the youngest Portuguese to play in an international tournament, and the youngest player to win a Euro 2016 Final. He scored one goal during the competition and won the Young Player of the Tournament as Portugal captured the title for the first time in their history. He was the recipient of the 2016 Golden Boy Award.

Early life

Sanches was born in the Hospital Amadora-Sintra in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, to a father also named Renato Sanches from São Tomé and Príncipe, and a mother named Maria das Dores from Cape Verde.[1] Nicknamed Bulo by his grandmother,[2] he grew up in the impoverished Lisbon neighbourhood of Musgueira.[3] His parents split up months after his birth, and his father moved to work in France; Sanches' birth was not registered until his father returned in 2002 and the parents had him baptised.[4][5] He was registered on 22 August 2002 with the birthdate of 3:25 p.m. on 18 August 1997.[4][6]

He started training in football at Águias da Musgueira when he was 8,[7][8] and joined S.L. Benfica's youth system in 2006, aged 9.[9] The team paid €750 and 25 footballs for his signature.[10] He convinced Benfica to take him after training with them for 15 minutes, but he initially had reservations about travelling to their academy in Seixal every day, on the other side of the Tagus river.[2]

Club career

Benfica

Sanches made his professional debut in the 2014–15 campaign, with the B-team in the second division. He made his first appearance in the competition on 5 October 2014, starting and playing the first half of the 2–2 away draw against Feirense.[11] He was sent off twice with straight red cards in the second half of the season: as a substitute in a 3–2 home win over Porto B on 11 January 2015,[12] and a starter in a 1–1 draw at Santa Clara on 7 March.[13]

Sanches in action in March 2016, in a Champions League game away to Zenit

After one year with the reserve team, in 2015–16, he was promoted to the first team; initially only for the training sessions.[14] He remained playing in the reserves, and on 30 August 2015 he scored his first goal in their 2–1 loss at Varzim, opening the scoring within two minutes.[15] Seventeen days later, he scored two penalty kicks in a 3–2 loss at Aves.[16] On 21 October, in the UEFA Youth League, he scored in an away 11–1 group stage win over Galatasaray.[17] Nine days later, Sanches made his debut for the first team, replacing Jonas in the 74th minute of a 4–0 win against Tondela.[18]

After the international break in November 2015, Sanches signed a new contract with Benfica until 2021, with a release clause set at €45 million.[19] On the 25th, he made his first appearance in the starting line-up, playing 90 minutes in a 2–2 away draw with Astana for the UEFA Champions League's group stage.[19][20] On the following Monday, Sanches started again, this time in a Primeira Liga win at Braga, receiving praise from the media for his performance.[21] Aged 18, on 4 December, he scored his first goal for Benfica, beating Académica's goalkeeper Trigueira with a 30-metre strike, sealing the 3–0 league win,[22] and became Benfica's youngest player to score a home goal in the 21st century, at the Estádio da Luz.[23] It was selected as the Goal of the Month.[24]

He added a second goal on 2 January, the game's only at Vitória de Guimarães in the league.[25] On 24 April, he was a target of racism by some Rio Ave supporters, who made monkey noises when he was leaving the pitch after a 1–0 away victory. He responded to the provocation with a smile and moved his arms, mimicking a monkey.[26] On 8 May, Sanches was sent off for a second yellow card in the first half of a 2–0 win at Marítimo,[27] missing Benfica's last league match in which they retained their title at the expense of city rivals Sporting with victory over Nacional.[28] In his last game, the 2016 Taça da Liga Final in Coimbra on 20 May, Benfica won the league cup 6–2 against Marítimo.[29]

Bayern Munich

On 10 May 2016, Sanches signed a five-year contract effective from 1 July with German club Bayern Munich for €35 million,[30] in a deal totalling €80 million, with the additional €45 million depending on objectives.[31][32] With this transfer he became the most expensive Portuguese player to leave the domestic league,[33][note 1] as well as the first Portuguese player to join the Bavarian side.[35] The initial fee was the fourth-highest paid in Bayern Munich's history, after those for Javi Martínez, Mario Götze and Arturo Vidal.[35] Sanches had been tracked extensively by Manchester United before joining Bayern, and their Portuguese former player Nani said that they would regret not completing a deal for him.[36]

After recovering from a thigh injury, Sanches made his debut on 9 September, starting in a 2–0 win at FC Schalke 04 in place of Arturo Vidal. Although he made errors in his 71 minutes before being replaced by Joshua Kimmich, he was given reassurance by captain Phillip Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, with the former saying "He's a very, very good player, otherwise he wouldn't be here. He's a European champion and will definitely be an asset to us in the future."[37] On 24 October, he became the first Portuguese player to win the Golden Boy award for best European player under the age of 21, ahead of Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.[38]

International career

Sanches scoring the equaliser for Portugal against Poland at UEFA Euro 2016

Sanches gained 40 caps for Portugal all youth categories comprised.[39] He represented Portugal in the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, helping them reach the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners, England.[40] He was named in the Team of the Tournament.[41]

On 18 March 2016, he was called up by Fernando Santos for the senior squad to play friendlies against Bulgaria and Belgium.[42] He debuted for Portugal as a 76th-minute substitute for William Carvalho in the 0–1 loss against Bulgaria in Leiria, and shortly after he was greeted by a fan who invaded the pitch.[43]

Sanches was called up for UEFA Euro 2016, making him the youngest Portuguese to be selected for an international competition, breaking a record held by Cristiano Ronaldo for 12 years.[44] He made his competitive debut on 14 June in the team's opening game against Iceland in Saint-Étienne, replacing João Moutinho for the final 19 minutes of a 1–1 draw.[45] He contributed to the only goal of the match in a 1–0 extra-time victory in the last 16 against Croatia on 25 June, and was elected man of the match.[46] Observing that performance, former international player António Sousa stated "When he's on the ball you don't notice how young he is. Physically and mentally, he is more than ready" and Santos exalted Sanches as a player immune to pressure.[10]

Five days later in the quarter-finals against Poland, he took Ronaldo's record as the youngest Portuguese to start in a major tournament.[47] After a one-two with Nani, he shot from outside the box and equalised in the first half to become the youngest player to score in a knockout game at the European Championship and the third-youngest overall.[47][48] Following the 1–1 draw, he scored Portugal's second attempt in their penalty shootout victory, and was again elected man of the match.[49] Following the game, his teammates Nani and José Fonte praised Sanches' stamina, confidence and desire to learn from his elders.[36] After his nation's 1–0 extra-time victory over hosts France in the final of the tournament, Sanches received the Young Player of the Tournament Award for his performances.[50]

Style of play

Sanches has been noted for his versatility in midfield, being comfortable in defensive, attacking, central and wide roles.[51][52] His attributes include physical strength, passing ability, and being composed in possession.[51][52] For these traits and his hairstyle, he has been likened to the Dutchman Edgar Davids.[51][52]

However, in an interview to Benfica TV, Sanches compared his style with that of another Dutchman of Davids' era, Clarence Seedorf.[53] During Euro 2016, former Benfica and Netherlands player, Pierre van Hooijdonk, also drew comparison with Seedorf, stating "the way [they] play is the same, the intensity also".[54]

Age controversy

Opponents of Sanches have claimed that he is older than his birth certificate states, basing their judgement on the gap between his birth and its registration.[5] In March 2016, as Sporting challenged Benfica for the league title, the former's president Bruno de Carvalho accused Sanches of lying about his age.[5] The player ordered Carvalho to publicly apologise, or face a lawsuit for defamation.[5] During Euro 2016, French former manager Guy Roux made a similar accusation.[5]

According to Goal.com writer Miles Chambers, the accusations against Sanches stem from conscious or unconscious racial stereotyping, based on historical occasions in which players from the African continent have lied about their age, although he was born in Portugal.[5]

On 8 July 2016 the hospital where Sanches was born published the document which proves that he was born on 18 August 1997 at 3:25 p.m.[6]

Career statistics

Club

As of 2 December 2016
ClubSeason[55]LeagueCup1Continental2Other3TotalRef.
LeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Benfica B2014–15Segunda Liga240—240[55]
2015–16103103[55]
Total343—343—
Benfica2015–16Primeira Liga242006050352[55]
Bayern Munich2016–17Bundesliga80104000130[55]
Career total6651010050825—

International

As of match played 13 November 2016[56]
National team Year Apps Goals
Portugal
2016121
Total121

International goals

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 30 June 2016 Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France  Poland 1–1 1–1 UEFA Euro 2016

Honours

Club

Benfica

Country

Portugal

Individual

Orders

Notes

  1. ↑ The record was previously held by three players who were each sold for €30 million: Ricardo Carvalho from Porto to Chelsea in 2004, Pepe from Porto to Real Madrid in 2007, and Fábio Coentrão from Benfica to Real Madrid in 2011.[33] The record in regard to the initial fee was broken again in August 2016, when João Mário transferred from Sporting to Inter Milan for €45 million.[34]

References

  1. ↑ Haupt, Florian (11 May 2016). "Der FCB hat wieder einen echten Straßenfußballer" [FCB has a real street footballer again]. Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 Alvarenga, Vítor Hugo (9 June 2016). "Renato Sanches: midfield prodigy known as Bulo who has taken Portugal by storm". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Renato Sanches cresceu na Musgueira, um bairro pobre de Lisboa" [Renato Sanches grew up in Musgueira, a poor neighbourhood of Lisbon] (in Portuguese). RTP. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Renato Sanches: da Musgueira até ao reconhecimento internacional" [Renato Sanches: from Musgueira to international recognition] (in Portuguese). Move Notícias. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chambers, Miles (5 July 2016). "Young, gifted and black: Why Renato Sanches age claims veer dangerously close to racism". Goal.com. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 Isaura, Almeida (8 July 2016). "Renato Sanches, 18 anos. Ficha do hospital põe fim a todas as dúvidas" [Renato Sanches, 18 years. Hospital record puts an end to all doubts]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "El vídeo que demuestra que Renato no miente en su edad" [The video that shows that Renato is not lying about his age]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Nogueira, Carlos (27 November 2015). "Da Musgueira ao Benfica em 15 minutos" [From Musgueira to Benfica in 15 minutes]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  9. ↑ Pimentel, José Nuno (19 December 2015). "UEFA.com's weekly wonderkid: Renato Sanches". UEFA.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 Quixano, Jordi (29 June 2016). "Renato Sanches, un jugador de barrio para Portugal" [Renato Sanches, an urban player for Portugal]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "Feirense-Benfica, 2-2: Golo de Fonseca trama águias" [Feirense-Benfica, 2–2: Fonseca's goal beats eagles]. Record. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Benfica B vence FC Porto B com um 'bis' de Fábio Cardoso" [Benfica B defeat FC Porto B with a 'brace' from Fábio Cardoso] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "Águias chegam ao empate com 10 homens" [Eagles get a draw with 10 men] (in Portuguese). Record. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "Renato Sanches chega-se à frente" [Renato Sanches comes forward]. Record (in Portuguese). 25 August 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  15. ↑ "All you need to know about new Bayern starlet Renato Sanches". Bundesliga. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  16. ↑ "Renato Sanches bisa" [Renato Sanches does it again] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica B. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Benfica goleia Galatasaray por 11-1 (sim, leu bem)" [Benfica thrash Galatasaray 11–1 (yes, you read it right)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Tondela-Benfica, 0–4 (destaques)" [Tondela-Benfica, 0–4 (highlights)]. Mais Futebol (in Portuguese). 30 October 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Renato Sanches, a estreia do "8 do presidente"" [Renato Sanches, the debut of the president's midfielder]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 25 November 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  20. ↑ "Benfica fight back to progress and eliminate Astana". UEFA.com. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  21. ↑ "Renato Sanches? Não joga por eu gostar de jogadores com tranças" [Renato Sanches? He does not play because I like players with dreadlocks]. Mais Futebol (in Portuguese). 30 November 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  22. ↑ "Renato Sanches colocou a cereja no bolo de Jonas" [Renato Sanches put the cherry on the top of Jonas' cake]. Record (in Portuguese). 5 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  23. ↑ "Renato Sanches é o mais novo do século a marcar na Luz" [Renato Sanches is the youngest of the century to score at Luz]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 5 December 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  24. ↑ "Renato Sanches vence prémio para o melhor golo de dezembro" [Renato Sanches wins award for goal of the month for December]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 19 January 2016. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  25. ↑ Ferreira, Bruno José (2 January 2016). "V. Guimarães-Benfica, 0–1 (destaques)" [V. Guimarães-Benfica, 0–1 (highlights)] (in Portuguese). Maisfutebol. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  26. ↑ Perez, Nathalia (25 April 2016). "Diante do racismo de alguns torcedores do Rio Ave, Renato Sanches reagiu com um sorriso" [In the face of racism by some supporters of Rio Ave, Renato Sanches reacted with a smile]. Trivela (in Portuguese). Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  27. ↑ "Benfica on track for record 35th title after victory". Channel News Asia. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  28. 1 2 "Benfica retain Portuguese title". Yahoo!. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  29. 1 2 "Benfica vence a sétima Taça da Liga" [Benfica win their seventh Taça da Liga] (in Portuguese). Revista Sábado. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  30. ↑ "Bayern sign Portugal starlet Renato Sanches". FC Bayern Munich. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  31. ↑ "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF). CMVM (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  32. ↑ Crawford, Stephen (10 May 2016). "Bayern Munich confirm Renato Sanches signing". Goal.com. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  33. 1 2 "Renato Sanches é o português mais caro a sair da Liga" [Renato Sanches is the most expensive Portuguese to leave the league]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  34. ↑ "João Mário shatters transfer record in Inter move". AS. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  35. 1 2 "Renato Sanches é o primeiro português a jogar no Bayern Munique" [Renato Sanches is the first Portuguese to play in Bayern Munich]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  36. 1 2 Hytner, David (1 July 2016). "Manchester United may rue missing out on Renato Sanches, says Nani". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  37. ↑ Lovell, Mark (12 September 2016). "Philipp Lahm backs Renato Sanches after nervy Bayern Munich debut". ESPN FC. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  38. ↑ Aarons, Ed (24 October 2016). "Renato Sanches beats Marcus Rashford to 2016 Golden Boy award". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  39. ↑ "Renato Sanches at FPF". Federação Portuguesa de Futebol. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  40. ↑ "Europeu de sub-17: Benfica domina convocatória" [Benfica rule call-ups]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 23 April 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  41. 1 2 "Technical Report" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. pp. 82–83.
  42. ↑ "Estreia de Renato Sanches e vários regressos nos convocados de Portugal" [First call-up for Renato Sanches and various comebacks in Portugal's squad] (in Portuguese). UEFA. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  43. ↑ "Jovem invadiu o relvado para... abraçar Renato Sanches" [Youngster invaded the pitch to... hug Renato Sanches]. Record (in Portuguese). 25 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  44. ↑ "Portugal's Sanches breaks Ronaldo's national call-up record". Business Standard. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  45. ↑ Dillon, John N. (14 June 2016). "Renato Sanches impressed in his Euro 2016 debut for Portugal". Bavarian Football Works. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  46. ↑ Atkin, John (25 June 2016). "Quaresma snatches extra-time win for Portugal". UEFA. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  47. 1 2 Darwin, Stephen (30 June 2016). "Renato Sanches breaks two records at Euro 2016... Including one of Ronaldo's!". Goal.com. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  48. ↑ "Renato Sanches becomes third-youngest EURO scorer". UEFA. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  49. ↑ "Poland 1–1 Portugal". BBC Sport. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  50. 1 2 "Renato Sanches named Young Player of the Tournament". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  51. 1 2 3 Pimentel, José Nuno (19 December 2015). "UEFA.com's weekly wonderkid: Renato Sanches". UEFA. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  52. 1 2 3 "Profile of reported Manchester United target Renato Sanches of Benfica". Sky Sports. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  53. ↑ Santos, Francisco (23 March 2016). "Renato Sanches: "Seedorf é uma referência"" [Renato Sanches: "Seedorf is a reference"]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  54. ↑ Gonçalves, Lopes (2 July 2016). "É igualzinho ao Seedorf... mas não falha penáltis" ["He's very similar to Seedorf... but doesn't miss penaltys]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  55. 1 2 3 4 5 "Renato Sanches » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  56. ↑ "Renato Sanches". National Football Teams. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  57. ↑ "Renato Sanches eleito Melhor Jovem de dezembro" [Renato Sanches elected Best Youngster of December] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  58. ↑ "Renato Sanches vence prémio para o melhor golo de dezembro" [Renato Sanches wins award for goal of the month for December] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  59. ↑ "Renato Sanches orgulhoso com prémio Revelação do Ano" [Renato Sanches proud about Revelation of the Year award]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 10 May 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  60. 1 2 ""Aquele golo foi um momento marcante" - Renato Sanches" ["That goal was a remarkable moment" - Renato Sanches]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  61. ↑ "Renato Sanches è il Golden Boy 2016 di Tuttosport" [Renato Sanches is Tuttosport's Golden Boy 2016] (in Italian). Tuttosport. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  62. ↑ "Presidente da República condecora jogadores com grau de comendador da Ordem do Mérito". Record.pt. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

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