Just who is: Sporting Lisbon’s Chelsea and Man Utd target Bruma
Published:Rumours have been circulating for some months now regarding Sporting Lisbon’s 18-year-old winger Bruma, who has been linked with moves to Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid. After some big performances at the continuing FIFA Under-20 World Cup, the Blues have moved quickest in pursuit, submitting a £12m bid, but just what is all the fuss about?
Sporting Lisbon’s academy has long been famed as a talent factory, having nurtured the talents of Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Quaresma, Simao and many, many more and if the interest of Europe’s top clubs is to be believed, Bruma is the latest gift they are set to bestow upon the world of football.
As early as 2010, a host of Premier League cradle-snatchers were trying to whisk him away from Estadio Jose Alvalade, but the Guinea-Bissau born winger chose to sign a five-year contract with Sporting instead.
Not to be confused with PSV-bound Blues defender Jeffrey Bruma, Armindo Tué Na Bangna broke into the Sporting B team at the beginning of 2012/13, posting seven goals in 25 matches before a promotion to the first team was handed to him by in-coming manager Jesualdo Ferreira.
For those not already aware of his talents he waited no longer than the first minute of his second top flight match to announce them to a wider audience – taking the ball with his back to goal before slaloming through four Gil Vincente defenders and hooking home his first senior strike.
Subsequently he became a regular starter in the Los Leones first team and has been ripping it up at the under-20 World Cup, scoring five times in three games so far.
Like Sporting Club products Ronaldo and Nani before him, nifty, street-football footwork is his forte and like his idol CR7, he has supreme speed and athleticism to add to the mix.
Whilst the aforementioned names make the route from Jose Alvalade to Old Trafford seem well-worn, the player has connections to Chelsea as well.
His older brother Buomesca took in a spell on the books at Stamford Bridge before injury sadly intervened and Blues gaffer Jose Mourinho has long been aware of the younger brother’s gifts.
His current contract bears a weighty £30m release clause, but due to his club’s on-going financial difficulties a less substantial offer may be accepted and the £12m bid lodged by Chelsea is similar to the fee which prised Ronaldo away in back in 2003.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
