Benfica’s world class academy continues to deliver the goods, and Jose Mourinho is in no mood to calm things down.
17-year-old graduate Anísio Cabral now has two goals in three first team games, including a match-winner against FC Alverca just a minute after coming off the bench late on.
There’s already plenty of hype around Anisio duo to his World Cup and Euro wins at under-17 level for Portugal, and Mourinho has kept things going by comparing him to one of his greatest ever players.
Citing Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, he said: “The potential is there: the physicality, the back-to-goal play, the runs in behind the goal…
“He has many things with his back to goal that are very similar to a player I had, very, very similar.”
Mourinho then went on to deliver a unique critique of a player who’s scored both first team goals with his head.
“He reminds me of Drogba with his back to goal… except that Drogba, in five crosses, scored five goals with his head,” he continued.
“You’ll laugh and call me an idiot, but his heading game isn’t good. With his physique, it’s something he really needs to work on. He scored two headed goals, but I think it was a miracle.”
He added: “We will manage him well, as we do with the others who have already moved up to the first team. Continue to work, continue to improve.
“I met his mother in the hallway and you can tell everything is very calm, very down-to-earth.
“Hopefully, between the family and Benfica, we can protect him a little from the world of football.
“Obviously, he’s old enough to play in the Youth League, and Benfica has a history in the Youth League, and we would very much like to reach the final again.
“Therefore, he will play in the Youth League again, but we have to manage him as we did this week with Banjaqui and José Neto, where, after analyzing in detail, we felt that those two needed four days of complete rest, not to be involved in any kind of competition.
“But the focus now is on Anísio, Zé Neto and Banjaqui, who are the ones who have been here and are closest.
“But there are other guys at Benfica who have a lot of quality. This Kevin Pinto, who was here on the bench today, is immediately behind Banjaqui.
“I think Kevin has incredible potential and will surely be a first division player.”
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