{"id":14584,"date":"2025-11-20T21:38:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T21:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/20\/cristiano-ronaldos-influence-revealed-as-chelsea-beat-man-united-to-sign-40m-star-player\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T21:38:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T21:38:36","slug":"cristiano-ronaldos-influence-revealed-as-chelsea-beat-man-united-to-sign-40m-star-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/20\/cristiano-ronaldos-influence-revealed-as-chelsea-beat-man-united-to-sign-40m-star-player\/","title":{"rendered":"Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence revealed as Chelsea beat Man United to sign \u00a340m star player"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
\n
Chelsea have already signed a \u00a340m deal with Sporting CP for Giovanny Quenda, the teenage sensation who broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record as Portugal’s youngest goalscorer in La Liga.<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
November 20, 2025, 12:09<\/span>Updated November 20, 2025 12:53<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/span>Geovanny Quenda to join Chelsea next summer<\/span>(Image: Filipe Amorin\/AFP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Geovanny Quenda’s football journey began in an unconventional way: with denim jeans.<\/p>\n
Quenda, who is less than 10 years old, arrived for his first training session with Portuguese club Damaiense in casual denim jeans as his kit was not yet ready. Although the club was initially reluctant to let him play, Quenda’s impressive dribbling skills meant the club had no choice but to let him demonstrate his talent.<\/p>\n
His performance surprised the Damaiense coaches and they were sure that his first training session would be one he would never forget. It was no surprise when Quenda put on the Damaiense shirt and quickly established himself as one of the most promising young players in the club’s academy.<\/p>\n
But Damaiense knew he couldn’t keep the rising star going for long. Quenda, just over 10 years old, caught the eye of Benfica scouts during a youth tournament and the Portuguese giants moved quickly to integrate the young winger into their academy system.<\/p>\n
read more: Cole Palmer teases Chelsea’s injury return with cryptic post after Enzo Maresca ruling<\/span><\/span>read more: Romeo Rabia’s reaction to Manchester United’s interest speaks volumes during Garnacho swap talks<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
After nearly three years honing his skills under Portugal’s top coaches at Benfica, Sporting CP began to show interest. Quenda was the talk of the town and was widely seen as Portugal’s next big name in football, reports Football London.<\/p>\n
Quenda, just 14 years old, was lured by Sporting Lisbon’s reputation for training Portugal’s best talent, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Paulo Futre, Nani and Joao Moutinho, after being sold false promises by Benfica.<\/p>\n
Quenda and his entourage saw Sporting as the ideal stepping stone in his fledgling career. The club’s track record of turning raw young talent into world-class players through its coaching methods and facilities appealed to Quenda’s ambitions.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/span>Giovani Quenda followed the same path as Cristiano Ronaldo<\/span>(Image: Miguel Lemos\/Eurasia Sport Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Upon joining Sporting, it quickly became clear that Quenda was one of the most promising talents in the academy. Despite his shy nature, he thrives under pressure, a trait that was evident even as a junior.<\/p>\n
By the age of 16, he was already the top scorer for Sporting’s Under-23s, a talent beyond his years. Sporting’s manager at the time, Ruben Amorim, recognized his potential and called him up to the first team several times at the age of 16. However, Quenda made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in a high-stakes game against Porto.<\/p>\n
Despite his lack of experience, the hype and reputation surrounding Quenda made it a no-brainer to include him in the squad. Amorim trusted him. The current Manchester United manager maintains close ties with those who have coached Quenda throughout his academy days and decided to take a gamble.<\/p>\n
His faith was rewarded as Quenda became the youngest player in the club’s history to score a goal in a competitive first-team game at just 17 years and 95 days old. Although Sporting lost the match 4-3, Quenda’s trajectory was set.<\/p>\n
Then, an injury to Nuno Santos gave Quenda the chance to feature in the first eleven under coach Amorim. Records began to crumble. Quenda became the youngest player to score in Portugal’s La Liga (past Ronaldo), the youngest player to start for Sporting in the Champions League and, in the 2024\/25 season, the youngest Sporting player to score in Europe’s premier competition.<\/p>\n
In his breakthrough season at the club, he recorded more assists than Ronaldo, Nani, Figo, Simao Sabrosa and Ricardo Quaresma in their debut season. It’s no wonder, then, that clubs across Europe were keeping an eye on Quenda.<\/p>\n
Amorim, who gave him his break in Lisbon, were keen to bring him to Manchester United. Chelsea had secured a solid position in early 2025 with Quenda and his agent. By mid-March, the Blues had signed a deal with Sporting thought to be worth \u00a340m that would see Quenda move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2026.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/span>Giovani Quenda is focused on helping Sporting CP win La Liga this season<\/span>(Image: Galter Fatia)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The plan is for Quenda to continue his impressive development in Portugal this season before joining Enzo Maresca in the team in the 2026\/27 season.<\/p>\n
Mirror Football understands that the club have informed Quenda that he will join Maresca’s first-team plans at SW6 next season. There has been some speculation about a loan move for the Portugal international, who will be 19 when he arrives in west London, but Chelsea are planning for him to join the first team in the 2026\/27 season.<\/p>\n
Quenda’s main focus now is on helping Sporting win the La Liga title, with Rui Borges’ side currently trailing leaders Porto by three points after 11 games. But behind the scenes, the 18-year-old winger is undergoing intensive English lessons to help him adapt quickly when he moves to England, and has been watching several Chelsea home games to understand the team’s playing style.<\/p>\n
According to sources, Quenda is working on strengthening his muscles and focusing on improving his physical fitness in preparation for his move to the Premier League. Always striving to improve, it’s no surprise that he frequently reviews videos of his own performances, while also studying footage of other wingers such as Neymar, Lamine Yamal and Ronaldo to improve his own game.<\/p>\n
But life at Chelsea is no walk in the park for Quenda. The Blues are already loaded with young attacking talent.<\/p>\n
Tyrik George, a product of the club’s famous academy, does not appear to have much of a future at Stamford Bridge. The 19-year-old forward has only made nine appearances in all competitions this season, but the fact that a player of his talent and potential was only a fringe player is testament to the depth Maresca has at his disposal.<\/p>\n
The arrivals of Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens over the summer suggest that the left flank could be sorted out for years to come from a Chelsea perspective. Estevao Willian is considered a once-in-a-generation talent by club officials and has begun his journey in SW6 with relative ease, while Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto are two of Maresca’s most reliable attacking options.<\/p>\n
Guinea-Bissau-born teenager Quenda is ready to play any role up front for Chelsea. He proved his versatility at Sporting, proving his ability to play both as a winger and as a number 10.<\/p>\n
Quenda knows it will not be easy to break into Chelsea’s line-up, but he is undaunted by the challenge. He knows success at Chelsea will require hard work, but the Portuguese star is confident he can become one of the best players in the world and that is his ultimate goal.<\/p>\n
Chelsea continue to add to their young attacking team. Some may laugh at the Blues signing another talented teenager, but as we’ve seen since Estevao’s early days at Stamford Bridge, it can pay off well.<\/p>\n
With the arrival of Quenda, the club is confident that they can once again have the last laugh.<\/p>\n
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Geobunny](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36278044.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_GettyImages-2171879296.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Cristiano](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36278045.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2240643834.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Geovanny](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36278043.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2225458684.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>