There are definitely arguments on whether Benfica have produced and developed some of the best talents in football over the last decade.
In the past, players like Ederson, Nemanja Matic and Angel Di Maria made a name for themselves at Estádio da Luz. Recently, Enzo Fernandes and Darwin Nunez have made big money moves abroad from Benfica.
Today, Benfica has a vast array of talent, that is consistently perfoming week in week out. Anatoliy Trubin, Joao Neves and Marcos Leonardo are just a handful of exciting prospects in the team, with plenty more looking to breakthrough from the academy.
However, arguably the most interesting and the leading candidate of the current crop of talent is 20-year-old, Antonio Silva. New boss, Roger Schmidt gave Silva the call up to the first team on the 27th of August 2022, when Benfica took on Boavista.
Since then Silva hasn’t looked back, having played almost every single minute for The Eagles, including minutes in the Champions League. Whilst also becoming the youngest player to represent Portugal at a World Cup.
The young defender has been linked with a move away from Portugal this summer to a series of clubs, including Bayern Munich, Newcastle, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Here is a look at what makes Silva an ideal candidate for some of the biggest clubs in the world.
Old Fashioned Style
The immediate comparsion to Silva is former Benfica academy graduate, Ruben Dias. Since his departure, he has been apart of an incredible Manchester City team which has won multiple trophies.
The two share similarities in terms of what they do out of possession, making a number of tackles, blocks and clearances, as they share qualities of proactive defenders.
However, the difference between the two comes down to when they are in possession of the ball. At Man City, Dias takes a calm approach playing the ball into the midfield, or directing play to his fullbacks, starting quick attacks. For Silva, he barely plays any progressive passes, and instead likes to bring the ball out from the back, similar to how we see Joel Matip and John Stones carry the ball in the Premier League.
Silva has since been described as an ‘old fashioned’ defender, who isn’t afraid of getting it the nitty gritty parts of the match, but someone who also has the confidence to carry the ball himself, which plays into his ability to ancipate the game so well, and dictate how his play can create chances for his team.
Two Steps Ahead
One thing that people talk about time and time again when it comes to Silva is his positioning, and this is down to his anticipation once again.
When he was first making a name for himself in Benfica’s first team, he had tough games, but the most notable was a game in the Champions League versus PSG.
In that match, Silva was on top of his game and didn’t allow Kylian Mbappe space. Whether he was shielding him away from the goal, stepping up and intercepting the play early or dropping deeper to deal with the Mbappe’s pace. He could do it all.
When you then add in his aerial success, which he also was able to show off against PSG and Juventus in the Champions League group stage, makes him not only a top class defender, but also a danger when it comes to set pieces.
Essentially, Silva is a jack of all trades, with the ability to do pretty much everything a manager might require, whilst also being able to control the oppositions attacking threat with his strength, anticpation, composure and pace. Making him a complete and dominant opponent.
Silva quite clearly has the potential to take him to the top level of Football, and he has showcased glimpses of what he can achieve in the future over the last two seasons.
It’s likely Benfica will lose the 20-year-old this summer, despite the huge price tag that is attached to his name.
However, Silva knows that the right move this summer and take his ability to the next level, as he could become the next big thing out of the unlimited supply of talent coming from the Benfica Campus.
Final Whistle 