Belgium will need a result this Tuesday (6 p.m.) against Portugal to hope to reach the quarter-finals of Euro U21. They will cross paths with Diego Moreira (18), trained at Standard and promised a bright future.
Standard’s academy has been renowned for decades for producing talented players. Diego Moreiratrained at Standard until 2020 before making the leap to Portugal, is part of this caliber.
It must be said that the player has very strong ties with the burning city. Born in Liège, he is the son of Almami Moreira, who played at Standard from 2001 to 2006. He is also the grandson of another Standarmen: Helmut Graf, Rouche from 1976 to 1982.
Already at the time of his first steps among the young shoots of Liège, he is considered to be a very great talent to become. After 2 caps with the Belgian U15s, he opted for Portuguese nationality. He will play 12 games with the Portuguese U16s.
Very quickly, he wants to leave the Liège cocoon
A conflict then broke out, involving him, his father and Standard. During the 2019-2020 season, eager to join his father in Portugal and play for Benfica, Diego Moreira and his entourage set up an arrangement in the form of a 6-month loan to Lierse, before joining the Eagles. Except that the transfer to Lier takes place on October 1, outside the ad hoc period.
Standard refuses the transfer, as the player is not yet 16 years old. Despite the urgent reasons given, in particular the pressure to play at Standard, the Disputes Committee will render the transfer null and void.
Benfica, this gateway to the biggest European clubs
In the summer of 2020, Moreira sees his wishes granted and signs for Benfica. The 2021-2022 season will allow him to move up a gear. In Youth League, he scored 4 goals and delivered 5 assists. Benfica destroyed Barça (4-0, 0-3) and Bayern (4-0, 0-2) in pools, Sporting Portugal in the quarterfinals (0-4) then crushed Salzburg in the final (0-6, with two assists from Moreira). He even returned to the game for the first time with team A during the last league meeting, May 13, 2022 against Paços de Ferreira.
This season, he played 24 games with the B team. In the Youth League, he scored and provided an assist against PSG, before again being the decisive passer against Juventus. Roger Schmidt brings him up for the last minutes of a Champions League qualifying match against Midjtylland.
The future of the left winger seems all mapped out. It has been several months since several journalists specializing in transfers – Fabrizio Romano in particular – sent him to Chelsea. The Portuguese press also quoted him at PSG. At the end of the contract, Moreira would like to leave Portugal and discover English football. The potential, he seems in any case to have it.
The Belgians face two well-known names at Standard
Moreira benefited from the injury of Fabio Vieira (Arsenal) to make his way into the U21 selection during this Euro.
He returned to the game for the last half hour against the Netherlands. He shouldn’t be a starter, but we can’t wait to see him in action if he gets off the bench.
Our Diablotins will also cross paths with another player with a well-known name in Liège. That of Francisco Conceiçao, Sergio’s son. After post-training and his first games with the Porto A’s, he joined Ajax last summer.
2023-06-27 09:40:00
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