Anísio Cabral: Benfica’s Rising Star

It was in the heart of Lisbon’s Alta neighborhood, among the hustle and bustle of Humberto Delgado airport, buildings as far as the eye can see and the lively energy of street football, that Anísio Cabral began to make his first touches of the ball. BALL visited the roots of the young striker, who scored on his debut for Benfica’s main team, but when walking through the streets of the neighborhood, and visiting the club that transferred him to Benfica, he also learned about the parallel story of another promise of the Eagles, another European and world under-17 champion.

Anísio and Stevan Manuel started playing for União Desportiva Alta de Lisboa, and soon became noticed. Nélson Lemos, president of the Lisbon club, remembers perfectly the day they arrived. «Their first steps were like those of so many others. They showed up here at the intakes, asked to train, trained and, in the end, the feedback from the coach was very positive right away. Then, we started the process with them. They arrived here when they were 8 or 9 years old and you could see that they had something special. Both in training and in games, they immediately showed quality. Then, they brought street football, which brings an unpredictability that many athletes today don’t have», he says.

«Anísio was a player who had great joy and that showed on the field. He was very creative and a natural finisher. It was part of him. He picked up the ball and, on two occasions, scored two goals”, said the director about the striker, then revealing a curiosity about Stevan related to his uncle… European champion for Portugal: “I would like to play as a central midfielder. As he is Renato Sanches’ nephew, he often asked to play in that position. He was a powerhouse in midfield, he won every move as if it were the last of the game, from start to finish. And he continues with these qualities.”

Pedro Araújo, coach of Alta’s senior team and who has known them since they were little, also watched their growth up close. «Stevan was a student at the school where I worked and I was with him since kindergarten, monitoring his development until today. He’s a very hard-working kid who always knew exactly what he wanted, so we all knew he was going to succeed and he still has a lot to achieve,” he recalled.

«Anísio I’ve also known him since I was very little. His brother was my player and he showed up at training and was there with us. As he lived nearby, we ended up following him and realizing that his growth in football was absurd. And today it is what it is. Probably, the future of our team in the position of spearhead”, he added, highlighting the characteristics of both.

«Stevan already showed a lot of physical size and, above all, a competitive attitude. He is a player who has always demonstrated, since he was very little, great ability. Anísio grew up over time. He was a player who at first didn’t show that much aptitude, but then, as he got older, he grew and today he is an exceptional player”, he considered.

The testimony of Tiago Carmo, former coach and coordinator of Escola Benfica Alta de Lisboa, helps to explain why these two young people have always stood out: «In addition to their technical, cognitive and physical differentiation, what always distinguished Anísio and Stevan was the genuine pleasure of playing football. They had fun, they competed, they helped each other. They were supportive, courageous, humble and showed an enormous sense of gratitude for the club and for those who accompanied them. They never stopped being good kids while becoming great players.”

Nélson reinforces this human dimension: «They were humble kids, kids from the neighborhood, super calm. They created a good atmosphere, not only because of the qualities they added, but also when they were in the locker room.”

With such evident talent, the leap to a higher level became inevitable. The connection between Alta de Lisboa and Escola do Benfica made the transition even more natural. «Being a franchising at Benfica, we have certain contractual situations and one of them is the fact that we privilege and have a very close daily relationship with Benfica’s prospects. So, any player who appears here, we have a duty to inform Benfica immediately», explained the president.

Given this proximity, and with the quality that both already demonstrated, the change was immediate. Anísio went in 2016, a year earlier than Stevan. «Many players have already left here for various clubs and, in these cases, there was no doubt, both Stevan and Anísio stayed there straight away», continued the director.

The rest followed the natural course. After leaving for Benfica, they went through all levels of training, accumulating titles after titles: they were national champions for beginners, youth and juniors. On the Eagles’ side, the bet is clear — despite their young age, both have already signed professional contracts, a sign that the club firmly believes in them. Now the two friends have alternated mainly between the youth team and the under-23s, but Anísio has already achieved the much-desired debut in the main team, and is already scoring.

«As soon as I found out that Anísio had been called up, I wanted to be present at the stadium, because at no point did I doubt that, if he came on, he would score a goal. And, in fact, that is what happened. For me, who was director of the Benfica Escola de Futebol Alta de Lisboa, and today president of Clube Alta de Lisboa, it was indeed a huge pride to have around 55 thousand fans applauding our Anísio», says Nélson Lemos.

At the Under-17 World Cup, Anísio and Stevan shone brightly among the Portuguese constellation that achieved glory. The striker was the second top scorer in the competition, with seven goals, just one behind first place, and will go down in history as the great hero of the final. Stevan was among Bino Maçães’ starting options in all of the Portuguese games, contributing with a goal scored.

For Nélson, the players’ performance was no surprise: «I was already expecting it. They had already given good indicators, so it was already expected that they were going to have a great World Cup.”

Pedro lived everything intensely and does not hide his happiness, also showing confidence in the future of the athletes: «I had the chance to exchange some messages with them, game after game, and to congratulate them at the end. It’s a pride to be able to feel that a little bit of me was with them.”

«They just can’t stop here. They have to believe a lot because they will get there, without a shadow of a doubt. Both have a huge margin of progression. They have huge ambition and the desire they show, not only in the 90 minutes of play, but in the 24 hours is impressive,” he said.

Asked if there could be bets on Benfica, the leader of Alta de Lisboa was direct: «Why not? In recent years, so many good players have left Benfica’s formation and I think that Anísio will, obviously, be a bet for Benfica, just like Stevan. We have to take advantage of their spontaneity and unpredictability in the Benfica team.”

With two world champions and possible future stars of national football having the stamp of Alta de Lisboa, Nélson feels this pride in a special way: «It is a great pride for me as president. It is a showcase for Alta de Lisboa to be recognized as it trains many players well. It’s a source of pride and an example, both for seniors and young people, and a way to see that they can get there.”

Pedro sums up the feeling in a sentence he recently published and which is now circulating around the neighborhood: «Benfica has nine world champions, but Alta de Lisboa has two.»

«It’s good to look at these clubs that sometimes don’t appear as much, but that play a fundamental role in training and transporting players to higher levels. It is very important that there is this recognition often, because the last symbol where the players play is always remembered, but the first is usually forgotten and is very important», concluded the coach.

A humble club, a vibrant neighborhood and two kids who grew up with the joy of street football: Anísio and Stevan now carry the name of Alta de Lisboa around the world and the neighborhood continues to watch them grow, with pride and the certainty that this story has just begun.