PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Gustavo Sá gives another demonstration of a brilliant future | OneFootball

Twenty is the magic number for Futebol Clube de Famalicão. Debutant manager Hugo Oliveira (Ex-Fulham) took charge of his first game in charge of Famalicão after 20 years as an assistant and goalkeeping coach.

As has happened so often in the recent past, 20-year-old Gustavo Sá had a crucial part to play in guaranteeing an important point away at Braga’s Pedreira in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Kevin Fernandes reports as one of Portugal’s brightest young talents, Famalicão’s No. 20, shone under the lights in a Minho derby to make himself the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.

The origins

It all started at Academia Elite Sport, a respected educational footballing institution in Vila Nova de Famalicão with interesting iconography.

Futebol Clube do Porto poached the young talent, where Gustavo was soon integrated into the Porto affiliated academy set-up, Dragon Force. Despite being born in the coastal town of Póvoa de Varzim, Sá would find his home inland at Famalicão. Such has been his impact that despite his tender age, representatives of the club have stated that “Gustavo has already earned himself a privileged place in the history of Futebol Clube de Famalicão.”

His rise from the Under-15s was far from ordinary, as in the month of October in 2019, then 16-year-old Sá was promoted to the U19 squad, and he signed his first professional contract. He had an extremely impressive season, scoring 10 goals in the U19 national championship. These elite numbers earned Gustavo his first taste of international football for Portugal’s Under-18s, winning the Torneio Internacional do Porto and Torneio Internacional de Lisboa.

The transition to the first team would commence in the summer of 2022, when Gustavo Sá trained with the senior players throughout pre-season, proving his maturity and quality. His contract was immediately extended, and he would make his senior professional debut as a late substitute against…you guessed it, Sporting Clube de Braga.

Despite a disappointing 3-0 loss, Gustavo Sá would shoot straight to the upper echelons of the youngest players ever to feature for Famalicão. As he adapted to the demands of Liga Portugal, the Portugal Under-19 squad were reaping the rewards as the famalicense star boy demonstrated repeatedly that he was levels above that age group, as attested by 6 goals in 12 matches for the midfielder.

The following season would be his breakout, with this current season proving to be an affirmation. Sá has accumulated 13 goal contributions in 46 appearances. As a midfielder with depth and variety to his game, Gustavo even sporadically captained his side and earned his first caps for Portugal’s Under-21 team.

A unique player destined to follow in the footsteps of Pedro Gonçalves

Standing at roughly 6ft2, Gustavo Sá isn’t your typical creative archetype. A winner of 7.2 ground duels and 2.5 aerial duels per 90 Liga Portugal minutes played (via FotMob), Sá is built for modern football with the perfect frame and long limbs doing nothing to lessen his technical quality.

Gustavo Sá can be described as an athletic, cerebral, modern attacking midfielder, balancing the defensive characteristics of the modern #8 with the box-crashing tendencies, awareness of space, and close control to operate in pockets reminiscent of the modern #10.

His emphatic finish on Monday night, rifled beyond Matheus Magalhães, is a perfect of a young footballer at a level beyond his years.

Additionally, Sá contributed with:

Such productivity was achieved despite being called upon in diverse sectors of the pitch, unwilling to neglect defensive responsibilities.

His unusual build rarely interferes with his capacity to weave away from opposition with ease; not particularly an elite dribbler but capable of creation separation using body manipulation.

Surrounded by the likes of Gil Dias, Rochinha and Óscar Aranda, all dribble-heavy creators, Sá is the ‘thinker’ of famalicense offensive processes with more consideration in his progression style. Sá has variety in his passing range, often finding his man in space with deft, delicate switches unmatched by any teammate and few players in the league.

Of all the talent operating outside the traditional ‘Big Three’, Gustavo Sá can be placed among the best in terms of immediate quality and potential ceiling.

Famalicão will be disappointed to have let 2-0 and 3-1 leads slip, however, the opponent, occasion and debutant managerial context will allow for value to be taken out of an exciting duel for the neutral spectator.

Gustavo Sá was at the forefront once again and is poised to advance as Hugo Oliveira’s star man before a likely move to a bigger club at the end of the season.