Geovany Quenda: Meet New Chelsea Signing Who Plays Like Saka, Idolizes Ronaldo

Chelsea’s new signing Geovany Quenda is aiming to follow the path blazed by Cristiano Ronaldo after swapping Sporting for the Premier League.

The highly rated Portugal Under-21 international, often compared to Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, has completed his long-awaited move to Chelsea after an agreement was reached as far back as March 2025. He has now been officially unveiled at Stamford Bridge on a contract running until 2034.

Geovany Quenda who was born in Guinea-Bissau, moved to Portugal at the age of seven before beginning his football journey at grassroots side Damaiense. One of the defining moments of his childhood came when he turned up for training in jeans and shoes and was initially refused permission to play.

Everything changed when he effortlessly controlled a loose ball and beat an opponent, convincing coach Ana Correia to intervene. She later revealed she persuaded club officials to “make an exception” for the youngster.

From Damaiense, Quenda joined Benfica’s academy before crossing the city divide to Sporting, where his talent flourished.

Despite an informal understanding among Benfica, Sporting and Porto to avoid signing each other’s academy players, Quenda eventually made the switch to Sporting after impressing against them in a youth fixture.

Quenda continued his development at Sporting under coach Tiago Teixeira, who saw signs of exceptional ability long before the teenager reached Sporting’s first team.

“Everyone talked about him. Everyone said he was one of the most talented players in the academy,” Teixeira told BBC.

“We wanted him to develop step by step, but he could have made his debut sooner.

“I remember one training session when we were practising set-pieces and free-kicks. We joked that he could not score from a free-kick.

“Then he scored four or five in a row, smiled and said: ‘OK, finished for me.'”

Geovany Quenda is like Saka

Roque believes Quenda’s style is closer to Bukayo Saka than Cristiano Ronaldo.

“It’s his explosiveness, his ability to play inside, protect the ball, his unpredictability and his creativity,” he said.

“Defensively, Geovany might even be stronger than Saka at this stage. Bukayo is, of course, already performing consistently in a highly competitive league. But his running, crossing and final pass remind me a lot of Saka.”

He added: “He’s one of the most impressive players I’ve seen. Among players born in 2007, he is one of the best in the world, alongside Lamine Yamal and Estevao. My expectations are very high, but I know it is a long career.”

By 16, Quenda had broken into Ruben Amorim’s first-team training group before going on to rewrite Sporting’s record books.

He became the youngest player to score in the Portuguese Super Cup, later set new club records as Sporting’s youngest player to start and score in the Champions League, surpassed Ronaldo as the club’s youngest scorer in Liga Portugal and established himself as a regular in the senior side while still only 17.

Teixeira also backed the youngster to become one of Europe’s standout talents. “Saka is more direct and faster,” he said. “But I think Quenda may be better when playing inside. It is clear he is a once-in-a-decade talent for an academy.”

Quenda prepared extensively for life in England before completing his move, taking English lessons, following specialised fitness and nutrition programmes and later carrying out much of his rehabilitation at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground after suffering a broken fifth metatarsal that ruled him out for four months.

During his recovery, he regularly spoke with then Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior and Portuguese team-mates Pedro Neto and Dario Essugo. He also quietly attended matches at Stamford Bridge without attracting attention.

Sources close to the teenager say he is targeting a regular place in Chelsea’s first team and hopes to earn his senior Portugal debut in the near future.

Although Chelsea’s squad are only due back for pre-season on Thursday, Quenda has already reported early to begin preparations as he looks to hit the ground running in west London.

The teenager is capable of playing as a winger or wing-back, offering new manager Xabi Alonso valuable tactical flexibility ahead of the new season.

Chelsea are also reshaping the squad with Quenda’s arrival in mind. Alejandro Garnacho has been placed on the transfer list, while academy winger Jesse Derry is expected to join Sporting.