Name: Armindo Tué Na Bangna
Club: Sporting Lisbon
Nationality: Portuguese
Position: Winger
Who is he?
Born in the former Portuguese colony of Guinea Bissau, Bruma grew up in Portugal, joining Sporting Lisbon’s renowned youth academy at the age of 12.
Rising through the ranks at a club that has produced wingers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Figo and Nani to name a few, he saw his talent nurtured.
Starting off in the Lisbon club’s B team, he finally made his senior debut aged 18. By the end of the past season he had made 13 appearances, scoring once in his second ever Primeira Liga game.
Achievements
While he has shown promise at club level so far, it is his performances at the U20 World Cup which have caught scouts’ attentions.
Having played for Portugal from U15 level to the U19s, he was called up to the U20 squad for the underrated tournament in Turkey.
And he did not disappoint as he scored five times in three group stages to take the Portuguese into the knockout stages where they lost to eventual bronze medallists Ghana.
His goal tally left him second on the top scorers chart, earning him the Silver Boot – one goal behind Ghana’s Ebenezer Assifuah who played in more games.
Attributes
To get a snapshot of his talents, check out his goal for Sporting Lisbon below. Blending lightning pace, great balance and an abundance of tricks, Bruma is the typical Portuguese winger.
He is also a goal threat as he proved at the World U20s where he cut in from the wing on countless occasions to finish off chances.
Many of his goals at the tournament saw him drift in from the flank, collect a pass on whichever side of the ‘D’ he found himself and finished with calm precision.
He also got two assists in Turkey to add to the four he made for Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese top flight.
Potential
Bruma has already indicated that he will terminate his Sporting contract which seems to have paved the way for a move to Chelsea.
It does not appear to be the most mature decision especially since his brother joined the Blues and failed to make the grade, partly due to a knee injury. Two years older than Bruma, he has since moved to Fulham.
But the highly-rated Bruma is very inexperienced and although he could play under a Portuguese manager in Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea boss does not have a great track record for patiently developing and integrating young talent.
A couple more seasons as a regular first teamer at Sporting would have done Bruma the world of good, whereas he is risking his career in a similar way to Gael Kakuta, Oriol Romeu and his Dutch namesake Jeffrey Bruma if he goes through with a move to Chelsea.
However, his contract situation is still up in the air and will go before a Joint Arbirtration Committee. Even if Sporting win the case, it is likely that Bruma will leave – but for a set fee that will help the Lions assuage their debts.
