Pedro Goncalves - the undisputed Sporting star replicating Bruno Fernandes and making a push for Portugal's Euro 2020 squad
In Pedro Goncalves, Sporting have stumbled upon the most exceptional replacement for talisman Bruno Fernandes - and while the Manchester United star ended up being sold for less than Sporting’s financial demands, Goncalves’ impressive start to life in Lisbon ensures that he is surely on course to eclipse the transfer fee paid for Fernandes.
Sporting CP fans have had to wait nearly two decades since seeing their beloved club last win the Portuguese Primeira Liga title - but after an emphatic, unbeaten, near-perfect start to the current domestic campaign - orchestrated in a large part by summer signing Pedro ‘Pote’ Goncalves - there is growing optimism that this could be the year that infamous drought comes to an end.
With an incredible 35 points points from their opening 13 games, they are the only side yet to lose in the league this season - and with SL Benfica and FC Porto having both slipped up a few times already this campaign, they have built a strong 4 point lead at the summit.
Few would have fancied Sporting to mount a serious title challenge this season, their summer of shrewd, careful transfer activity dwarfed by the business conducted by Lisbon rivals SL Benfica - but they have continued to impress week on week - and their heroics this campaign are in a large part down to the showings from Pedro Goncalves.
The 22-year old joined Sporting from Famalicao in the summer for just 7 million euros after the Portugal U21 international experienced a fantastic first campaign in Portuguese football, 7 goals and 8 assists in 40 appearances an indication of a young midfielder with a point to prove and the ability to match.
However, his productivity and output has exploded beyond belief this campaign, with Ruben Amorim’s exceptional 3-4-3 system redefining his role and converting him into a potent inside forward in a fluid front line alongside the likes of Nuno Santos and Tiago Tomas. This progression up the field implemeted by Amorim has proved a revelation, and has allowed Goncalves to match Fernandes’ goal contribution - and then some.
His exceptional, scarcely believable, 11 goals this season makes him the outright top goalscorer in the league, and that they have all come in just 12 outings ensures he is averaging a goal every 98 minutes. By comparison, Bruno Fernandes, in his spectacular final season in Lisbon, managed just 8 goals in 17 league appearances. Even if you throw in his 7 assists alongside that, his direct goal contribution every 102 minutes for Sporting in his final league campaign for the club is unable to match Pedro Goncalves’ incredible goalscoring record this season.
Arriving at Famalicao from Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers on a free transfer having only earned one senior appearance in England - a 30 minute cameo versus Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup - little was known about Pote in Portugal, and whether he would make a considerable impact at the Primeira Liga newcomers was far from certain.
However, right from the off his directness, composure in possession and decision making in tight spaces made him an instant fan favourite and earned him admirers across the country. But at Sporting CP, he has taken his performances to an entirely new level, and has been instrumental in turning what was previously seen as a relatively average Sporting side into not only genuine title contenders, but Primeira Liga favourites.
With good speed, movement and creativity constantly on show, Goncalves has always looked like a top quality midfielder, but playing a more advanced role for Sporting has brought out the best in him, as he has not only proved an incredibly accomplished midfielder, but a clinical forward too. His goals have come in good variety too, be it efforts from tight angles, headers, tap-ins, long-range shots, runs off the last man… he provides variety, and always looks a threat.
And his extraordinary exploits have raised questions as to just how much he could really be worth; though having only been at Sporting for a matter of months, his quality is already shining through, and a major profit already looks to be on the cards.
Most would agree that he still, despite the quality start that he has made, has a lot to prove; sustaining this performance level over the course of a season is the minimum requirement for a player to be deemed worthy of a 50-million-euro-plus price tag - but if he does indeed maintain this exquisite form, Pedro Goncalves will continue to earn admirers from across the continent and will surely bring in an even larger sum of money than Manchester United’s latest Portuguese magnifico.
Goncalves is hurtling towards a major career move - and the delaying of the 2020 European Championship by a year could prove a major event in his career as he continues to stake a major claim for a place in Fernando Santos’ 23-man squad that will look to defend Portugal’s European crown this summer, something that would have been wholly impossible had the Euros managed to keep to their original schedule.
