Geovany Quenda arrived at a grassroots training session at Damaiense wearing jeans and shoes. The coaches initially refused to let him take part. Then the ball came his way. His effortless first touch and dribble persuaded coach Ana Correia to make an exception – an episode that has since become part of his personal folklore.
Born in Guinea-Bissau, Quenda moved to Portugal at seven and adapted quickly. He joined Damaiense's under-10s, then Benfica's academy, before crossing to city rivals Sporting – a move his former youth coach Fabio Roque called 'natural'. Roque told BBC Sport: 'He was incredible and different. His discipline was not always great and he was still raw, but his attitude was excellent.'
“Geovany Quenda, 17, completes £40m Chelsea move after rising from jeans-and-shoes training session to Sporting stardom.”
Now the 17‑year‑old Portugal Under‑21 international has completed a £40m transfer to Chelsea. He agreed to join back in March 2025 but was only formally unveiled this week, signing a contract until 2034. When he arrived at Chelsea he was accompanied by his father, mother, sisters, friends, agents and his godfather Basaula Lemba – a former top‑flight footballer in Portugal who won 10 caps for Zaire.
Quenda hopes to follow Cristiano Ronaldo's path from Sporting's academy to Premier League stardom. Stylistically he is often compared to Arsenal's Bukayo Saka. 'We saw him as an under‑10 player playing against us for Benfica,' Roque recalled. 'We knew from our scouting team that he was a good player. He was demanding of himself, confident, unpredictable, brave and had a great relationship with the ball.'
After Quenda scored against Sporting in a key match for Benfica, a 'non‑aggression pact' between Portugal's three biggest clubs did not stop him switching academies. From 2019 the torment started working the other way. 'I remember one match against Benfica – a very important game,' Roque said.
Quenda has made 86 appearances for Sporting. Now at Chelsea, he has the chance to turn potential into Premier League reality.