Benfica Tomás Araújo Contract Renewal

STATEMENTS TO BTV

Linked to the Club since the 2016/17 season, Tomás Araújo, 21-year-old center-back, renewed his contract with Sport Lisboa e Benfica. The new deal for the player, who made his first-team debut on December 15, 2021, runs until 2028.

"Benfica has been my home since I was 14, and I've always been treated well by everyone. It's the best Portuguese club and the one in my heart, so I can only be very happy", he started by saying.

Coming from Palmeiras FC/Benfica Escola de Futebol Famalicão, the central defender joined Benfica Campus in 2016/17 and, in his first season with the eagle on his chest, he became a U-15 National Champion.

Tomás Araújo then went through the U-17 and U-19 teams until he reached the B team, where he made his debut on September 19, 2020, in Benfica's 6-0 win over Casa Pia. In that same season (2020/21), the central defender also represented the reds' U-23s.

"Benfica has been my home since I was 14, and I've always been treated well by everyone. It's the best club in Portugal and the one in my heart, so I can only be very happy"

Tomás Araújo

In the 2021/22 season, the player established himself in the B team and his good performances led to his debut in Benfica's first team: he played 90 minutes in the 3-0 win over Covilhã, for the League Cup, on December 15, 2021. That was the first of four official games for the central defender among the eagles' elite.

That same season he played all games in the U19s' UEFA Youth League winning campaign, where he played alongside António Silva: "It's always good to play with good players like António [Silva], Morato, Lucas [Veríssimo] and Nico [Otamendi], who has started training with us. Benfica has a high-quality squad, and it's always good to be surrounded by great players."

"It's been a very difficult pre-season, but that's normal for Benfica. We have to be well-prepared for the rest of the season, so we have to give our all in every training session"

Last season (2022/23), Tomás Araújo was on loan at Gil Vicente, where he played 26 games divided by League (22), League Cup (2) and Conference League group stage qualifiers (2).

"It's been a very difficult pre-season, but that's normal for Benfica. We have to be well-prepared for the rest of the season, so we have to give our all in every training session. Benfica's goals are always the same: to win the National Championship and get as far as possible in the remaining competitions", claimed the international with Portugal's youth teams: he has 52 caps between the U-15 and U-21 levels.