Benfica confirm the signing of Jan Vertonghen, Everton Cebolinha and Luca Waldschmidt
Benfica have confirmed the signing of Jan Vertonghen, Everton Cebolinha and Waldschmidt in a social media post on Twitter, with Vertonghen officially unveiled.
Vertonghen, 33, arrives with a considerable reputation in England, having spent eight years with English outfit Tottenham Hotspur. He arrives on a free transfer though, signing a three year contract with the club.
The Belgian international has represented his country 118 times, and played 21 Premier League games for Spurs last campaign.
Cebolinha, meanwhile, arrives from Brazilian outfit Gremio for a fee in the region of 20 million euros, and is highly rated in his home country, having already represented the national team 14 times.
Cebolinha already has several trophies to his name, including the Copa do Brasil, the Copa Libertadores and the Recopa Sudamerica, but he also lays claim to several individual accolades, including being one of the 11 players to win the Bola de Prata, or the Silver Ball, in 2018, which is a Brazilian award given to the best player in each position based on their performances over the course of the year.
It’s sure to be a signing that excites the Benfica faithful, his explosiveness, speed and quick feet making him a constant threat in the attacking third, while his ability to cut inside onto his stronger right foot and go for goal means that he offers considerable productivity to go with his attacking flair - which is only further illustrated by the fact that he has played for Brazil over a dozen times already.
He has scored 3 goals for the senior national team, all of which were scored in the 2019 Copa America, including one in the final as Brazil beat Peru 3-1. He won the Golden Boot for his exploits, finishing as top scorer.
German striker Waldschmidt has also joined the club, arriving from Freiburg, for whom he scored 8 goals last season. He arrives for approximately 15 million euros.
Photo author: Кирилл Венедиктов. License link.
