Tomás Lemos Araújo (born 16 May 2002) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primeira Liga club Benfica.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tomás Lemos Araújo | ||
| Date of birth | 16 May 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Benfica | ||
| Number | 44 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2015 | Operário Famalicão | ||
| 2015 | Evolution Soccer Academy | ||
| 2015–2016 | Palmeiras FC | ||
| 2016–2022 | Benfica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2022 | Benfica B | 48 | (3) |
| 2021– | Benfica | 21 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | → Gil Vicente (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Portugal U15 | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Portugal U16 | 11 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Portugal U17 | 18 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Portugal U18 | 6 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Portugal U19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Portugal U20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2023– | Portugal U21 | 8 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 September 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:33, 20 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editAraújo joined Benfica's academy in 2016, aged 14, having previously played at youth level for Operário Famalicão, Palmeiras FC and Evolution Soccer Academy.[1] On 22 May 2018, he signed his first professional contract with Benfica, until 2021.[2]
After rising through the club's youth ranks, Araújo made his professional debut for Benfica's B team on 19 September 2020, coming off the bench to replace Pedro Ganchas on the 71st minute of a 6–0 victory away at Casa Pia, in the Liga Portugal 2.[3] He made his first professional start on 24 October, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 league defeat at home against Académico de Viseu.[4] On 16 January 2021, Araújo scored his first professional goal, the opener in a 2–2 league draw at home to Académica de Coimbra.[5]
On 2 March 2021, Araújo signed a new deal with Benfica. The duration of the contract was undisclosed.[6]
On 15 December 2021, aged 19, Araújo made his debut for Benfica's main team, starting and playing the full match in a 3–0 home victory over Sporting da Covilhã in the Taça da Liga.[7] On 27 February 2022, he made his Primeira Liga debut, coming off the bench to replace Jan Vertonghen in extra-time of a 3–0 home victory over Vitória de Guimarães.[8] On 13 May, Araújo made his first Primeira Liga start, playing the full match in a 2–0 victory away at Paços de Ferreira.[9]
On 27 July 2022, Benfica sent Araújo on a season-long loan to fellow Primeira Liga club Gil Vicente.[10] He made his debut for the Barcelos side on 18 August, starting in a 4–0 defeat away to AZ Alkmaar in the play-off round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.[11] On 3 September, he made his first league appearance for Gil Vicente, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 home defeat to Porto.[12] Araújo scored his first Primeira Liga goal on 5 March 2023, Gil Vicente's second in a 2–0 victory at home against Marítimo.[13]
At the end of the 2022–23 season, Araújo returned to Benfica and, having impressed on loan, on 24 July 2023, he signed a new contract with the Eagles until 2028.[14]
On 3 October 2023, Araújo made his UEFA Champions League debut for Benfica, in a group stage match away at Inter Milan, coming off the bench in the first-half to replace the injured Alexander Bah, and playing the rest of the game as a makeshift right-back; Benfica lost 1–0.[15]
International career
editWith the Portugal under-17s, Araújo took participated in the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Ireland, playing four matches losing in the quarter-finals to Italy.[16]
On 24 March 2023, he won his first cap for the under-21 side, starting in a 2–0 friendly win over Romania. In June, he took part in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[17] Portugal were eliminated from the tournament, on 2 July, after a 1–0 loss to England in the quarter-finals.[18]
On 8 October 2024, Araújo received his first call-up to the senior squad for the UEFA Nations League matches against Poland and Croatia, as a replacement for the injured Gonçalo Inácio.[19]
Career statistics
editClub
edit| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Benfica B | 2020–21 | Liga Portugal 2 | 27 | 1 | — | — | — | 27 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | Liga Portugal 2 | 21 | 2 | — | — | — | 21 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 48 | 3 | — | — | — | 48 | 3 | |||||
| Benfica | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| Gil Vicente (loan) | 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Career total | 91 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 105 | 5 | ||
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League
Honours
editBenfica
Individual
- UEFA Youth League Team of the Tournament: 2021–22[24]
References
edit- ^ "Tomás Araújo: "O Benfica é a minha casa desde os 14 anos"" [Tomás Araújo: "Benfica is my house since 14 years old"]. SAPO Desporto (in European Portuguese). 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Tomás Araújo assina contrato profissional" [Tomás Araújo signs professional contract] (in European Portuguese). Record. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Benfica B avassalador com goleada e um hat-trick" [Benfica B overwhelming with thrashing and an hat-trick] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Benfica B-Ac. Viseu, 0-1: triunfo viseense na estreia do técnico Pedro Duarte" [Benfica B-Ac. Viseu, 0-1: "viseense" triumph in manager Pedro Duarte's debut] (in European Portuguese). Record. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Vitória escapa nos instantes finais" [Victory escapes in the final instants] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Tomás Araújo renova contrato" [Tomás Araújo renews contract] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Tomás Araújo: estreia pela equipa A aos 19 anos" [Tomás Araújo: debut for A team at 19 years old] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "A vitória mais expressiva da era Veríssimo, com ovação e braçadeira para Yaremchuck" [The most expressive victory of the Veríssimo era, with ovation and flag for Yaremchuk] (in European Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Maia, Vítor (13 May 2022). "P. Ferreira-Benfica, 0-2 (crónica)" [P. Ferreira-Benfica, 0-2 (chronicle)]. Maisfutebol (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Oficial: Tomás Araújo emprestado pelo Benfica ao Gil Vicente" [Official: Tomás Araújo loaned by Benfica to Gil Vicente] (in European Portuguese). O Jogo. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Cruz, André (18 August 2022). "Liga Conferência: AZ Alkmaar-Gil Vicente, 4-0 (crónica)" [Conference League: AZ Alkmaar-Gil Vicente, 4-0 (chronicle)]. Maisfutebol (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Gil Vicente perde com o FC Porto em Barcelos e já não ganha há quatro jogos" [Gil Vicente loses to FC Porto in Barcelos and hasn't won in four games]. O Minho (in European Portuguese). 3 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Dantas, Nuno (5 March 2023). "Gil Vicente-Marítimo, 2-0 (destaques)" [Gil Vicente-Marítimo, 2-0 (highlights)]. Maisfutebol (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Tomás Araújo renova até 2028" [Tomás Araújo renews until 2028] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Alexander Bah lesiona-se em Milão e promove estreia de Tomás Araújo na Champions" [Alexander Bah injured in Milan and promotes Tomás Araújo's Champions debut]. OneFootball (in European Portuguese). 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Portugal vs. Italy".
- ^ "History: Portugal 2-1 Belgium | UEFA Under-21 2023". UEFA. 27 June 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Howell, Alex (2 July 2023). "England U21 1-0 Portugal U21". BBC Sport. BBC. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Tomás Araújo chamado à Seleção Nacional" (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 8 October 2024.
- ^ Tomás Araújo at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ Tomás Araújo at ForaDeJogo (archived)
- ^ Vaza, Marco (9 August 2023). "Benfica soube mudar para ganhar a Supertaça". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Conheça os 24 heróis da Youth League
- ^ "Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.