Rafael Quintas
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael José Mestre Quintas | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 8 March 2008 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Benfica | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013– | Benfica | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Portugal U15 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Portugal U16 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Portugal U17 | 21 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 June 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Rafael José Mestre Quintas (born 8 March 2008) is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Benfica.
Early career
Born in Lisbon, Quintas joined Benfica in 2013. There, he distinguished himself with the youth categories of the team.[2] He was given the captain’s armband after signing his first professional contract in April 2024.[3][4]
International career
Quintas was named in Portugal U17's squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[5] As the team captain, Quintas made an immediate impact by netting the first goal in the competition’s opening game against host nation Albania. Portugal then progressed to the final after overcoming Italy on penalties in the semi-finals. They then claimed the trophy by defeating France 3–0 in the final.[6][7][8][9] A key player in Portugal's victorious campaign, Quintas was named as the Player of the Tournament, having started every match.[10][11][12]
Honours
Portugal U17
Individual
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Player of the Tournament: 2025[13]
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2025[14]
References
- ^ "Rafael Quintas". Portugal Football Federation.
- ^ "Rafael Quintas, o relógio suíço do Benfica que é o orgulho do avô". A Bola (in Portuguese). 3 June 2025.
- ^ "Benfica: Rafael Quintas assina contrato profissional aos 16 anos". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Rafael Quintas assina contrato profissional". SL Benfica (in Portuguese). 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Convocatória para o Campeonato da Europa". Portugal Football Federation (in Portuguese). 14 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Portugal win 2025 U17 EURO: At a glance". UEFA. 2 June 2025.
- ^ "La France s'écroule face au Portugal en finale de l'Euro U17". L'Équipe (in French). 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Conheça dez promessas que se destacaram no Europeu Sub-17". Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Euro U17 : les 5 talents du Portugal qui ont illuminé la compétition". trivela.fr (in French). 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Ser o melhor no Euro sub-17 não garante o futuro. Quintas é o próximo à prova". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Rafael Quintas eleito melhor jogador do Euro sub-17". A Bola (in Portuguese). 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Rafael Quintas eleito melhor jogador do Europeu sub-17". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese).
- ^ "Rafael Quintas named 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Player of the Tournament". UEFA.
- ^ "2025 U17 EURO Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.