Renato Veiga
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Renato Palma Veiga (; born 29 July 2003) is a Portuguese professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays for club Chelsea, and the Portugal national team. Mainly a
centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
, he can also play as a
left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
or
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
. He came through
Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,
's youth academy, and was loaned to
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
side
Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
in January 2023, before joining
Swiss Super League The Super League (also known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss football league system. It has been played in its current fo ...
side
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
in August. After a season in Switzerland, he moved to
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
side Chelsea in July 2024. Veiga is a former Portugal youth international, representing his country at various levels. He made his full debut in 2024 and won the
UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...
in
2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
.


Club career


Sporting CP


Early career

Veiga was born in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, Portugal. He joined
Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,
's academy in 2010, then moved on to Real Massamá, before rejoining
Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,
in 2019, swiftly progressing from the under-17 team to the reserves as he was thrown in alongside players well above his age group. Veiga made his debut for
Sporting CP B Sporting Clube de Portugal B is the reserve team of Portuguese football club Sporting CP, a team based in Lisbon. Reserve teams in Portugal play in the same league system as the senior team, rather than in a reserve team league. However, they cann ...
against Cova Piedade U23 on 12 September 2020. On 31 October 2020, he scored his first goal against Marítimo's U23. However, despite his swift progress, first-team opportunities would be hard to come by under head coach
Ruben Amorim Ruben Filipe Marques Amorim (; born 27 January 1985) is a Portuguese Professional association football, professional football Manager (association football), manager, a former player and the current manager of Premier League club Manchester Unit ...
, although he was included in Sporting's
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
squad to face
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
on 9 March 2022, with his manager revealing that Veiga was included "because
porting In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desig ...
had a few midfielders utat the moment, being with the first team help the young players grow."


Loan to Augsburg

Having failed to make a first-team breakthrough by the time he turned 19, Veiga was loaned to
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
side
Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
in January 2023, on what was intended to be a one year loan up until 31 December 2023. He made his league debut on 11 February in a 3–1 defeat against
Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...
. However, despite being afforded plenty of minutes across 13 appearances, he failed to impress and on 15 August, the club announced that after analyzing the first six months together with the player, they ultimately came to the decision to end the loan early.


Basel

On 28 August 2023,
Swiss Super League The Super League (also known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss football league system. It has been played in its current fo ...
side
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
announced that they had signed Veiga on a four-year contract. This was reported to have had a fee of €4.6 million, with Sporting keeping a 10% sell-on clause. On the next day, Veiga joined Basel's first team during their 2023–24 season under head coach
Timo Schultz Timo Schultz (born 26 August 1977) is a German former footballer, and manager, who was most recently the manager of 1. FC Köln. Career Born in Wittmund, Schultz is a youth product of Werder Bremen. After playing for the club's reserves for fou ...
. Veiga played his domestic league debut for his new club in the home game in the
St. Jakob-Park St. Jakob-Park () is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity w ...
on 3 September, playing in the starting eleven. He scored his first goal for the team in the same game, a free kick, as Basel played a 2–2 draw with
Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
. He was named player of the week by the Swiss Super League and the strike ultimately earned Basel's Goal of the Season award. Under Schultz, he played a variety of roles, mainly playing as a
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
, whilst also filling in at
centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
and
left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
, where he emerged as one of the best players in the league. However, the second half of his season was hampered by an ankle sprain, which saw him missing the relegation play-offs as Basel secured survival.


Chelsea

On 12 July 2024, Veiga signed a seven-year contract with
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club Chelsea with a further one-year option. The fee was reported to be €14 million. On 18 August, he made his debut for the club, as a substitute, in a 2–0 loss against
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
in the league. He scored his first goal on 3 October, in the 4–2 victory over
Gent Gent is a shortened form of the word gentleman. It may also refer to: * Ghent ( Dutch: Gent), a Belgian city ** K.A.A. Gent, a football club from Ghent ** K.R.C. Gent, a football club from Ghent ** Gent RFC, a rugby club in Ghent ** .gent, ...
, during the inaugural matchday of the newly formatted
UEFA Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...
league stage League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...
.


Loan to Juventus

On 27 January 2025, Veiga joined
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
club
Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season.


International career

Veiga represented
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
at under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, for a total of 17
caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
. On 8 September 2023 he earned his first
appearance Appearance may refer to: * Visual appearance, the way in which objects reflect and transmit light * Human physical appearance, what someone looks like * ''Appearances'' (film), a 1921 film directed by Donald Crisp * Appearance (philosophy), or ...
for Portugal at under-21 level, playing the 3–0 victory against
Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...
in the 2023 UEFA European Championship
qualification Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
, and scored his first goal against
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
, in a 6–1 victory at the same phase. Veiga was called up to the senior Portugal national team for the first time for the
UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...
matches against
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
and
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
in September 2024. He made his debut on 13 October, starting in a 3–1 away victory against
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
in the UEFA Nations League. In May 2025, Veiga was selected for Portugal’s
2025 UEFA Nations League Finals The 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, 2024–25 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the fourth season of the international Association football, football competition involving the men ...
squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...
. He and his team would go on to win the tournament 5–3 in a penalty shootout over rivals
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.


Personal life

Veiga is the son of the
Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
former international footballer
Nélson Veiga Nélson César Tavares Rodrigues da Veiga (born 9 February 1978) is a Cape Verdean former footballer. He could play as either a right back or a central defender. Club career Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Veiga played for several local clubs as a you ...
.


Style of play

A left-footed versatile defender, Veiga started out playing as a
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
, while also filling in at
center back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
or
left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
during his spell at
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, under manager
Timo Schultz Timo Schultz (born 26 August 1977) is a German former footballer, and manager, who was most recently the manager of 1. FC Köln. Career Born in Wittmund, Schultz is a youth product of Werder Bremen. After playing for the club's reserves for fou ...
. His style combines physicality, athleticism, and technical skill, making him effective in breaking up play, tackling, and distributing the ball from deep areas. At Basel, he was trusted to initiate attacks with his vision and passing range, ranking highly in progressive and long passes within the
Swiss Super League The Super League (also known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss football league system. It has been played in its current fo ...
. Defensively, Veiga is assertive, quick for his size, and excels in pressing opponents to force turnovers. His physical attributes and aggressive nature make him effective in duels, while his athleticism and long strides provide speed and coverage, allowing him to recover and press opponents quickly. In possession, his passing ability stands out, as he can switch play effortlessly and deliver precise long balls, often breaking the lines and initiating attacks. But then again, we could see him taking too long to make that decisive pass, and that could turn into a problem, especially when facing a counter-pressing teams.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

Chelsea *
UEFA Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...
: 2024–25 Portugal *
UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...
: 2024–25


References


External links


Profile
at the Chelsea F.C. website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Veiga, Renato 2003 births Living people Portuguese sportspeople of Cape Verdean descent Black Portuguese sportspeople Footballers from Lisbon Portuguese men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Sporting CP B players FC Augsburg players FC Basel players Chelsea F.C. players Juventus FC players Liga 3 (Portugal) players Bundesliga players Swiss Super League players Premier League players Serie A players Portugal men's youth international footballers Portugal men's under-21 international footballers Portugal men's international footballers Portuguese expatriate men's footballers Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Germany Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in England Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Italy 21st-century Portuguese sportsmen UEFA Conference League–winning players UEFA Nations League–winning players