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Tomás Araújo

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In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Lemos and the second or paternal family name is Araújo.
Tomás Araújo
Personal information
Full name Tomás Lemos Araújo
Date of birth (2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 22)
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 24 (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)
2024– Portugal 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 November 2024

Tomás Lemos Araújo (Portuguese pronunciation: [tuˈmaz ɐɾɐˈuʒu]; born 16 May 2002) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Portugal national team.

Coming through Benfica's youth system, Araújo impressed during his time with the reserve side, winning the UEFA Youth League in 2021–22, being instrumental part of Benfica's first European trophy in 60 years. He was promoted to the first team in 2021, and subsequently loaned to Gil Vicente in 2022. He returned to Benfica in 2023, established himself as an integral player in the following years.

Araújo is a former Portugal youth international, representing his country at various levels. He made his senior international debut in 2024.

Club career

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Benfica

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2020–22: Early career

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Araújo 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, 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]

2022–24: Loan to Gil Vicente and development

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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, 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] He scored his first goal for the club on 14 April 2024, in a 3–0 home win over Moreirense in the Primeira Liga. During the match, he sprained his right ankle, forcing him to miss rest of the season.[16]

2024–25: First-team breakthrough

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In October 2024, following the arrival of new manager Bruno Lage, Araújo earned a place in the starting XI over António Silva, starting in a 4–0 win over Atlético Madrid on 2 October in the Champions League league phase. Due to his passing quality when building from the back and speed, Lage considered him crucial for the team's dynamics, as he aided in covering defensive gaps and recovering quickly, making him a better fit for Lage's system. After capitalizing on his opportunities, with strong performances, he kept his place as a starter, due to also his reliability to play across different positions in the defense.[17] He was named the league's Defender of the Month for November, after helping Benfica in the four-match winning streak, which included two clean sheets.[18]

International career

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With 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.[19]

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.[20] Portugal were eliminated from the tournament, on 2 July, after a 1–0 loss to England in the quarter-finals.[21]

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.[22] He made his debut on 18 November, starting in the 1–1 draw against the latter; Portugal had already secured first place in their group with one fixture remaining.[23]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 November 2024[24][25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe 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 8 0 1 0 0 0 3[a] 0 12 0
Total 24 1 2 0 4 0 6 0 37 1
Gil Vicente (loan) 2022–23 Primeira Liga 22 1 0 0 2 0 2[b] 0 26 1
Career total 94 5 2 0 6 0 8 0 110 5
  1. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

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As of match played 18 November 2024[26]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Portugal 2024 1 0
Total 1 0

Honours

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Benfica

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "Tomás Araújo assina contrato profissional" [Tomás Araújo signs professional contract] (in European Portuguese). Record. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Vitória escapa nos instantes finais" [Victory escapes in the final instants] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Tomás Araújo renova contrato" [Tomás Araújo renews contract] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Tomás Araújo renova até 2028" [Tomás Araújo renews until 2028] (in European Portuguese). SL Benfica. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "Titular frente ao Moreirense, Tomás Araújo obrigado a parar devido a lesão". 15 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Bruno Lage preferiu Tomás Araújo em vez de António Silva. Eis os motivos" [Bruno Lage preferred Tomás Araújo over António Silva. Here are the reasons.]. Correio da Manhã (in European Portuguese). 11 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Tomás Araújo wins SABSEG Defender of the Month in Liga Portugal Betclic". Liga Portugal. 9 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Portugal vs. Italy".
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ "Tomás Araújo chamado à Seleção Nacional" (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 8 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Croatia v Portugal game report". ESPN. 18 November 2024.
  24. ^ Tomás Araújo at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  25. ^ Tomás Araújo at ForaDeJogo (archived)
  26. ^ "Tomás Araújo". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  27. ^ Vaza, Marco (9 August 2023). "Benfica soube mudar para ganhar a Supertaça". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  28. ^ Conheça os 24 heróis da Youth League
  29. ^ "Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
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