Portugal manager visits Seixal to talk with trio

New Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez arrived in Seixal on Thursday to sit down for talks with World Cup 2022 squad members Goncalo Ramos, Joao Mario and Antonio Silva. The talks are part of Martinez's meet and greet with all 26 players who represented Portugal this past December in Qatar as he gets set to lead Portugal in their campaign to qualify for Euro 2024 which will commence on March 23rd when Portugal host Liechtenstein at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Benfica's squad holds a host of Portuguese players and outside of the trio who had discussions with Martinez, Benfica also have Goncalo Guedes and Rafa Silva who have worn the Portugal jersey at one point or another and potential future squad member in Florentino Luis.

Chiquinho earning the trust of Schmidt

The sale of Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea on the last day of the transfer window left a big hole in Benfica's midfield when the club failed to add a replacement for the talented Argentinian but Benfica manager Roger Schmidt decided to place his trust in current club member Chiquinho and so far that trust has paid dividends for the club.

Chiquinho has become a regular member of the starting XI since the departure of Enzo and for a midfielder that had seen little to no playing time with the club over the past two seasons, it is a major accomplishment for the 27 year old who has been given a chance to see what he can do by the German manager.

Schmidt recently complimented Chiquinho's game since moving into a regular role and said that the midfielder is very strong on the ball, while being able to control the game and covers a lot of the field with his runs. Schmidt is counting on Chiquinho to get better and better as he enjoys a regular run of play.

Joao Mario named league player of the month

Benfica midfielder Joao Mario was named the Portuguese League Player of the month for December/January beating out Gil Vicente striker Fran and Porto's Galeno along with Arouca's Dabbagh. Joao Mario's form has been superb this season under the guidance of manager Roger Schmidt and the midfielder is being recognized for a terrific season to date. Joao Mario scored four league goals over the span of six league games in 486 minutes of action with a player rating of 7.30 to capture the award.