Renato Sanches swapped clubs at the tender age of nine for €750 and 25 footballs, so many scoffed when Bayern Munich paid a cool €35 million for the Portuguese prodigy’s services nine years later.
Benfica signed Sanches in 2006 for a nominal fee from Lisbon minnows Aguias Musgueira, kindly also throwing in a large bag of balls to seal the deal. Fast forward 10 years and Portugal’s hottest prospect since Cristiano Ronaldo has the world at his feet and is currently outshining CR7 at the Euros, grabbing two straight man of the match awards.
Sanches caught the eye during exciting cameos as a substitute in the group stages and also against Croatia in the round of 16, but really captured the imagination on his first start for Portugal in the quarterfinal in Marseille. Robert Lewandowski had opened the scoring for Poland after just 100 seconds, but Sanches’ blistering equaliser made him the youngest ever player to score in the knockout stages of the European Championship.
A coolly converted penalty in the nervy shootout belied his age as Portugal progressed to the last four of the competition without winning a game in normal time. How about that for efficiency?
One thing’s for sure: The box-to-box midfielder’s inspired performances at the Euros, displaying a maturity and composure beyond his years, means that it’s already looking like money well spent by Bayern.
With add-ons, Sanches’ fee could rise to as much as €80m if the teenager lifts the prestigious Ballon d’Or and/or is named in FIFA’s World XI during his time in Bavaria. Ultimately, Bayern will be only too happy to cough up a considerable amount more than the initial €35m it took to pry him away from Lisbon if it means Sanches’ Bayern career is an unmitigated success.
The Bayern hierarchy will also be ecstatic at having kept Sanches away from the clutches of the Premier League. Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge couldn’t conceal his delight at the time of the gifted youngster’s acquisition.
“We’ve been watching him over a long period and we’re delighted to sign him, despite a lot of interest in him from other big name rivals,” he said. “Renato is dynamic, strong in the tackle and a technically skilled midfielder who’ll be a great addition to the side.”
Portuguese teammate Nani revealed after his side’s quarterfinal victory that the starlet chose to spurn the advances of Jose Mourinho at Manchester United in favour of a new adventure in Germany.
“I hope he has made a good choice and that he is happy in his career, but I think United will now know what a big player they have missed,” the ex-Manchester United star said.
The link with his fellow Portuguese at Old Trafford was an obvious one as both are on the books of their compatriot and so-called “super agent” Jorge Mendes. But Bayern went about their business quietly and efficiently well before Euro 2016 got underway, preparing for life after Pep Guardiola with some appealing welcome presents for new Italian maestro Carlo Ancelotti.
Sanches had already passed a medical at Bayern by the time the Double was done and dusted under Guardiola, having done enough to impress in the Bayern vs. Benfica Champions League quarterfinal tie in April. The German side narrowly prevailed 3-2 on aggregate, with Sanches particularly effective in the first leg as Benfica kept Bayern in check for 88 minutes, losing by a whisker to Arturo Vidal’s goal in only the second minute.
The youngster’s signing probably went slightly under the radar in May as it was announced within 30 minutes of Mats Hummels’ controversial switch from Dortmund to the German champions.
Sanches has been compared to Dutchman Edgar Davids, due to his hairstyle and midfield creativity. Speedy, dynamic and versatile, he impressed out wide in the second half for his national side against Poland. Yet, given his fearsome tackling, similarities with the equally-combative Vidal are inevitable.
The fee for Sanches is offset by the huge profit Bayern made on Sebastian Rode by selling him to Borussia Dortmund for a whopping €15.5m. The free transfer signing from Eintracht Frankfurt has his virtues, but managed just three league starts last season and offloading the industrious, but limited, midfielder for such a fee is a marvellous piece of business.
If a couple more players are sold after the Euros to further boost the coffers, the long-term investment in Sanches may seem like a drop in the Bavarian ocean.
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