Renato Sanches facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Renato Sanches

Sanches playing for Bayern Munich in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Renato Júnior Luz Sanches
Date of birth	(1997-08-18) 18 August 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Amadora, Portugal
Height	1.76 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Benfica (on loan from Paris Saint-Germain)
Number	85
Youth career
2005–2006	Águias da Musgueira
2006–2015	Benfica
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2014–2015	Benfica B	34	(3)
2015–2016	Benfica	24	(2)
2016–2019	Bayern Munich	35	(1)
2017–2018	→ Swansea City (loan)	12	(0)
2019–2022	Lille	67	(6)
2022–	Paris Saint-Germain	23	(2)
2023–2024	→ Roma (loan)	7	(1)
2024–	→ Benfica (loan)	6	(0)
National team
2012	Portugal U15	2	(0)
2012–2013	Portugal U16	7	(1)
2013–2014	Portugal U17	19	(4)
2014–2015	Portugal U19	12	(3)
2017	Portugal U21	4	(0)
2016–2021	Portugal	32	(3)
Honours Men's football Representing  Portugal UEFA European Championship Winner 2016 France
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:19, 5 January 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Renato Júnior Luz Sanches (born on August 18, 1997) is a professional footballer from Portugal. He plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Benfica. He is currently on loan from Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.

Renato started his career at Benfica, a famous Portuguese club. He first played for their reserve team in 2014 and then for the main team in 2015. In his first season with Benfica, he helped them win two big titles: the Primeira Liga and the Taça da Liga. Because of his amazing performance, he won the Primeira Liga Breakthrough Player award and the Golden Boy award.

His great playing caught the eye of the German team Bayern Munich. They signed him in July 2016 for a large amount of money. This was the highest fee ever paid for a Portuguese player from the Primeira Liga at that time. After a challenging first season with Bayern, he was loaned to Premier League team Swansea City in August 2017.

After returning to Bayern, he later moved to the French club Lille in August 2019. He became Lille's most expensive player ever. In his second season there, he helped Lille win the 2020–21 Ligue 1 title, which was their first league win in 10 years! In 2022, he joined Paris Saint-Germain. After one season, he was loaned to the Italian club Roma. In 2024, he returned to Benfica on loan again.

Renato Sanches also played a lot for Portugal's youth national teams, scoring 8 goals in 40 games. He made his debut for the senior national team in March 2016. He was chosen for UEFA Euro 2016 when he was just 18 years old. This made him the youngest Portuguese player to play in an international tournament. He also became the youngest player to win a UEFA Euro final. He scored one goal in the tournament and won the Young Player of the Tournament award. Portugal won the title for the first time in their history!

Early Life and Football Start

Renato Sanches was born in Amadora, Portugal, on August 18, 1997. His father was from São Tomé and Príncipe, and his mother was from Cape Verde. His grandmother called him Bulo. He grew up in a neighborhood in Lisbon called Musgueira. His parents separated when he was a baby. His father moved to France for work. Renato's birth was not officially recorded until his father came back in 2002.

Renato started playing football at a club called Águias da Musgueira when he was eight. He joined Benfica's youth team in 2006 when he was nine. Benfica paid €750 and 25 footballs to sign him! He impressed Benfica coaches after training with them for only 15 minutes. At first, he wasn't sure about traveling to their academy every day.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Benfica

Sanches in action in March 2016, playing in a Champions League game against Zenit

Renato Sanches began his professional career in the 2014–15 season. He played for Benfica's B-team in the second division. His first game was on October 5, 2014, against Feirense. He scored his first goal for the B-team on August 30, 2015.

In the 2015–16 season, Renato was moved up to the main Benfica team. On October 21, he scored a goal in a big 11–1 win in the UEFA Youth League. Just nine days later, he made his debut for the first team. He came on as a substitute in a 4–0 win against Tondela.

After a short break, Renato signed a new contract with Benfica until 2021. On November 25, he started his first game for the main team. This was a UEFA Champions League match against Astana. On December 4, 2015, he scored his first goal for Benfica. It was a powerful shot from 30 meters away! This made him Benfica's youngest player to score a home goal in the 21st century. His goal was even chosen as the "Goal of the Month."

Renato scored another goal on January 2, 2016, which was the only goal in a league match against Vitória de Guimarães. In April, he faced some racist comments from fans during a game. He reacted calmly with a smile and a gesture. In his last game for Benfica, on May 20, Benfica won the league cup 6–2 against Marítimo.

Moving to Bayern Munich

Sanches training with Bayern in May 2017

On May 10, 2016, Renato Sanches signed a five-year contract with the German club Bayern Munich. The transfer fee was €35 million, which could go up to €80 million with bonuses. This made him the most expensive Portuguese player to leave the Portuguese league. He was also the first Portuguese player to join Bayern.

Renato made his debut for Bayern on September 9, 2016. In October, he won the Golden Boy award. This award is given to the best European player under 21 years old.

Even though Bayern won the Bundesliga, Renato played in only 25 games and did not score any goals or make any assists. He had to compete with many experienced players. He later said he was disappointed with how he played.

Loan to Swansea City

On August 31, 2017, Renato joined Premier League club Swansea City on a one-year loan. He went there to get more playing time in a strong league. He made his debut ten days later. Unfortunately, he struggled with injuries and did not play much after January 2018.

Back at Bayern

Sanches playing for Bayern in August 2019

Renato returned to Bayern Munich on July 1, 2018. The new Bayern manager, Niko Kovač, wanted to help him play well. On September 19, Renato scored his first goal for Bayern. It was against his old club Benfica in a Champions League game. He was even chosen as Bayern's best player for September!

On May 18, he scored his first Bundesliga goal. This helped Bayern win the league title. A week later, he won his first DFB-Pokal (German Cup) with Bayern.

Playing for Lille

Sanches playing for Lille against Ajax Amsterdam in 2019

On August 23, 2019, Renato Sanches joined the French club Lille. He signed a four-year contract. The transfer fee was €20 million, making him Lille's most expensive signing ever. He made his debut on September 1.

He scored his first goal for Lille on December 13, 2019. He was named Lille's Player of the Month in December and January. He played in 30 games and scored 4 goals, helping Lille finish in 4th place.

In his second season at Lille, he played an important role in midfield. He helped Lille win the 2020–21 Ligue 1 title. This ended the club's 10-year wait for a league championship!

Sanches playing for Lille in 2021

At the start of the 2021–22 season, Renato had another hamstring injury. He returned to play in October and scored his first goal of the season on December 1.

Time at Paris Saint-Germain and Loans

On August 4, 2022, Renato Sanches signed a permanent deal with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The transfer fee was €10 million. He made his PSG debut on August 13 and scored a goal shortly after coming on as a substitute.

On August 16, 2023, Renato joined the Italian club Roma on a loan for one season. He returned to Benfica on loan on August 5, 2024. This deal was part of a transfer that saw another player, João Neves, move to PSG.

International Career for Portugal

Youth and Senior Team Debut

Renato Sanches played 40 games for Portugal's youth teams. He helped the Portugal Under-17 team reach the semi-finals of the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He was even named in the "Team of the Tournament."

On March 18, 2016, Renato was called up to the senior Portugal national team. He made his debut on March 25, 2016, in a friendly match against Bulgaria.

UEFA Euro 2016 Success

Sanches scoring the equaliser for Portugal against Poland at UEFA Euro 2016

Renato was chosen for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. This made him the youngest Portuguese player ever to be picked for a major international competition. He broke a record that Cristiano Ronaldo had held for 12 years!

He made his first appearance in the tournament on June 14. In the quarter-finals against Poland, Renato became the youngest Portuguese player to start in a major tournament. He scored a goal from outside the box, which tied the game 1–1. This made him the youngest player to score in a knockout match at a UEFA European Championship. After the game ended in a draw, he scored in the penalty shootout, helping Portugal win. He was named "man of the match" again.

After Portugal won the final against France, Renato Sanches received the Young Player of the Tournament award. This was for his excellent performances throughout the competition.

After Euro 2016

Renato was not in Portugal's squad for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Instead, he played in the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He was also not chosen for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

In September 2018, Renato was called back to the national team. He played his first international game in almost 18 months. He was also part of Portugal's squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. He played well in the group stage matches. Portugal was eliminated in the round of 16, but Renato was praised for his strong performances.

He was included in the preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup but was not in the final team. He was also not selected for UEFA Euro 2024.

Style of Play

Renato Sanches is known for being a very flexible midfielder. He can play in many different positions in the middle of the field. He is strong, good at passing, and stays calm when he has the ball. Because of these skills and his hairstyle, some people have compared him to the famous Dutch player Edgar Davids.

However, Renato himself has said his style is more like another Dutch player, Clarence Seedorf. During Euro 2016, former player Pierre van Hooijdonk also compared him to Seedorf, saying they play with the same energy.

When he played for Lille, his coach used him in different ways. Sometimes he played in the center of the midfield. Other times, he played on the right or left side, helping with attacks or supporting the defense.

Personal Life

Renato Sanches has several cousins who are also professional footballers. Their names are Cláudio, Miguel, and Jair Tavares.

Career Statistics

Club

International

List of international goals scored by Renato Sanches

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	30 June 2016	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France	Poland	1–1	1–1 (aet)	UEFA Euro 2016
2	11 November 2020	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Andorra	3–0	7–0	Friendly
3	14 November 2021	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Serbia	1–0	1–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours and Awards

Club Trophies

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2015–16
• Taça da Liga: 2015–16, 2024–25

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2016–17, 2018–19
• DFB-Pokal: 2018–19
• DFL-Supercup: 2017

Lille

• Ligue 1: 2020–21
• Trophée des Champions: 2021

Paris Saint-Germain

• Ligue 1: 2022–23

International Trophies

Portugal

• UEFA European Championship: 2016

Individual Awards

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2014
• SJPF Young Player of the Month: December 2015
• Primeira Liga Goal of the Month: December 2015
• CNID Awards – Revelation of the Year: 2016
• UEFA European Championship Young Player of the Tournament: 2016
• Primeira Liga Breakthrough Player: 2015–16
• Primeira Liga Best Goal: 2015–16
• Golden Boy: 2016
• UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016
• FPF Revelation Player of the Year: 2016

Orders

• Commander of the Order of Merit

Images for kids

• 

  Sanches playing for Bayern Munich in 2016

• 

  Sanches in action in March 2016, playing in a Champions League game against Zenit

• 

  Sanches training with Bayern in May 2017

• 

  Sanches playing for Bayern in August 2019

• 

  Sanches playing for Lille against Ajax Amsterdam in 2019

• 

  Sanches playing for Lille in 2021

• 

  Sanches scoring the equaliser for Portugal against Poland at UEFA Euro 2016

See also

In Spanish: Renato Sanches para niños