the football world has changed a lot and many different periods were established Coaches and teams are able to define a generation and certainly Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona team changed the way people view football we’ve seen more small and physically meagre midfielders like Xavi Hernández Luka Modrić and Andrés Iniesta showing up and stealing the show there is another one of those midfield wizards showing up in Portugal Bragança joined Sporting’s academy at a young age and rose up the academy ranks quickly being viewed as the next wonderkid to emerge from the Alcochete production line he struggled for first-team opportunities and was loaned to LigaPro side Farense in January 2019 he was once again sent out on loan to another second-division side Bragança impressed on loan for the Canaries providing 4 goals and 4 assists in 22 appearances and winning the Best Young Player award of the 2019/20 season and instead of heading out on loan to a Primeira side he was included in the club’s first-team setup making his debut on September 24 in a UEFA Europa League qualifier against Aberdeen before coming off the bench and playing 25 minutes in a 2-0 victory against Paços de Ferreira The 21-year-old midfielder is one of seven Alcochete graduates to make his debut under Rúben Amorim Whilst he hasn’t nailed down a starting spot like Mendes or Inácio he has been an important impact sub and has even started three of Sporting’s last four games while coming on at halftime on April 11 in a 1-1 draw against Famalicão Player Analysis: Nuno Mendes Amorim has employed a youth-focused approach in rebuilding Sporting’s squad following the departure of attacking talisman Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United two months prior to his arrival “Quality has no age,” stated Amorim prior to a Taça da Liga match against Porto sprinkled with experience and with a lot to grow but full of ambition and with an enormous desire to overcome.” Sporting would go on to edge last year’s finalists in the Taça semis before winning the Final in Leiria against Braga with Amorim picking up his second consecutive triumph in the tournament after winning with Braga the year before Whilst Bragança was an unused substitute in the Final he has skyrocketed in importance during the home stretch of the season the Leões currently sit six points clear of Porto in first place Bragança is a complete and versatile left-footed midfielder who is able to play as a defensive midfielder Sporting mainly plays in a flat 3-4-3 and Bragança has already played in every position in the midfield and has also played as an inside forward or playmaker Standing at 1.69cm or 5”7,’ he doesn’t distinguish for his physical attributes but from his technical capacity and intelligence Player Analysis: Pedro ‘Pote’ Gonçalves he is really complete in every aspect of the game and although he isn´t physically strong he does know how to overcome that and play in a way that those “holes” don’t jeopardize his play Bragança hasn’t been a regular starter which accounts to a little under 400 minutes so the data available isn’t worth a mention I’ll analyze some of his best traits and some of his major problems and flaws Apart from being technically really strong Bragança also has a really good vision and anticipation knowing where is going to pass before receiving the ball which is one of the most important traits when discussing passing His preparation pre 1st touch is really good most of the time he has his body wide open and good body orientation he has the ability to quickly turn with 1 touch really good passing technique and first touch he has a nice range of passing and impressive technical ability it is also important for a midfielder to be direct and progressive At the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stage Bragança showed he can be very intelligent and progressive on the ball for Portugal the mental pressure is higher and I assume that is the main cause for him not being as progressive as he can He isn’t ultra-conservative nor something similar but he definitely could and maybe should be more progressive Although he mainly plays as a defensive midfielder or as an “8,” he has often played alongside Pote as an inverted winger/playmaker it’s important to have creativity but also end product and even though it isn’t Bragança’s main position I particularly don’t see him playing often as a “10” in the future as he lacks some final ball ability and end product it is important to evaluate his ability to offer a passing line and also how often he does it occupying the full-backs spot or playing between lines he isn’t as active but a big part of it is due to him mostly playing in more advanced areas when playing in the midfield there’s usually not much space I’ve already analyzed his passing and his passing anticipation knowing exactly what he’ll do before receiving the ball Now I’ll analyze his press-resistance ability one of the most looked at traits is the ability to evade pressure there are different types of players and not everyone has the technical ability to do so technical ability isn’t the only aspect to consider body orientation and also the physical aspect not particularly strength or pace but how resistant a player is to an opposition “touch” and also his balance and acceleration too There’s always been a pre-conceived idea that small and tiny players weren’t strong defensively and had problems playing in the midfield Although Bragança only stands at 1.69cm or 5”7′ and distinguishes himself for his ability with the ball he is really strong in the defensive assets He has proved he is strong on defensive duels and also has really good positioning and anticipation which makes him a really complete midfielder I’ve analyzed Bragança’s main qualities but it’s time to take a look at his biggest flaws He lacks some final ball ability and end product when playing in an advanced position He also lacks more progressiveness and aggressivity his biggest problem is his mentality in-game He has the right attitude without the ball but then he tends to play safer with the ball he showed a lot of confidence and was able to shine he hasn’t been as confident and doesn’t impact the match that much Once he’s able to play more regularly and consistently I believe this small issue will be gone and he will be able to perform better which can make him quite predictable sometimes Scouting Report: Daniel Bragança I believe Daniel Bragança’s best position is as a defensive midfielder It does suit his abilities better; he has the ball more often and he is also able to impact the match more than as an “8” or “10.” Following the sale of Wendel to Zenit for €20 million + €4 million Bragança has finally broken into the first team and demonstrated his fantastic talent for his boyhood club João Mário is on loan from Inter and although Sporting is negotiating his transfer Bragança is the man to assume his role and shine alongside João Palhinha but they to handle him properly to make the best out of him and to help him reach his potential expect Bragança to play a crucial role as the Lions close in on their first league title in 19 years After topping their group with a perfect record the Esperanças will be facing off against Italy in the U-21 Euros quarterfinal on May 31 As the same generation that won the U-17 Euros in 2016 and the U-19 Euros in 2018 they will be aiming to complete their trifecta and hoist the trophy in Ljubljana It’s unclear whether or not Bragança will be a starter for Portugal having been used as a late substitute in the first group stage match against Croatia before coming on for Florentino Luís at halftime and leading Portugal to a 2-0 victory over England in the second match The third and final match saw Rui Jorge drop Florentino for Bragança and he rewarded his trust with a brilliant display against Switzerland: 8/8 long balls completed With Florentino struggling for minutes at Monaco the odds are in Bragança’s favor to get the start against Italy Bragança has an extraordinarily high ceiling and very few flaws He is a uniquely gifted midfielder with the capacity to play in a variety of positions and while he may not last long at the Estádio José Alvalade if he keeps up his level of performances he has the chance to write history with Sporting by helping them end their title drought and achieve greatness Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Gualter Fatia / Getty Images