Compared to Vinicius Jr
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Cardoso Varela is gathering attention from major European clubs after being involved in a hugely controversial dispute that required intervention from FIFA. The 16-year-old is viewed as an incredible talent and future senior Portugal international but there’s been intense quarreling over his ownership in recent years. The winger progressed through the youth ranks at Porto’s prestigious youth academy but after a breakdown in talks over a professional contract, Varela bizarrely attempted to join NK Dinamo Odranski Obrez – an amateur club in Croatia.
Porto chiefs were furious and accused Varela’s agents and lawyers of malevolent actions by moving him to an obscure Croatian side, before securing a financially beneficial move to a major European club. The club in question are Barcelona with sporting director Deco recently reportedly watching Varela in person after he finally joined Dinamo Zagreb. Porto president André Villas-Boas is furious with Barca and threatening more legal action, despite FIFA throwing out an initial complaint but an appeal looms, while UEFA could become involved.
The controversy around Cardoso Varela
The dispute over Varela’s ownership has gathered significant press coverage in Portugal due to his prodigious reputation as a major talent. Villas-Boas didn’t hold back when addressing the issue last November, stating to Sport: “For a value below his real value, in which most of what was received will not even reach him, these said businessmen intended to transact him to an amateur club in Croatia, under an exception to the law of protection of minors, only existing in that country.”
And Goncalo Tristao Santos, Transfermarkt’s Area Manager in Portugal, has provided more insight into the fallout. “He gained attention through strong performances, including for Portugal at Under-17 level,” said Santos. “Recently there were a lot of controversies surrounding him: Porto tried to renew his training contract, but negotiations failed and agents/tutors allegedly got involved, and there are claims that the economic vulnerability of his family was exploited. After leaving Porto, Varela was registered or intended to be registered with a Croatian club.
Providing the latest on the legal situation, Santos added: “FC Porto has alleged that this move was part of a scheme involving agents aiming to facilitate his transfer to a bigger club abroad, using the Croatian club as a stepping-stone, so FIFA intervened. Porto’s complaint to FIFA led to a block on Varela’s registration in the Croatian club. In the meantime, Barcelona has been linked with signing Varela and Porto has sent letters to Barcelona and the Spanish Football Federation objecting to the situation and raising concerns over legality and potential exploitation.”
The transfer latest on Cardoso Varela
It’s undeniably clear that Varela won’t be staying at Zagreb for the long-term. The 16-year-old has already featured for the Croatian club in the Europa League this season, coming off the bench for the final few minutes against Fenerbahce in September. Varela is the youngest player to feature in the competition this season and the fact that he’s already playing first-team football is an indication of his potential.
According to reputable reports in Spain, Barcelona remain frontrunners to sign the Portuguese wonderkid and are undeterred by Porto’s grievances. It’s been claimed that Barca are confident of signing the winger – compared to Vinicius Jr – for an initial €5m with a potential €20m in bonuses. Chelsea, however, are also known admirers of Varela and have implemented a strategy of signing the best young talents but Barca appear in pole position.
