The youngest debutant in the history of professional football in Portugal is shining at club level after starring at last summer's Under-17 Euros
Five years ago, Manchester United signed Bruno Fernandes from Sporting CP for an initial £47 million ($58m). If recent reports are to be believed, the Red Devils are now plotting a move for another Portuguese attacking midfielder of even greater potential.
Rodrigo Mora has been the revelation of Porto's season so far, the academy product who has become a fan favourite at the Dragao with his precocious performances for the team he grew up supporting.
So, how good is the 17-year-old, who is already representing his country at Under-21 level? And is really destined for a move to one of Europe's richest clubs at some point in the future? GOAL has everything you need to know about Mora below…
Where it all began
Mora was born and raised in Porto, and always dreamed of lining out for his hometown club, whom he joined from Custoias FC when he was still only nine years of age. It was immediately obvious that Mora was prodigiously gifted and he progressed rapidly through the under-age grades at Porto.
Indeed, there was already a lot of talk in the press that Porto had a rare talent on their hands before he made his first appearance for the B team in a Portuguese second-division clash with Tondela in January 2023. Mora was just 15 years, eight months and 10 days old at the time, making him the youngest debutant in the history of the professional game in Portugal.
AdvertisementThe big break
Given he'd already been playing senior football for more than a year, Mora was identified as one of the players to watch at last summer's European U17 Championship in Cyprus, and it's fair to say he lived up to the hype. Mora scored the winner for Portugal in their opening group game against Spain, before then netting twice in the stunning 4-1 rout of an England team featuring Ethan Nwaneri.
He bagged another game-deciding goal against Poland in the quarter-finals, while his 89th-minute equaliser played a pivotal role in Portugal progressing to the final at the expense of Serbia.
Mora failed to add to his tally in the tournament-decider, which Italy won, but he did take home the Golden Boot, which was mightily impressive for an attacking midfielder and only cemented his status as one of the most exciting prospects in world football.
AFPHow it's going
Mora began the current campaign still lining out for Porto's B team, but it wasn't long before new coach Vitor Bruno took notice and he handed the youngster his proper Porto debut by bringing him on in the closing stages of the Europa League loss to Bodo/Glimt on September 25. Four days later, Mora made his Liga Portugal bow, against Arouca. The following month, he scored his first goal for the senior side, away to AVS.
Mora's first start arrived on December 21, and he didn't squander the chance to show exactly what he was capable of, with the 17-year-old scoring one goal and creating another as Porto won 3-0 at Moreirense. He repeated the feat the very next weekend in a 4-0 home win over Boavista. Mora was officially the new darling of the Dragao.
Biggest strengths
Mora reads the game wonderfully well and his decision-making is excellent – which is rare in one so young. With his lower centre of gravity and quick feet, he is wonderfully elusive and can get himself out of the tightest of spaces.
As Vitor Bruno's successor Martin Anselmi recently said, "Rodrigo is a player that excels at playing between the lines, making the final pass and dribbling past players in the final third. He is a bold young man, who doesn't feel the burden of playing at such a high level. He always works hard, too, and accepts the responsibility to defend when we don't have the ball."