Chelsea summer signing shines on international debut

Cameron Smith

• 14 Oct 2024 02:30 CDT
• 3 min read

Chelsea summer signing Renato Veiga earned his first senior cap for Portugal during their 3-1 win over Poland on Saturday.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Stamford Bridge, following his €14 million arrival from Basel, and he shone on his debut for Roberto Martinez’s side.

Despite featuring most prominently as a left-back since joining Chelsea, Veiga played 90 minutes at centre-back for Portugal and he earned plenty of plaudits for his performance.

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Following his debut, Portugal boss Martinez was eager to heap praise on Chelsea’s latest star.

“I’m very pleased because he [Veiga] didn’t play like a young player, he showed incredible maturity,” Martinez said.

“He was a focused and aggressive centre-back, he won every duel, he’s very strong in the air. His debut level shows his potential.”

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Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot, who started at right-back, was also quick to hand Veiga credit for his first appearance for the national team.

Dalot told Portuguese outlet A Bola: “The maturity with which they debuted… Renato Veiga had an excellent game, he has been proving his worth. As a collective, we help each other a lot.”

Renato Veiga at Chelsea

Veiga was a relative unknown when he arrived at Chelsea, but he has emerged as one of the club’s best signings in recent years following his first few months at the club.

The Portugal international is yet to oust Marc Cucurella for a spot in Enzo Maresca’s Premier League XI, however he has been mightily impressive in cup competitions so far this season.

Veiga scored his first Chelsea goal during the club’s 4-2 win over Gent in the Europa Conference League in early October, while he also provided an assist for Christopher Nkunku.

His form at the beginning of the campaign earned him a first ever Portugal call-up in September, and he was subsequently handed his debut versus Poland on Saturday.