Sometimes, bad news is not as negative as it may seem at first. Recently, Dorival Júnior confirmed three absences from his squad for the matches against England and Spain, stating that Ederson, Marquinhos, and Martinelli would miss the games due to injury.
These injuries, specifically the latter, opened the door for a player who, according to the European press, was very close to accepting another national team’s proposal: Wenderson Galeno, the sensation from Porto who is having a great season with the Dragons and was almost tempted by the Portuguese national team due to his dual nationality.
Therefore, despite the negative impact of these absences, Dorival saw the opportunity to “tie down” a spectacular talent who will likely compete to stay in the Seleção lists for upcoming international tournaments.
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Who is Wenderson Galeno?
For many, this “addition” to the Brazilian national team is a complete unknown, but not for avid followers of the UEFA Champions League, as Galeno has been making a name for himself in the top European competition this year.
Wenderson Rodrigues do Nascimento Galeno is a Brazilian footballer born in Barra da Corda, Maranhão, on October 22, 1997.
From a young age, Wenderson began his career at Trindade Atlético Clube before moving on to GE Anápolis, a club that sold him to FC Porto’s youth academy in 2017 for a figure close to 1.50 million euros. Despite trying to establish himself in Porto’s starting eleven after a successful spell with Porto B, Galeno experienced numerous loan spells between 2018 and 2019, when he was bought by SC Braga for 3.50 million.
At Braga, Galeno showed Porto that they had made a mistake by selling him, scoring 23 goals and providing 24 assists in 113 matches with the Braga team. In January 2022, Porto decided to buy him back for 9.91 million euros, and since then, his rise in the Lisbon team has been meteoric.
To date, in 110 matches, Galeno has already contributed 50 goals with Porto’s shirt, scoring 30 goals and providing 20 assists. This season, 2023/2024, is proving to be one of the most fruitful in his career in European elite football.
Galeno is having a spectacular season with Porto
Galeno’s 2023/2024 season with Porto is nothing short of remarkable. In Porto’s squad, only Evanilson’s goal contributions (21 goals and 6 assists), another Brazilian in the Dragons’ squad, surpass those of Wenderson Galeno, who is the second top scorer for his team.
Across all competitions, Galeno has accumulated 13 goals and 11 assists in 36 games played, translating to 24 goal contributions throughout the season.
His best performances have been seen in the UEFA Champions League, where he has scored five goals and provided three assists, making him the player with the most goal contributions in the continental tournament so far with eight generated goals.
Wenderson Galeno’s 2023/24 statistics
- Liga Portugal: 23GP – 6G – GA
- Taça de Portugal: 4GP – 2G – 2A
- UEFA Champions League: 6GP – 5G – 3A
- Allianz Cup: 2GP – 0G – 0A
- Supertaça: 1GP – 0G – 0A
- TOTAL: 36GP – 13G – 11A
It is clear that Galeno’s call-up is not a coincidence and that the versatile forward has the opportunity to continue achieving success in his career both with Brazil and Porto.
