Benfica Signs 16-Year-Old Winger Diego Castel Branco from Dortmund for 2025/26 Season

Benfica is set to sign 16-year-old winger Diego Castel Branco from Dortmund for the 2025/26 season. Castel Branco’s agent, Mehmet Eser, confirmed the deal to German Sky Sport, although Benfica hasn’t made an official announcement. The young player was born in Germany on June 23, 2008, and holds dual Portuguese and German nationality due to his Portuguese heritage. This dual nationality allowed Benfica to sign him as a minor, bypassing FIFA’s regulations. Castel Branco has expressed a preference to play for Portugal, which may have influenced his decision to join Benfica.

A Rising Star in Dortmund’s Youth

Castel Branco is currently nearing the end of his contract with Dortmund, which expires on June 30, 2025. As a result, he’s mostly been a substitute in the final stretch of the season. Despite limited playing time, he’s impressed with 18 goals and 2 assists in 22 games for Dortmund’s under-17 team. Last season, he was the top scorer for Dortmund’s under-16 team. This season, he made his debut for Dortmund’s under-19 team, playing 34 minutes in a 4-1 loss to Karlsruhe’s under-17 team. Castel Branco is a versatile attacker, comfortable playing as a left winger, right winger, or even as a central striker. He’s also been used as an attacking midfielder. His height is 1.8 meters, but he has shown quickness, dribbling skills, and a high level of technical ability. Notably, he’s ambidextrous.

The young winger wears the number 27 jersey for Dortmund’s under-17 team, the same number worn by Bruma, Benfica’s recent winter signing.

Castel Branco’s stats for Dortmund’s under-17 team are impressive, particularly when playing as a right winger, where he scored 8 goals in 6 games. In one game against Osnabruk’s under-17 team, he netted 4 goals in an 8-2 win. A month earlier, he scored a hat-trick as a striker in an 8-1 thrashing of SV Meppen. According to German Sky Sport, Castel Branco is set to sign a three-year deal with Benfica, running until June 2028. His agent revealed that Benfica offered him the chance to play for the first team next season, an opportunity the teenager couldn’t resist.

Benfica’s Gain

Nuno Félix, a consultant for German football, praised Castel Branco in an interview with Rádio Renascença, saying, “He’s already playing at a level above his age group. He’s an attacking player with a lot of goals, quick, and good at attacking space. Technically, he’s a very complete player.” Félix believes Castel Branco has potential for Benfica but will face stiff competition from other talented players at the club. “The fact that he’s coming from a big club speaks well of his quality, but he’ll be entering a competitive environment with many other talents already at Benfica,” Félix added. “I don’t think he’ll have an advantage just because he’s coming from Germany.”