Santi Verdi

Verdi joined the Vitória de Guimarães academy at the age of six, moving through every youth level before captaining the side in a pre-season friendly against Varzim. He made his debut for the reserve side, Vitória de Guimarães B, in Liga 3 in March 2025, and went on to make 17 appearances for the team that season, scoring twice and setting up another goal. He has since trained regularly with the first team and was named among the substitutes for a match against Sporting CP in August 2026, though he did not take the pitch.

His clearest achievements so far have come with Portugal's youth sides. Verdi was a regular for the under-17s, collecting 23 caps between 2024 and 2026, and started in the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, in which Portugal beat Austria 1-0 to win the title for the first time. He also played in four of Portugal's five matches on the way to winning the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 2025. He has since moved up to the under-18 group, having earlier made a single appearance for the under-16s.

Guimarães rewarded that international success with a new contract, tying him to the club until 2031. A right-footed midfielder, he stands 182 cm tall and plays with the reserve and youth setups. There is some disagreement over exactly where he was born — some sources point to Guimarães itself, others to nearby Fafe — but he has been part of the Vitória structure since he was a small child.