J. Faria

Hugo Faria joined Benfica's youth setup after coming through spells at AC Alfenense, Boavista and Vitória de Guimarães, and in May 2021 he signed his first professional contract with the Lisbon club. He spent the 2022/23 season with Benfica's under-23 side before the pathway to first-team football took him elsewhere: on 1 July 2023 he moved to Leixões, initially joining the under-23 squad.

The move to the northern club proved decisive. Faria worked his way into Leixões' first team during 2024, and in the 2024/25 season he made 11 appearances for the senior side, wearing number 63. According to Soccer Wiki, he has also taken on the captaincy at the club. In June 2026 he extended his contract with Leixões, tying his future to the project that gave him his senior debut.

A right-footed central defender born in Ermesinde, Faria's path illustrates a common route in Portuguese football: academy football at one of the country's giants, followed by a switch to a smaller club in search of first-team minutes. For him, that switch to Leixões delivered exactly that.