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In January this year, Barcelona confirmed the signing of Braga youngster Francisco Trincao. Trincao will join the club this July, and much is expected from the 20-year-old.
Barcelona paid €31 million for Trincao's signature, and he is expected to slot straight into the first-team for the Catalans.
The Portuguese forward is an exciting talent and has been touted for a bright future in football. Here, we look at 5 things you did not know about Francisco Trincao, Barcelona's new signing.
#5 Francisco Trincao is yet to make his debut for Portugal senior team
Undoubtedly a great talent, Francisco Trincao looks set to become one of Portugal's stars in the future. However, he is yet to make an appearance for the senior team of his country.
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The Barcelona-bound player has made several appearances for various age groups though. Currently, he is part of the Portugal U21 squad where he has made five appearances, scoring a goal.
While the likes of Joao Felix and Goncalo Guedes have been picked ahead of him so far, it seems a matter of if and not when with regards to Trincao's debut for the senior team.
#4 Francisco Trincao is a versatile player
In Francisco Trincao, Barcelona will be getting a player who is extremely versatile and can play multiple positions with ease. For Braga this season, Trincao has predominantly played as a right-winger. However, he is also capable of playing as a right-sided midfielder, occupy a more central position as well as play as a no.10.
This versatility will be extremely useful for Barcelona. Due to the number of games they play per season, rotation is of paramount importance. A player like Trincao offers the manager more options.
Also Read: Barcelona video "taken out of context," explains under-fire coach's father
#3 Trincao boasts of an incredible output this season
The 20-year old Trincao boasts of an incredible output in limited minutes for Braga this season. The Portuguese has been carefully used by manager Artur Jorge, but he is the squad's third-highest goalscorer in the league this season.
Trincao has made just 14 starts in Liga NOS for Braga but has managed to score eight goals and provide four assists. He manages 1.1 key passes per game, as well as 2.3 dribbles per game. He leads the squad for dribbles per game.
#2 He has been compared to Lionel Messi
While many players have earned the moniker of "new Messi", Francisco Trincao's teammate Abel Ruiz states that there are similarities.
Ruiz, who is on loan from Barcelona, has seen Lionel Messi up close. And the Spaniard believes that Trincao's dribbling ability is akin to that of the Barcelona great. Ruiz also said that Trincao would be a good addition to the Barcelona squad.
#1 Barcelona were not the only club interested
While Barcelona might have signed the talented 20-year old, multiple top European clubs were reportedly keeping an eye on Trincao's development in Portugal.
Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal were all linked with Francisco Trincao, only for Barcelona to pip them and get the deal done.
Also Read: 5 big-name players who failed at Barcelona
