Former British International School, Phuket football goalkeeper Pedro Haueisen de Souza encountered a familiar face on the pitch, when his Sport Lisboa e Benfica side played Sporting Clube de Portugal on Monday – his old BISP teammate Nicolai Skoglund.
Souza and Skoglund, both 16, are now playing in the Campeonato Nacional de Juvenis (National Youth Championship) – the top level of the Portuguese football league system for youth players. The Championship features two groups composed of 12 teams, North and South.
Skoglund’s Sporting CP side won the match 3-1, which has put his team at the top of the table in the South series. SL Benfica are just behind in second place.
And the success continues for Skoglund, having just signed his first professional contract with Sporting CP. He also plays for his Norway Under-17 national team.
Both Nicolai Skoglund and Pedro Souza were in the BISP Cruzeiro Football Academy from 2015-2017. BISP Cruzeiro head football coach, Jonathas Candido, says: “It’s great to see two of our past footballers playing at the top level for their age group in Portugal. I would have loved to be there to see the boys play each other and wish them all the best for the rest of the season.
“Being offered a professional contract is a fantastic achievement for Nicolai and we are very proud of him here at BISP.” In Portugal, the National Youth Championship season is similar to the senior players’ Primeira Liga (First League), playing a double round-robin points based system.