Cardoso Varela
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cardoso Pinto Mandume Varela[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 29 October 2008 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Luanda, Angola | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Winger | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Dinamo Zagreb | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| –2024 | Porto | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Dinamo Zagreb | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Dinamo Zagreb | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Portugal U15 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Portugal U17 | 22 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 February 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 February 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Cardoso Pinto Mandume Varela (born 29 October 2008) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Croatian Football League club Dinamo Zagreb.[1]
Early life
Varela was born in Angola and acquired Portuguese citizenship on 6 July 2022.[2]
Club career
After becoming eligible for a professional contract talks between Varela and Porto turned sour, prompting the player to attempt to sign for Croatian amateur club NK Dinamo Odranski Obrež, however this registration was denied by FIFA.[2][3] After months of speculation, Dinamo Zagreb officially signed Varela, reported to be for a three-year contract.[4][5]
International career
Varela was the youngest member of Portugal U17 team that were runner-ups of the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Cyprus.[6]
Career statistics
- As of match played 4 March 2026
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2025–26 | Croatian Football League | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8[a] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| Career total | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | ||
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
References
- ^ a b "Cardoso Varela". worldfootball.net.
- ^ a b "Where is Cardoso Varela? How a Portuguese Prodigy's Career Went Off the Rails". www.sportsandcrime.com.
- ^ "SN otkrivaju pozadinu senzacionalnog transfera Dinama: 'Bit će jedan od najboljih koji su ikada igrali u Hrvatskoj!'".
- ^ "Varela potpisao za Dinamo, agentima i obitelji osiguran veliki postotak od narednog transfera".
- ^ "Doznajemo: Vareli trogodišnji ugovor i 40 posto transfera! Belcaru zakazan liječnički, čeka se utakmica". Germanijak (in Croatian). Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ "Novo pojačanje na Maksimiru, veliki talent potpisao za Dinamo: 'Trenirat će u akademiji'".