Trincão

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Touchdown in sunny Barcelona! The Portuguese winger has achieved by the end of his teens what most footballers dream of their entire careers, to call Camp Nou their home! (Image: Instagram)

Born Francisco António Machado Mota Castro in the town of Viana do Castelo, Portugal on 29 December 1999, he had a nomadic youth career spanning 10 years during which he trained in the youth academies of SC Vianense, FC Porto, and Palmeiras Braga sandwiched between two spells with SC Braga. After impressive displays with Braga B, the winger was handed his first-team debut on 28 December 2018; he entered the field of play as a second half substitute in a thumping 4-0 win over Vitória FC in the group stages of the Taça da Liga. A few days later he made his debut in the Portuguese top flight, however, it would be in a losing effort against CS Marítimo. His star would shine brightest with national team as the teenager won the 2018 UEFA Under-19 Championship with Portugal; he finished as the tournament’s top scorer, which included a brace in the semi-final victory over Ukraine. Franco’s first taste of silverware at club level came in the 2018/19 season as SC Braga lifted the Taça de Liga, with the forward’s stock rising as he registered 22 goals and assists across all competitions. Franco’s mesmeric talents did not go unnoticed long and in January of 2020, FC Barcelona beat out a bevy of suitors from Europe to sign the talented winger on a five-year contract for a fee of €31 million.