# Nuno Santos (footballer, born 1995)

Nuno Miguel Gomes dos Santos (born 13 February 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left winger or left wing-back for Sporting CP.

## Club career
### Benfica

Born in Trofa, Porto metropolitan area, Santos began his development at local C.D. Trofense before joining the ranks of FC Porto, and after a year at Rio Ave F.C. he signed for S.L. Benfica in 2013. On 30 August 2014, he made his professional debut with their reserves in the Segunda Liga, coming on as a 69th-minute substitute for João Amorim in a 3–1 home win against S.C. Covilhã. He scored eight goals in 36 games in his first season, starting in a 3–2 loss at S.C. Braga B on 14 December. On 14 February 2015, he scored twice in a 4–1 home victory over U.D. Oliveirense (4–1).
Santos made his only appearance for the first team in the Primeira Liga on 11 September 2015, playing the final 11 minutes in place of Pizzi in a 6–0 home rout of C.F. Os Belenenses. That December, he suffered an injury to his left knee that was still an issue when he signed a season-long loan to fellow top-flight club Vitória F.C. in June 2016.

### Rio Ave

On 16 June 2017, Santos signed a five-year contract with Rio Ave also of the top tier. Almost exclusively a substitute in his first season, he scored once for his first goal in the league on 17 September, at the end of a 1–2 home defeat to eventual champions FC Porto.
Santos suffered more problems with his left knee in July 2018, and did not return to the pitch until the following March. On 17 June 2020, he was one of three players in his team to be sent off in a 2–1 home loss to Benfica – for a high foot on Pizzi – and was subjected to social media abuse by his club's fans.

### Sporting CP

On 21 August 2020, Santos joined Sporting CP on a five-year deal for €4 million plus shares in the economic rights of Gelson Dala (50%) and Francisco Geraldes (75%), and a buyout clause of €60 million. He scored eight competitive goals in his first season for the champions, seven in the league.
As Sporting often operated on a 3–5–2 formation under Ruben Amorim, Santos was deployed as a left wing-back on several occasions. He contributed four goals in 2,073 minutes in 2023–24 to another league title, but missed the vast majority of the following campaign after rupturing the tendon of his right knee; in November 2024, he was handed an eight-match suspension for smashing a glass protection while in the stands – he was not part of the squad due to injury – and injuring two spectators (one of them seriously) during the 4–3 loss against Porto in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in August but, controversially, the ban was to be served while he recovered.

## International career

Santos was part of the Portugal squad at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring an early goal against Senegal (3–0) and a late one against Colombia (3–1 win) in the group stage, in an eventual quarter-final exit in New Zealand. He won the first of his two caps for the under-21 side on 12 November of that year, replacing Rony Lopes midway through the second half of the 4–0 victory over Albania for the 2017 UEFA European Championship qualifiers held in Arouca.
In October 2022, Santos was named in a preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

## Career statistics

    As of match played 26 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Europe | Europe | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Benfica B | 2014–15 | Segunda Liga | 36 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | 8 |
| Benfica B | 2015–16 | LigaPro | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 |
| Benfica B | Total | Total | 42 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | 10 |
| Benfica | 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Vitória Setúbal (loan) | 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 32 | 0 |
| Rio Ave | 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 32 | 2 |
| Rio Ave | 2018–19 | Primeira Liga | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 3 |
| Rio Ave | 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 38 | 5 |
| Rio Ave | Total | Total | 66 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 78 | 10 |
| Sporting CP | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 8 |
| Sporting CP | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 10 |
| Sporting CP | 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 1 | — | — | 49 | 9 |
| Sporting CP | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 50 | 6 |
| Sporting CP | Total | Total | 125 | 25 | 17 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 186 | 33 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 260 | 41 | 25 | 6 | 25 | 4 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 340 | 53 |
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
* ↑ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
* ↑ Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League

## Honours

Benfica Youth
* UEFA Youth League runner-up: 2013–14
Benfica
* Primeira Liga: 2015–16
Sporting CP
* Primeira Liga: 2020–21, 2023–24
* Taça da Liga: 2020–21, 2021–22
* Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2021
Individual
* Primeira Liga Goal of the Month: March 2023