Tomé Sousa

Hailing from the north of Portugal, Tomé Sousa became the fourth-youngest goalkeeper ever to play in Portugal’s top flight a few weeks ago. After starting his training at Folgosa da Maia FC, the goalkeeper, born in 2006, was moved to Boavista FC, where he remains until today. He is currently an international with the Portugal Under-18 team.

From the point of view of his physical build, Tomé is a mesomorphic player with a tall stature – he measures 1.90 metres according to the information available online. In the games he has played, the Boavista FC youngster has shown agility between the posts (especially against SL Benfica) and the ability to defend space behind his team’s defensive line through acceleration and speed. With his physical development, inherent to the fact that he is still quite young, these indices will likely improve, especially given that his ability to react to the shots of the men he has faced is commendable. Also noteworthy is that he can defend a first ball and recover for a possible second shot.

With the ball at his feet, and looking at what Cristiano Bacci asked of him, his ability to place long balls – usually directed towards the side corridors – should be emphasised. If we look at his statistics, we’ll see that the numbers aren’t attractive. However, if you look at the direction, trajectory, and tension on the ball, you’ll conclude that Tomé Sousa hits the ball very well. His short game wasn’t much in demand in the minutes seen, but whenever he linked up with the central defenders, he managed to do so without any embarrassment.

Having already mentioned the motor skills that allow him to come out of the back to defend space, we should also highlight the cognitive aspect that allows him to read the game and make good decisions, both when he’s outside the box and between it. Allied to this is the competitive attitude of a youngster whose blood is still in his bones and who transmits adrenaline in all his actions. Both against SL Benfica and CF Estrela da Amadora, the young goalkeeper’s concentration and willingness to take any kind of action showed that he was comfortable in the face of a daunting scenario. In fact, after the game in Reboleira, Cristiano Bacci made a point of emphasising that Tomé Sousa ‘has the head of an adult’.

The young goalkeeper’s future is difficult to predict given the complex context in which he finds himself at the Estádio do Bessa. However, one thing is certain: Tomé Sousa needs to play as many minutes as possible for his potential to be realised. Overall, the defence of corner kicks is the area where I think the player can develop the most. Looking only at what he could become, it’s possible to say that his future could be with mid-table teams in the main European leagues.