After a relatively short career of five seasons with Mainz and half a season with Benfica, Leandro Barreiro played a total of 154 official matches in the Bundesliga and Liga Portugal, scoring only eleven goals, never exceeding one in a single match. This rarity is partly attributed to Barreiro’s role as a dynamic midfielder rather than an attacking threat, a notion shared by Bruno Lage, who expressed his belief in the player’s goalscoring potential during a brief interview after Benfica’s convincing 4-0 victory against a struggling Famalicão side.
This Friday marked Benfica’s 20th match of the season and Barreiro’s 14th appearance in the league. Remarkably, Barreiro, who had yet to find the net for the Eagles, scored three consecutive goals, securing a resounding victory for Benfica.
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This season, Barreiro made it to his ninth start after being a regular in Roger Schmidt’s starting XI in the first four league matches. However, he suffered a setback when Bruno Lage took over, making him unavailable for three matches due to injury, leading many to speculate about his future with the club.
Still, Lage had other plans for the diminutive midfielder. After returning from injury, Barreiro was reinstated into the starting lineup. It was, however, uncertain whether he would meet Lage’s expectations of being more incisive and offensive in a second striker role, positioned closer to goal. However, in this match he proved otherwise. Whether through tactical instruction or the natural flow of the match, Barreiro benefited from numerous scoring opportunities. He converted three of them with the confidence of a true goalscorer, receiving well-measured passes from Pavlidis—who struggled with his own finishing—and two from Schjelderup, another player who, like Barreiro, is gone from shadow to key contributor.
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Each of his achievements demonstrated his opportunism, understanding of the game and refined technical skills—attributes not often seen from the Luxembourg international. Lage has long recognized Barreiro’s abilities. The big question that remains is whether this impressive performance marks the emergence of the Leandro Barreiro that Benfica needs, or whether it is simply a fleeting spark fostered by the ease of this particular match.
The first real test comes on Tuesday against FC Barcelona, a match which, given its high level of difficulty, will be a true measure of Barreiro’s contributions. Fans of quality football will not be short of opportunities, and supporters are looking forward to this match.
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