Cardoso Varela is a 17-year-old winger from Portugal with Angolan roots. The Portuguese has been playing since this season at Dinamo Zagreb, which took him over in 2025 from Porto, where he played in the youth. Cardoso was also part of the Portuguese team that reached the final of the Under-17 World Cup in 2024; He was only 15 years old at the time. This season, he has primarily been used as a substitute in the competitions in which Dinamo is active, but in these appearances, he has made a good impression on me. He scored twice in 18 games this season, across all competitions, including one very important goal against Malmö in the Europa League.
Varela is around 1.73 meters tall and has a suitable build for a winger, but he occasionally lacks the physical strength to hold his own in ground duels against the stronger players in the Croatian league. He is an unprecedentedly fast player who almost always wins his 1-on-1s with his acceleration. This acceleration, but also his speed in the longer term, makes him dangerous. Passing the ball past his opponent and then moving past it is his favorite way to go into the 1-on-1. But Varela also uses the stepover or a quick give-and-go a lot. In aerial duels, he often uses his shoulders well, but due to his height, he usually avoids these duels. Also, because the defenders in the Croatian league are often bigger and stronger, but of course less fast. Varela’s first touch is good and ensures that he can often use his speed right away.
Varela is a really good dribbler. Because he keeps the ball close to him and can accelerate wonderfully, he creates danger, both with and without the ball. He knows how to use his dribbles well, and often chooses the right moment. He regularly continues these dribbles with a good cross. You can see from Varela that he knows where he wants the ball and often gets it there. His passes at close range are fine, but I think his crosses are especially strong. His high balls in particular are very good to see: no blind or weak balls, but crosses with an idea and with power. In my opinion, Varela is the most dangerous on the left and can deliver his best crosses. He can also come in and possibly shoot because that is his strongest leg. This way of understanding and playing the game is really in the 17-year-old; he sees where the possibilities lie to make an action or to make a cross.
Varela excels in his dribbles and crosses, but his sprints without the ball in space are always dangerous for defenders. Because he is so fast and is often used by his team as a player who dives behind the lines, he does not shoot often and certainly not from outside the box. His 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper is good, and he has an eye for where he has to place the ball. I just think that Varela can still work on his shots from distance and maybe fire at the goal more often and go for himself. He has powerful legs and can put a lot of power into his shots.
Defensively, Varela is more than fine. He mainly performs his defensive duties by actively applying pressure and winning the ball back when he loses it. In long-term attacks from the opponent, Varela can sometimes defend a bit passively and let his man run, but I think he will learn this more and more now that he gets minutes with the pros. Especially in his awareness without the ball, there are still opportunities to improve defensively.
Overall, I think Varela is a very dangerous dribbler with good game vision. He now has to make sure that he gets more minutes in Zagreb’s first team and works on his scoring ability from outside the box, because he has the power to do it. With his great crosses and unprecedented acceleration, I definitely think Varela can take steps and win a starting place at Zagreb. I also think that a move to a more attacking league, such as the Eredivisie or the highest level in Belgium, can help him to fulfill his big potential. I see a club like AZ or Club Brugge as a potential destination for Varela.
Target Scouting 