Pizzi (Portuguese footballer)


Luís Miguel Afonso Fernandes, known as Pizzi, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Benfica and the Portugal national team as a central midfielder.
After a successful loan at Paços de Ferreira, he spent three years in Spain with as many teams, totalling 74 games and 12 goals in La Liga. He has played over 250 games for Benfica, winning ten domestic honours including four Primeira Liga titles, three of which consecutively.
Pizzi made his senior international debut for Portugal in 2012 and was part of their squad at the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, winning the latter tournament.

Club career

Early years

Born in Bragança, Pizzi began his career with hometown club G.D. Braganca in the third tier in 2007. A year later, he joined Primeira Liga club S.C. Braga, spending most of his time out on loan and making his first professional appearances with S.C. Covilhã of the Segunda Liga in 2009. On 10 January 2010, he joined top-flight club F.C. Paços de Ferreira.
In 2010–11, Pizzi scored seven league goals for Paços, only missing three league matches. On 8 May 2011 he netted a hat-trick in a 3–3 draw at Porto, which turned out to be the only home league game that the eventual champions failed to win during the season. He scored twice on 3 March in a 4–3 win at C.D. Nacional to qualify the team for the 2011 Taça da Liga Final.

Spain

On 30 August 2011 Pizzi moved to Spanish team Atlético Madrid, on loan until the end of the year, after which the Colchoneros had an option to buy the player permanently for €13.5 million, which they did in October of the following year. He made his La Liga debut on 18 September 2011, replacing also newly signed Radamel Falcao midway through the second half of a 4–0 home win against Racing de Santander. He scored his only Atlético goal to open a 3–2 win over Levante UD also at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on 20 November, totalling 15 appearances of which three were in the victorious UEFA Europa League campaign.
Along with several compatriots, initially still under contract with Braga, Pizzi moved to Deportivo de La Coruña for the 2012–13 campaign. In only his second appearance, through a penalty kick, he helped the Galicians come back from 1–3 at Valencia CF for a final 3–3 draw, scoring his team's last goal; he added a brace against FC Barcelona on 20 October 2012 – one of the goals coming through a superbly-taken free kick – but his team lost 4–5 at the Riazor Stadium.
On 26 July 2013 Pizzi signed a six-year contract with S.L. Benfica, for a fee of €6 million for half of his economic rights, being immediately loaned to RCD Espanyol also in Spain's top flight.

Benfica

In the 2014–15 season, Pizzi joined Portuguese champions Benfica and was converted from winger to central midfielder, like his predecessor Enzo Pérez. On 5 October 2014, Pizzi debuted in a 4–0 win against Arouca in Primeira Liga. On 14 January 2015, Pizzi scored his first goal for Benfica, from a penalty kick, in another 4–0 home win against Arouca, this time in the third round of league cup. On 28 February, Pizzi scored his first goal for Benfica in the league, in the thrashing of Estoril.
Pizzi scored 12 times in 48 games over the 2016–17 season as Benfica won a domestic double. He was voted Player of the Month consecutively from October/November to December, and eventually Player of the Season at the LPFP Awards.
On 1 December 2017, during the Porto vs Benfica match, Pizzi was attacked in the back by a supporter of Porto who invaded the pitch; Porto faced a maximum of two behind closed doors matches but was only fined €2,860.
On 10 August 2018, Pizzi scored a first-half hat-trick in a 3–2 home win over Vitória de Guimarães in the opening match of the 2018–19 season, and was again voted Player of the Month for August 2018. He scored 15 goals and made 23 assists in 55 matches overall that season as Benfica regained the league title, and at its conclusion he signed a new contract until 2023.
Pizzi scored twice in the 2019 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira on 4 August, a 5–0 win over city rivals Sporting CP at the Estádio Algarve. By scoring twice on 14 December in a 4–0 win over F.C. Famalicão he had recorded 16 goals for the season, 11 of which in the league, making it already his highest-scoring season. He ended the season with 18, joint-best alongside teammate Carlos Vinícius and Rio Ave's Mehdi Taremi.

International career

Pizzi made his debut for Portugal on 14 November 2012 in a friendly with Gabon, scoring through a penalty in an eventual 2–2 draw in Libreville.
He was selected for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, playing two matches as the Portuguese finished third.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.14 November 2012Stade Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon1–12–2Friendly
2.3 June 2017Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, Estoril, Portugal3–04–0Friendly
3.14 November 2019Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal3–06–0UEFA Euro 2020 qualification

Honours

Club

Paços de Ferreira
Atlético de Madrid
Benfica
Portugal