RENATO SANCHEZ IN CONTROVERSY OVER BIRTH DATE

Talented Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanchez is in the midst of serious controversy regarding his brith age as the player is believed to be too developed for his ’18-year old’ tag.

Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon is questioning the age of the player who is from the Benfica Academy, a bitter rival. The President of the club Bruno de Carvalho claimed Benfica should authenticate the age of the player. Local Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias claim the player’s birth date is 18th August 1997 but his actual birth was not registered until August 2002, five years later. The report points to the fact that the player’s details may have been doctored.

Sport commentators are joining Sporting and questioning if something underhanded was going on. The player has enjoyed a great time in France helping the country to the semi final stage but the storm about his true age keeps getting worse. He has been awarded the Man of the Match in two games at the tournament so far and scored the equalizer when Poland were ahead in the quarter finals.

Manchester United scouted the player for a long time and it was believed that he would sign with Old Trafford when the season ended in May but German Champions Bayern Munich made a surprise swoop of the player. Since Luiz Figo retired, the burden of the team has fallen on Cristiano Ronaldo but it is clear that Sanchez would take up that mantle when Ronaldo leaves.

The physical style of play, the stature and confidence of the player is one that is far-fetched for someone of his age. He is compared to former AC Milan star player Clarence Seedorf and former Holland international Edgar Davids in his bullish style of play. Despite the controversies, the player is clearly marked for greatness.