| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Renato Palma Veiga | ||
| Date of birth | (2003-07-29)29 July 2003 (age 21) | ||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender,defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Juventus (on loan fromChelsea) | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2013 | Sporting CP | ||
| 2013–2019 | Real Massamá | ||
| 2019–2022 | Sporting CP | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Sporting CP B | 31 | (4) |
| 2023 | →FC Augsburg (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | FC Basel | 23 | (2) |
| 2024– | Chelsea | 7 | (0) |
| 2025– | →Juventus (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021 | Portugal U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Portugal U20 | 6 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Portugal U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 2024– | Portugal | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:20, 16 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:20, 20 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Renato Palma Veiga (Portuguese pronunciation:[ʁɨˈnatuˈvɐjɡɐ]; born 29 July 2003) is a Portuguese professionalfootballer who plays forSerie A clubJuventus, on loan fromPremier League clubChelsea, and thePortugal national team. Mainly acentre-back, he can also play as aleft-back ordefensive midfielder.
He came throughSporting CP's youth academy, and was loaned toBundesliga sideAugsburg in January 2023, before joiningSwiss Super League sideBasel in August. After a season in Switzerland, he moved toPremier League sideChelsea in July 2024.
Veiga is a formerPortugal youth international, representing his country at various levels. He made his full debut in 2024 in theUEFA Nations League.
Veiga was born inLisbon, Portugal.[1] He joinedSporting CP's academy in 2010,[2] then moved on toReal Massamá, before rejoiningSporting CP in 2019, swiftly progressing from the under-17 team to the reserves as he was thrown in alongside players well above his age group.[3]
Veiga made his debut forSporting CP B againstCova Piedade U23 on 12 September 2020. On 31 October 2020, he scored his first goal againstMarítimo's U23. However, despite his swift progress, first-team opportunities would be hard to come by under head coachRuben Amorim, although he was included inSporting'sUEFA Champions League squad to faceManchester City on 9 March 2022, with his manager revealing that Veiga was included "because [Sporting] had a few midfielders [out] at the moment, being with the first team help the young players grow."[3]
Having failed to make a first-team breakthrough by the time he turned 19, Veiga was loaned toBundesliga sideAugsburg in January 2023, on what was intended to be a one year loan up until 31 December 2023.[4] He made his league debut on 11 February in a 3–1 defeat againstMainz 05.[5] However, despite being afforded plenty of minutes across 13 appearances, he failed to impress and on 15 August, the club announced that after analyzing the first six months together with the player, they ultimately came to the decision to end the loan early.[6]
On 28 August 2023,Swiss Super League sideBasel announced that they had signed Veiga on a four-year contract.[7] This was reported to have had a fee of €4.6 million, with Sporting keeping a 10% sell-on clause.[8] On the next day, Veiga joined Basel's first team during their2023–24 season under head coachTimo Schultz.
Veiga played hisdomestic league debut for his new club in the home game in theSt. Jakob-Park on 3 September, playing in the starting eleven. He scored his first goal for the team in the same game, a free kick, as Basel played a 2–2 draw withZürich.[9] He was named player of the week by the Swiss Super League and the strike ultimately earned Basel's Goal of the Season award.[10]
Under Schultz, he played a variety of roles, mainly playing as adefensive midfielder, whilst also filling in atcentre-back andleft-back, where he emerged as one of the best players in the league. However, the second half of his season was hampered by an ankle sprain, which saw him missing the relegation play-offs as Basel secured survival.[3]
On 12 July 2024, Veiga signed a seven-year contract withPremier League clubChelsea with a further one-year option.[11] The fee was reported to be €14 million.[12] On 18 August, he made his debut for the club, as a substitute, in a 2–0 loss againstManchester City in the league.[13] He scored his first goal on 3 October, in the 4–2 victory overGent, during the inaugural matchday of the newly formattedUEFA Conference Leagueleague stage.[14]
On 27 January 2025, Veiga joinedSerie A clubJuventus on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season.[15]
Veiga representedPortugal atunder-19,under-20 andunder-21 levels, for a total of 17caps.[16] On 8 September 2023 he won his firstcap for Portugal at under-21 level, playing the 3–0 win againstAndorra in the2023 UEFA European Championshipqualification campaign,[17] and scored his first goal againstBelarus, in a 6–1 rout at the same phase.[18]
He was called up to the seniorPortugal national team for the first time for theUEFA Nations League matches againstCroatia andScotland in September 2024.[19] He made his debut on 13 October, starting in a 3–1 away victory overPoland in the UEFA Nations League.[20]
Veiga is the son of theCape Verde former international footballerNélson Veiga.[21]
A left-footed versatiledefender, Veiga started out playing as adefensive midfielder, while also filling in atcenter back orleft-back during his spell atBasel, under managerTimo Schultz. His style combines physicality, athleticism, and technical skill, making him effective in breaking up play, tackling, and distributing the ball from deep areas. At Basel, he was trusted to initiate attacks with his vision and passing range, ranking highly in progressive and long passes within theSwiss Super League.[22][23][24]
Defensively, Veiga is assertive, quick for his size, and excels in pressing opponents to force turnovers. His physical attributes and aggressive nature make him effective in duels, while his athleticism and long strides provide speed and coverage, allowing him to recover and press opponents quickly. In possession, his passing ability stands out, as he can switch play effortlessly and deliver precise long balls, often breaking the lines and initiating attacks.[22][23][24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting CP B | 2021–22 | Liga 3 | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Liga 3 | 15 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 31 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 31 | 4 | ||||||
| FC Augsburg (loan) | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Basel | 2023–24 | Swiss Super League | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| Chelsea | 2024–25 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8[c] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Juventus (loan) | 2024–25 | Serie A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Career total | 78 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 8 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2024 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)