_2.jpg) Trincão withBraga in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco António Machado Mota de Castro Trincão[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1999-12-29)29 December 1999 (age 25)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Viana do Castelo, Portugal[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Winger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Sporting CP | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Vianense | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Porto | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Vianense | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Braga | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Palmeiras Braga | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Braga | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Braga B | 46 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Braga | 33 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Barcelona | 28 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | →Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 28 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | →Sporting CP (loan) | 34 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Sporting CP | 76 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Portugal U17 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Portugal U18 | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Portugal U19 | 18 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Portugal U20 | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Portugal U21 | 8 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | Portugal | 15 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:47, 8 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:43, 13 November 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Francisco António Machado Mota de Castro Trincão (European Portuguese:[fɾɐ̃ˈsiʃkutɾĩˈkɐ̃w̃]; born 29 December 1999) is a Portuguese professionalfootballer who plays as awinger forPrimeira Liga clubSporting CP and thePortugal national team.
He started his career withBraga B, making his debut with thefirst team in 2018 and winning the2019–20 Taça da Liga in his second season with the club. In January 2020, he signed withBarcelona for a reported €31 million fee, with the deal made effective in July. He then spent two years on loan, atWolverhampton Wanderers andSporting CP, joining the latter permanently in April 2023.
Trincão representedPortugal at various youth levels, being part of theunder-19 team that won the2018 European Championship where he was crowned top scorer. He made his senior international debut in 2020.
Born inViana do Castelo, Trincão began his youth career with hometown clubVianense. He also had a spell atPorto and two atBraga, where he finished his development.[4]
Trincão made his senior debut on 2 April 2016 forBraga's reserves inSegunda Liga, as an 81st-minutesubstitute forCarlos Fortes in a 2–1 away loss againstFreamunde.[5] He scored his first senior goal on 7 May 2017, but in a 2–3 home defeat toPorto B.[6] He scored five times in2017–18, including twice on 1 October in a 5–4 home win overNacional for a first victory of the season,[7] and signed a new five-year contract at the end.[8]
On 28 December 2018, Trincão played his first competitive match with the first team in a 4–0 victory atVitória de Setúbal in thegroup stage of theTaça da Liga where he replacedFransérgio in the 62nd minute.[9][10] Five days later, managerAbel Ferreira gave him aPrimeira Liga debut when he came on forDyego Sousa for the last four minutes of a home defeat ofMarítimo.[11]
Trincão scored his first goal for Braga on 12 December 2019 in the lastgroup-phase game of theUEFA Europa League, alsoassisting in the 4–2 win atSlovan Bratislava as his team advanced in first place.[12] The following 4 January, given a first league start by new coachRuben Amorim, he scored his first domestic league goal in a 7–1 away demolition ofB-SAD.[13] Three weeks later, he was a 50th-minute replacement forGaleno as theArsenalistas won theleague cup final against Porto at theEstádio Municipal de Braga.[14]
On 31 January 2020,Barcelona announced the transfer of Trincão, initially effective on 1 July.[15] He signed a five-year contract for a €31 million fee, with abuyout clause of €500 million.[16] He made hisLa Liga debut on 27 September, playing 12 minutes of the 4–0 home victory overVillarreal.[17] He was handed his first start on 20 October in the 5–1 home rout ofFerencváros in thegroup stage of theUEFA Champions League, replacingAntoine Griezmann as the starting right winger and putting up a good performance.[18][19]
Trincão scored his first goal on 7 February 2021, closing the 3–2 away win againstReal Betis in the domestic league.[20] He added a brace the following weekend after assists byIlaix Moriba andLionel Messi, helping the hosts to defeatAlavés 5–1.[21] He contributed five games as the sidewon theCopa del Rey, totalling 42 overall.[22][23]
On 4 July 2021, Trincão joinedWolverhampton Wanderers on aseason-long loan, subject to medical and work permit and with an option to make the move permanent in the future;[24] he reunited withPedro Neto, with whom he had played as a child with Vianense and Braga.[25] He made hisPremier League debut on 14 August, starting in a 1–0 loss away toLeicester City.[26] His first goal came ten days later, as a second-half substitute in a 4–0 victory atNottingham Forest in thesecond round of theEFL Cup.[27]
Trincão registered his first Premier League goal (also providing his first assist in the competition) in a 3–2 defeat at home toLeeds United on 18 March 2022, having come on as a first-half substitute for injuredRúben Neves.[28] He totalled 30 appearances during his tenure, starting in 16 but being only involved in four team goals.[29][30]
On 13 July 2022, Trincão signed a one-year loan deal withSporting CP for a €3 million fee, with a conditional €7 million obligation to buy 50% of his economic rights, with a reported buy-back clause between €20 and €25 million, depending on the moment it was exercised.[31][32] He made his league debut on 7 August in a 3–3 draw against his former club Braga.[33] His first goal came exactly one month later, his team's second in the 3–0 away win overEintracht Frankfurt in theChampions League group phase, their first ever victory in Germany.[34]
Over the following months, Trincão's performances declined and he began enduring a difficultseason, with a lengthy scoring drought leading to many supporters demanding he be benched. Despite that, manager Amorim kept him in his starting eleven, and on 27 February 2023 he ran from one end of the penalty box to the other to score in the 2–0 home defeat ofEstoril.[35] On 9 April, he netted ahat-trick in a 4–3 win atCasa Pia.[36]
Trincão started2023–24 on the bench. However, after becoming a starter overMarcus Edwards in January 2024, he scored five goals in four league matches,[37][38] including a brace in a 8–0 home rout of Casa Pia.[39] Having cemented his role up front alongsidePedro Gonçalves andViktor Gyökeres,[40] he added four more until the end of the campaign as Sporting won its 20th league, totalling 1,695 minutes.[41]
On 11 January 2025, Trincão was the only player to miss his attempt in the 7–6penalty shoot-out loss againstBenfica in theLeague Cup final inLeiria.[42] On 10 May, against the same opposition but in theDerby de Lisboa, he opened an eventual 1–1 away draw[43] and, again, finishedthe season with nine goals to claim a national championship while taking part in all 34 fixtures and providing a league-best 14 assists.[44]
Trincão scored his first brace in the Champions League on 18 September 2025, also being namedplayer of the match in the 4–1 home victory overKairat in theleague phase.[45]
In July 2018, Trincão was a member of thePortugal team which won theUEFA European Under-19 Championship beatingItaly 4–3 afterextra time; he scored once in the match inSeinäjoki, Finland.[46][47] Along with teammateJota, he finished joint top scorer in the tournament with five goals, his others being braces againstNorway in the first group fixture andUkraine in a 5–0 semi-final rout.[48] At the2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland he played all three games and scored the only goal of the opening win againstSouth Korea, thoughhis side did not advance from the group.[49]
Trincão won his firstcap atunder-21 level on 5 September 2019, scoring once and being involved in two other goals in the 4–0 win overGibraltar for the2021 European Championshipqualifiers.[50][51] He helped the Portuguese to a runners-up finish at the finals in Hungary and Slovenia, scoring apenalty in a 2–0 group defeat ofEngland.[52]
In August 2020, Trincão had his firstsenior call-up forUEFA Nations League matches againstCroatia andSweden the following month.[53] He made his debut on 5 September, replacingBernardo Silva in the 78th minute of a 4–1 home victory over the former.[54]
Trincão was named in a preliminary 55-man squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[55] He did not make the final cut.[56]
In October 2024, courtesy of his Sporting performances, Trincão was called by new managerRoberto Martinez for upcoming2024–25 Nations League matches. He played 26 minutes in the 3–1 win againstPoland inWarsaw.[57][58]
Trincão scored his first goals for Portugal on 23 March 2025, grabbing a brace in a 5–2 victory overDenmark in the Nations League quarter-finals (5–3 on aggregate) after coming on forDiogo Dalot late into the second half.[59] He was selected forthe finals in Germany,[60] starting the 2–1 semi-final defeat ofthe hosts[61] and being unused in thepenalty shoot-out win againstSpain.[62]
Trincão is a versatile and technicalright winger, adept at adapting to various attacking roles. He frequently drifts centrally in possession, creating space for overlapping teammates with tactical intelligence. Known for his ball control, maneuverability in tight spaces and a strong left foot, he excels in one-on-one situations, precise dribbling and incisive passing.[63][64][65]
Trincão plays a key role in build-up play through quick combinations and penetrating passes. Despite being left-footed, he uses the outside of his foot creatively and delivers accurate crosses, making him a consistent wide-area threat. Defensively, he is active in pressing and transitions, leveraging his dynamic movement, spatial awareness and adaptability to succeed in high-intensity, possession-focused systems.[63][64][65]
| 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 | ||
| Braga B | 2015–16 | LigaPro | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | LigaPro | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||||
| 2017–18 | LigaPro | 30 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 5 | |||||
| 2018–19 | LigaPro | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 46 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 46 | 6 | ||||||
| Braga | 2018–19 | Primeira Liga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 27 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7[c] | 1 | — | 39 | 9 | ||
| Total | 33 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 47 | 9 | |||
| Barcelona | 2020–21 | La Liga | 28 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 42 | 3 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2021–22 | Premier League | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 30 | 3 | ||
| Sporting CP (loan) | 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 34 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 12[f] | 2 | — | 52 | 13 | |
| Sporting CP | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8[c] | 0 | — | 48 | 10 | |
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 34 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9[d] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 54 | 11 | |
| 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5[d] | 3 | 1[g] | 0 | 19 | 8 | |
| Total | 110 | 31 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 34 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 173 | 42 | ||
| Career total | 245 | 50 | 25 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 48 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 338 | 63 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2020 | 6 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | |
| Total | 15 | 2 | |
Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Trincão goal.[67]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2025 | Estádio José Alvalade,Lisbon, Portugal | 10 |  Denmark | 3–2 | 5–2 (a.e.t.) | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
| 2 | 4–2 |
Braga
Barcelona
Sporting CP
Portugal U19
Portugal
Individual
