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<a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/bernardo-silva-joao-felix-benfica-made-900m-academy-stars/3gpy2g1jlbqx19ukwbli9ddcx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Benfica's academy has been churning out top-level talent for decades, </a>with their recent graduates including the likes of Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Ruben Dias, Renato Sanches and Joao Cancelo.It is a conveyor belt of talent that is showing few signs of slowing down either, given the Portuguese side won the prestigious UEFA Youth League last season, beating Red Bull Salzburg 6-0 in the final.As with all great academy sides, the challenge is then knowing the right time to promote each player to the senior side – a challenge that former manager Jorge Jesus was criticised for not embracing during his time in charge.<script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>This season, though, things have changed, with Roger Schmidt now in charge and willing to take a chance on youth when the opportunity arises.Such an opportunity came about in August, when a defensive injury crisis allowed 18-year-old Antonio Silva to step in and make his senior debut.Less than two months later, Silva is an automatic pick for Schmidt's side, has shackled the world's best in the Champions League and is being linked to some of the biggest clubs in world football.So, what makes him so special? Let NXGN explain...

Antonio Silva: The new Ruben Dias on Man Utd and Real Madrid's transfer radar

Silva's first steps into football came in his home town of Viseu and, by the age of 11, having hopped around a handful of local clubs, it was clear that he had the potential to become a professional.He visited Sporting C.P.'s academy on multiple occasions while Porto also showed an interest in signing him, but the boyhood Benfica fan in the end opted for the club of his heart.It was not all smooth sailing, as Silva became homesick and was forced to move back to Viseu for a short period. However, by the time he reached his mid-teens, he was comfortable living in Lisbon.On the pitch he excelled, earning his debut for Benfica's Under-23s shortly after his 17th birthday, and was key in last season's Youth League triumph, playing every minute of the competition while also contributing a crucial goal in the last-16 win over Midtjylland.

Where it all began

Having already made a couple of appearances for Benfica's B team in the second division of Portuguese football, it was expected that Silva would spend the 2022-23 campaign learning his trade at that level.But when Schmidt was left with just one fit senior centre-back, Nicolas Otamendi, for his side's meeting with Boavista on August 27, Silva got the call to step up and fill the void.A booking in the seventh minute did not bode well, but the teenager recovered to put in a strong performance, and though he was benched the following week, he has since started every other game, racking up five clean sheets in his first nine senior appearances."Antonio is 18, but when you see him on the pitch, he doesn't look that age," Schmidt said after one of Silva's early performances. "It was obvious in pre-season that he is a talented player and that he is already a professional player who is able to withstand the pressure playing for the Benfica first team, and he has shown it many times this season."

The big break

While the Portuguese top flight does not have a huge amount of depth when it comes to elite centre-forwards, a Champions League group containing Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus has given Silva an early chance to test himself against the best Europe has to offer.To say he has passed the test would be an understatement.He began by dominating his duel with Dusan Vlahovic in Benfica's win over Juve, keeping the €75-million striker quiet as the Bianconeri slumped further into crisis.Silva backed that up a few weeks later when facing the might of PSG's stellar forward line of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🎥: António Silva vs PSG (H) <a href="https://t.co/3cEw0do1TI">https://t.co/3cEw0do1TI</a>— Benfica Youth (@SLBenficaYouth) <a href="https://twitter.com/SLBenficaYouth/status/1577786302996647937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

</center>The teenager was again assured in the face of three modern-day icons, marshalling Mbappe particularly well, and almost marked his performance with a goal, only to be denied by a fine Gianluigi Donnarumma save.

How it's going

Standing at 6'2'' (188cm), Silva does not want for physical presence, and he uses it to his advantage, winning plenty of aerial duels and key clearances.Perhaps his best attributes, though, are those that make the best modern centre-backs the players that they are.His anticipation of when to step in and make a challenge or interception is outstanding for a player of his age, and during the early weeks of his first-team career he has regularly snuffed out attacks with well-time interventions.He is also extremely comfortable when in possession, with his mid-to-long passing ability a real standout part of his game.Silva's favourite pass is a clipped ball over the top, usually down the line for a forward to work the channels and leave space for Benfica's attacking midfielders to break into, and he shows great accuracy and weight of pass when delivering them.

Biggest strengths

No major technical weaknesses have emerged in Silva's short career thus far, but that is not to say that he will not be tested and have to learn in the coming weeks, months and years.One area that he might need to think about is his discipline, as he does not want to earn a reputation as a potential trouble-maker.A clip of him standing up to Leonardo Bonucci when the Juventus captain was complaining about Benfica's celebrations went viral in Portugal, while Donnarumma had to be held back from going after Silva against PSG when the teenager stopped the goalkeeper from launching a late counter-attack with a cynical foul following a corner.Both incidents point to a confidence and level of street smarts that bely Silva's lack of experience, but it is a tightrope he will need to walk carefully to ensure he stays on the right side of the officials.

Room for improvement

It might be a basic comparison, but there is certainly a case to be made that Silva will follow in Dias' footsteps and leave Benfica to become a star in one of Europe's top-five leagues.Silva cites the Manchester City star as a hero of his, and even wears the same No.66 shirt that Dias wore when he was coming through the ranks at Estadio da Luz.“I look up to Ruben a lot,” Silva told CNN. “He started playing here and look at all the things that he has achieved at Manchester City and also in the team at Benfica."Dias has been suitably impressed by Silva's performances from afar, with reports in Portugal claiming that the ex-Benfica star contacted the club to ask for a signed shirt from the teenager.Silva has also named Virgil van Dijk (another he has been compared to) and Antonio Rudiger as role models, and there are certainly aspects of his game – most notably when the ball is at his feet – that echo those star names.

The next... Ruben Dias?

Silva's performances have led to increased calls for him to be a surprise selection in Portugal's World Cup squad, with many now seeing him as a potential long-term partner for Dias in the national team."I'm not saying that he should be called up to the World Cup," former Benfica and Portugal defender Helder Cristovao said in a recent interview. "But what I will say is that, at this level of his development and given the level of his performances, he's a real possibility for the World Cup in Qatar."He's a player who gives signals to the coach, and we can't be afraid to skip steps. If he continues with this level of development, he has all the ability to be in the squad.”Longer-term, Silva's club future is already being spoken about on an almost-daily basis in Portugal as some of Europe's biggest clubs begin to be linked with him.Real Madrid are said to be monitoring his progress, while Manchester United reportedly sent scouts to watch him in action against PSG.The new five-year deal that Silva signed in September does contain a €100m (£87.6m/$97m) release clause, and so he is unlikely to come cheap, but if he maintains this level of performance, then the bidding war to get him out of Benfica could be one of the biggest ever seen for a central defender.<a href="https://www.goal.com/en/category/NXGN/1/juicr0nzo8gr1d1fafit7a25z" target="_blank">Check out NXGN's previous player profiles</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nxgn_football/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nxgn.football?lang=en" target="_blank">TikTok</a> for all the latest on the world's best young ballers.

What comes next?

Antonio Silva: The new Ruben Dias on Man Utd and Real Madrid's transfer radar | Goal.com

Eighteen-year-old defender Antonio Silva has burst onto the scene at Benfica this season and is now being tipped by some to make Portugal&apos;s squad for the World Cup after being linked with Manchester United and Real Madrid.