Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo has never had any problem with wearing his heart on his sleeve and turning on the waterworks.
Whether for good or bad, whether in joy or pain, the tears are never too far away.
Cristiano Ronaldo cried when Greece stunned Portugal in the Euro 2004 final. Two decades on, Jan Oblak’s remarkable penalty save had a 39-year-old Ronaldo breaking down in the midst of that tense round-of-16 affair against Slovenia.
Ronaldo found himself overcome when Edwin van der Sar broke Nicolas Anelka’s heart in Moscow back in 2008 as well.
And, as Rio Ferdinand would reveal, Ronaldo was no stranger to showing his emotion on the training pitch either, particularly when on the wrong end of a verbal volley from a frustrated Ruud van Nistelrooy.
So it’s fitting, really, that tears would fall from Dario Essugo’s eyes when the Sporting CP wonderkid was given the chance to break a Ronaldo record by now-Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim back in March 2021.
Manchester United target Dario Essugo broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s Sporting record
It all got a little too much for a then-16-year-old Essugo, brought off the bench by Amorim to make his senior Sporting debut in a 1-0 win over Vitoria de Guimaraes.
In doing so – only a week after his 16th birthday – Essugo became the youngest debutant in Sporting’s history. Ronaldo, in contrast, has halfway towards 18 when he first appeared in those green and white stripes; braces on his teeth and blonde highlights in his hair.
“It is an indescribable sensation, [about] which I always dreamed,” Essugo told reporters after writing his name into the Sporting history books the media after the game. “I have to thank everyone.
“It is only the beginning, to continue working and helping the club to achieve its goals. They supported me and I was even more relaxed.”
So, what is it about the now-19-year-old Essugo that had Ruben Amorim convinced he was ready at such a young age to make his mark? Why, according to Spanish publication Marca, are Manchester United pursuing Dario Essugo ahead of a potential reunion with his former Estadio Jose Alvalade boss?
Why are Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona keeping a close eye on his development too, with Essugo currently honing his talents in Spain during a loan spell with Las Palmas?
Well, in what should be music to the ears of Man United’s latest crop of young talent – 16-year-old sensation Bendito Mantato is expected to catch Amorim’s eye right from the off – the Portuguese clearly buys into the mantra of age being just a number.
“[Dario] is a very talented kid,” Amorim told Magg of Essugo. “[This] is a message for the youngsters. Age doesn’t matter. Sporting is on this path.
“Congratulations to Dario, who deserved [his chance]. He was called to training, performed his duties and showed great quality in the two weeks he worked with us.”
La Liga loanee Dario Essugo is ‘the complete midfielder’
Essugo moving to La Liga for the 2024/25 season was, meanwhile, a decision made with his development in mind. Amorim felt that, with Sporting’s midfield settled and secure, Essugo would benefit more from regular first-team action at Las Palmas.
Starting each of the last eight matches in Spain’s top flight, Essugo is certainly reaping the rewards of such a call.
With a £37 million release clause in his Sporting contract, Man United would need to fork out a considerable sum if they are to reunite Amorim with Essugo at Old Trafford.
But with Ineos determined to make Old Trafford home to the game’s next generation of superstars – United are pursuing Sunderland’s Chris Rigg, Rosenborg’s Sverre Nypan and River Plate’s Franco Mastantuono to name but three – Essugo is certainly one to keep an eye on ahead of the January window.
The midfielder took social media by storm when he thrashed home a 40-yard screamer against France at the U17 European Championships back in 2022. And for Luis Dias, a technical consultant at the Portuguese federation and a former Sporting employee, Essugo’s rise to prominence comes as little surprise.
“[Essugo impressed me because of his] physical condition, but above all his calmness and personality with the ball,” Dias tells Marca. “He always caught our attention. But the step from 15 to 16 years was a huge explosion.
“He jumped three categories [in the youth team].”
“He is generally a very robust midfielder who has a lot of attributes to take him to the very top of the game in his position,” adds Breaking the Lines, a website specialising in football’s rising stars.
“His profile falls under the defensive playmaker role, which specialises in being defensively secure and sound in his distribution of the ball.
“What stands out most when watching Dario are his physical qualities – as he is very well balanced, has good pace and the flair to power past opponents with the ball.
“Dario has personally improved his defensive positioning, with his strength and tackling being among his best attributes, each week looking more like a complete midfielder who can link up play more efficiently along with his sharpened ability on the ball.”
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