For football enthusiasts who have followed the game closely, the story of Renato Sanches is one of both promise and heartbreak. His potential shone brightly from a young age, dazzling the world with his meteoric rise at just 16. At his peak, when Renato had the ball at his feet, it was easy to forget how young he really was. However, following his loan move to Swansea City, fans have been left yearning for the return of the player who once filled stadiums with excitement.
Unfulfilled Yet Resilient: The Story of Renato Sanches
While much of the focus has been on his awaited resurgence, there’s more to Sanches than just his on-field abilities. This biography delves deeper into his personal journey, offering an intimate look at his life off the pitch. We’ll explore his childhood, his family — including his parents, Renato Sr. and Maria das Dores — and the experiences that shaped him from a young boy into a footballing star.
Preamble:
Renato’s story is one of resilience, passion, and a deeply rooted love for the game. From his earliest encounters with football to the nickname “Bulo” given to him by those closest to him, this is the full picture of the man behind the talent. To set the stage for his extraordinary journey, we present a glimpse of his life, from childhood to his rise to fame. Prepare to discover the lesser-known chapters of Renato Sanches’ life.
Driven By Passion: Renato Sanches’ Path from Childhood, Youth Football to Stardom
Renato Sanches Childhood Story:
To kick off his biography, Renato Sanches earned the nickname “Bulo” from his grandmother. Born on August 18, 1997, in Amadora, Portugal, to his father, Renato Sanches Sr., and his mother, Maria das Dores, Renato Jr. grew up as the only child from their union. Sharing his birthplace with fellow footballer Ruben Dias, Renato faced an early hardship — his parents separated when he was just a few months.
Renato Sanches’ mother (Maria das Dores) is the most prominent figure amongst his parents. Hence, Sanches often shares her photos with fans on social media.
Although he was too little to be affected psychologically, his birth certificate remained unregistered until 2002. All this happened because his heartbroken father moved to France after the divorce to work.
Two Conflicting Birth Dates:
Sadly, he did not receive much paternal care in his childhood as he moved to Musgueira, where he lived with his mother.
By the time his dad returned from France, he and his ex-wife had Sanches’ birth certificate registered.
However, the date of birth read ‘27th November 1993 at 1:33 am’. This was conflicting with his actual birthday (18th August 1997). The entire age scenario got the media talking in the latter days of his career.
Thankfully, a hospital file has finally put an end to all doubts and clarified his actual age. Below is the clinical record of Maria das Dores at the Amadora-Sintra Hospital, showing the birth of her boy, who would be named after his dad, Renato Sanches.
The clinical report put an end to all the doubts concerning his age.
Growing Up Days:
Renato was raised by his mother in the poor neighbourhood of Musgueira. There, he spent long hours playing street football with his friends.
Even in his father’s absence, the midfielder grew up as a cheerful young lad with so much respect for his superiors and elders.
Renato Sanches Family:
Because of the breakup between his parents, it was pretty difficult for his household to be fairly and comfortably fair. Owing to their limited financial proceedings, Sanches and his mom had to live in an impoverished city.
Notwithstanding, his family background did not stop him from making efforts to join a soccer academy. Instead, it became his primary source of motivation to liberate his menage from poverty. We present you with facts about his entire family, starting with his dad.
About Renato Sanches’ Father:
As earlier mentioned, Bulo and his old man share the same name. Yes, his father also bears the name Renato Sanches. Sadly, the two didn’t get to spend enough time together.
Sanches’ father is a citizen of Sao Tome and Principe and spent a few years working in France. To date, the Portuguese superstar does not speak much about his dad.
About Renato Sanches’ Mother:
Growing up with his mom, the young lad didn’t enjoy much of a luxurious lifestyle. However, he was privileged to pursue the career path of his choice.
His supermother is Maria das Dores, and her immeasurable support has helped Sanches attain success in soccer.
One peculiar trait about Maria das Dores is her profound love for tattoos. She even had her son’s face inked on her upper left hand, as we can see below.
Her love for her son is reflected in the tattoo she inked on her hand.
From our observations, Sanches’ mother later remarried and gave birth to other kids. We’ve seen him share a lovely photo of his new family. Thankfully, they all looked happy together.
The wonderful menage that sprang from his mom’s second marriage.
About Renato Sanches’ Siblings:
Apparently, he’s got some brothers and sisters who mean a lot to him. Although they are all his step-siblings, Sanches often loves to hang out with them.
One of his little brothers stands out amongst his entire family, and the midfielder is not ashamed to share his picture, as shown below.
A lovely moment was spent with his kid brother while he got baptized.
About Renato Sanches’ Relatives:
Another important figure in his life, aside from his mother, is his grandmother. She is the one person who will never be erased from the pages of his biography.
Interestingly, Sanches’ grandma is the person who nicknamed him Bulo. Sadly, there has been no information to reveal if she is still alive to share in the success of her grandchild.
Family Origin:
It is no longer news that Renato Sanches is a citizen of Portugal. However, his parents are not Portuguese but hail from two different countries. Of course, his complexion makes it obvious that he’s got traces of African ethnicity.
Foremost, Sanches’ father is a native of Sao Tome and Principe – which is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, Central Africa.
His mother hails from Cape Verde, an island country in the Central Atlantic Ocean. Do you know?… His mom’s place of origin is home to ten volcanic islands.
A map that defines his paternal and maternal family origin.
Renato Sanches Biography – Football Story:
By the time Sanches clocked 8, his mom had him join the Aguias da Musgueira institute, where he received his earliest soccer training.
In 2006, the 9-year-old midfielder moved to Benfica’s youth team to advance his sportsmanship. Funny enough, Benfica paid the sum of €750 with 25 footballs to get his signature.
He was indeed a talented young boy in the ranks of Benfica’s youth academy.
Early Life (Career):
His days with the Portuguese youth club yielded quite an excellent result on his potentials. There was barely a match in which Sanches did not perform extraordinarily on the pitch, as you can see below.
After eight years of featuring in Benfica’s junior setup, his coaches and instructors could not dispute that Sanches has grown into an exceptional talent. Hence, they had him promoted to the senior team in 2014.
Professional Career With Benfica:
As expected, the midfielder made his debut in the second division with Benfica’s team B. Sadly, his tackles were terrible and earned him two red cards in the second half of the 2014-15 season.
Subsequently, he organized his skills and got promoted to the first team the following year. As he continues to dominate the midfield in different games, Benfica saw the need to keep him in their armoury.
Gradually, he became one of the powerhouses in the ranks of the Portuguese club. Yes, not even the footballer behind can get a hold of him.
Hence, they had Sanches sign a 6-years contract with them in November 2015. His deal had a release clause of €45 million.
Thanks to his undeniable support, Sanches helped Benfica win the 2016 Taca da Liga and the Primeira Liga.
The moment he lifted the trophy, he felt that half of his dreams were already coming to fruition.
Road to Fame Story:
Interestingly, Bulo made history as the first Portuguese footballer to sign with Bayern Munich, joining the club in 2016 on a 5-year contract. At the time, he became part of a team that included stars like Mats Hummels (CB), David Alaba, and Xabi Alonso. His €80 million deal with Bayern also marked him as the most expensive Portuguese player to ever leave the Primeira Liga.
His move to Bayern Munich was a feat that lifted his family from a middle-class household to a wealthy status.
Initially, Bayern had paid a fee of €35 million, which ranks as the 4th-highest contract sum paid in their history after Javi Martinez, Mario Gotze, and Arturo Vidal.
In his first game, Sanches made a handful of mistakes. However, he was reassured that by Phillip Lahm and Manuel Neuer that he would make an excellent player. Hence, he need not be disheartened by his debut performance for the club.
In no distant time, he won the Golden boy award ahead of Marcus Rashford for best European player under the age of 21.
Yes, he just continued to record one achievement after the other.
Even with such accomplishment, Sanches was disappointed with his performance for the season as he did not score any goal or make an assist.
Renato Sanches Bio – Success Story:
Thankfully, Carlo Ancelotti reassured him that he would remain at the Allianz Arena for the next season despite his poor output. Hence, Sanches was sent on loan to Swansea in 2017 and returned to Bayern the following year.
While playing under the management of Niko Kovac (the Bavarian’s new coach), Bulo felt more relaxed and gave his best in the game. However, he got little playing time as the competition for the midfield spot was high.
Hence, he decided to leave the club for a new team where he can be part of the game regularly. In August 2019, Sanches joined LOSC Lille on a 4-year contract reportedly worth €25 million. There he dominated their midfield and became one of the most expensive players ever signed by Lille.
His dominance in major games skyrocketed his popularity in no distant time.
His Exceptional Performance in The Euro:
Following his call-up for the Euro 2016, Sanches broke C. Ronaldo’s record of the youngest Portuguese to be selected for an international competition. His contribution to his team established him as an athlete who is immune to pressure.
It took only a one-two with Nani for Sanches to score his first goal and become the youngest footballer to score in a knockout match at a UEFA European Championship.
In the end, he and his team won the Euro 2016 – a feat that became the most memorable achievement of his career. At the Euro 2020, Sanches also showcased an extraordinary performance. However, Portugal was knocked out by Belgium in the round of 16.
The glorious moment of his international career. Of course, his smile tells a story of how happy he is to win the Euro for his country.
He went on to win the Ligue 1: 2020–21 in a Lille OSC team that had big names like Mike Maignan and Jonathan David.
When updating this Bio, Renato had joined the likes of Carlos Soler (CM), Vitinha, etc., who earned their calls to PSG in the 2022/2023 summer transfer window. The rest, as we say, is now history.
Personal Life away from Football:
No one could have imagined that the boy who witnessed his parents’ separation from childhood would have grown so well to be quite cheerful. His simplicity made it possible for him to bond with players and many other celebrities like Roddy Ricch.
Sanches has been friends with Roddy Ricch for a while now.
Even in his moments spent alone, Sanches is often seen wearing on a beautiful smile. Many players have known him for his calm and collected personality.
His smile is a trademark that defines his personality.
Apparently, it is pretty difficult to get on his nerves. Indeed, the Portuguese footballer is a perfect definition of an individual with a Leo zodiac trait – similar to Wales Striker Kieffer Moore.
Lifestyle:
We have witnessed the life of the midfielder turnaround for good. Yes, he grew up in a poverty-stricken home. But now, he lives a luxurious lifestyle that he could only dream of in his childhood.
Sanches has cruised expensive private jets and even rode speed boats with his friend. Of course, his taste for luxury is quite massive.
The picture sums up how he spends his money on luxurious assets.
Take a look at the house behind him in the image below. It’s his beautiful mansion. Sanches posted the house on his Instagram with the caption, “Live life to the fullest nothing is promised.”
Although he once lived in a poor area, now he enjoys life in a beautiful mansion.
Besides his many assets, the player has got an eye for exotic rides. Amongst his car collections includes a G-Wagon, which he treasures the most.
A glimpse at one of Sanches’ beautiful cars.
Untold Facts:
To wrap up our midfielder’s Biography, here are a few facts about him that would help you get a complete grasp of his Life Story.
Net Worth And Salary Breakdown:
Over the years, the soccer prodigy has gone from living in the slum to amassing millions of Euros and affording an expensive mansion. At the time of compiling this biography, we estimated Renato Sanches’ net worth to be a whopping sum of €3 million.
As of the year 2021, the young athlete earns an annual salary of €2.65 million at LOSC Lille. Based on our research, an average Portuguese citizen will have to work for six years to make what Sanches receives in a year.
Renato Sanches Tattoos:
He has followed in the footsteps of Bruno Fernandes and Nelson Semedo regarding inking. Yes, Sanches has drawn many tattoos around his body. Have you seen his thigh? It’s adorned by some beautiful designs of body art whose meaning is best known to him.
Certainly, he is not the most tattooed footballer. However, he’s got an exquisite design around his body.
Smoking And Drinking Habits:
Out of excitement, Sanches has shown off a side of him that many sports perfectionists like Bernardo Silva would consider unhealthy. You can guess that the athlete has once been seen celebrating his triumph with a cigarette and wine on different occasions.
FIFA Stats:
The rating of the Portuguese powerhouse is incredibly outstanding. It shows how deadly Sanches will become in the midfield of his club in the upcoming seasons. Hopefully, we’ll soon see his potential soar to the heights of players like Eduardo Camavinga and Enzo Fernández.
His stats are definitely amazing. It specifically shows how flexible Sanches can be with performing different roles on the pitch.
Conclusion:
Yes, everyone knows Renato is the youngest Portuguese player to ever compete in and win a UEFA Euro final. Since that victory, fans have had high expectations for his career, but a series of mysterious injuries have hindered his progress.
Despite these setbacks, Renato’s journey is a testament to the idea that early challenges shouldn’t stop anyone from dreaming big. After his impressive performance in Euro 2020, even Gabriel Magalhães took to Instagram, urging him to join Arsenal.
Yes, we could define his meteoric success as a product of luck. However, Sanches Life Story has proven luck as a situation when hard work and preparedness meet an opportunity. Otherwise, how else would he have impressed scouts when he started his football journey?
It behoves us to commend his mother and father, who overlooked their differences to resolve the arguments about his age. Indeed, they have shown that they have their son’s best interest at heart.
Moreover, his entire family is amongst the talismans that have gotten him far in his career. Thanks for reading this piece of our engaging memoir.
