Official: European champion who flopped at Benfica joins Italian giants | OneFootball

It’s official: Andrea Belotti, former Benfica player, is now a reinforcement for Cagliari, a historic Italian club. The European champion with Italy in 2021 has been announced as a new addition to the squad managed by Fabio Pisacane, who started the season with a draw and a defeat in Serie A.

Andrea Belotti joined Benfica in January 2025, arriving on loan from Como. However, during his six months under Bruno Lage’s management, the forward failed to convince the club’s decision-makers, who returned him to Fabregas’s team.

However, that scenario ultimately did not materialize and the high salary of the striker is said to have been the reason for the ‘withdrawal’ of the Minho club from the former Benfica forward.

One of the most memorable episodes of Andrea Belotti’s time at Benfica happened in the Portuguese Cup final, against Sporting. In the final minutes of regular time, the forward was struck by Matheus Reis with a kick to the head, but the referee awarded a free kick to the… lions.

Wearing the Benfica shirt, Andrea Belotti – valued at 2 million euros – played 24 matches: 14 in Liga Portugal Betclic, four in the Portuguese Cup, four in the Champions League, and two in the Club World Cup. In the 832 minutes he was on the pitch, the former Italian international scored four goals.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.