Official! Three years on, Benfica defender sold to France by Rui Costa | OneFootball

It's official. The French central defender Lenny Lacroix, 22 years old, has left Benfica and signed with Dijon until 2027. Discovered by the eagles at Metz in 2022, the player spent the last three seasons with the Benfica B team, which he represented on 52 occasions, scoring one goal.

The eagles confirmed the permanent sale of the defender to the club that plays in the third tier of French football. The 22-year-old player is thus returning to his country, three years after leaving his training club for Portugal.

"The coach contributed a lot to my coming. I loved the game project based on ball possession. Furthermore, there is a beautiful project with the goal of moving up to Ligue 2. I will do my best to help the team regain its place in the second division", explained the defender, giving the floor to Paul Fauvel, the general director of the French club.

"With the aim of continuing to strengthen the core of our defense, we wanted to count on a determined profile, who had left France to discover a prestigious club like Benfica. With initial experience in Ligue 1, but also in the Portuguese League 2, Lenny will have the ambition to prove his worth in France and help the club grow", he stated.

Lenny Lacroix played 52 games for the B team - which drew in the last match - divided between League 2 and the Premier League International Cup. Additionally, he participated in winning the U-20 Intercontinental Cup in 2022, his debut year, but never represented the main team of the eagles.

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