Legia Warsaw have broken the Polish Ekstraklasa transfer record, splurging out a fee of around €2.5 million on a Portuguese full back.
Ruben Vinagre initially joined Legia on loan last summer, in a deal which included a buy-out clause, which the club from the Polish capital activated on Thursday, TVP Sport reported. He has signed a contract until June 30, 2028.
“I had offers from Spanish and German clubs in the summer. However, I felt that someone had appeared who believed in me and presented a clear concept for the team and my development,” Vinagre told TVP Sport.
“[Legia] coach [Gonçalo] Feio explained that he believed in successes in the domestic arena, and that we could also achieve a lot in the European arena. I believed in this idea and that's why I came to Warsaw,” he added.
The 25-year-old has already played for multiple clubs. He began his career at Sporting Club in his native Portugal, and had several loan spells before switching to Monaco in France. But it was not until he moved to Premier League Wolves that he made his senior debut in 2017.
He showed glimpses of his potential as a left wing back at the midlands club but found more game time when he was loaned back to Portuguese teams. In 2022 he returned to Sporting Club but loaned out again for several seasons, initially back to England, then Italy.
He feels comfortable on the ball, and his energy up and down the left flank and the quality of his crossing have seen him contribute nine assists over 28 appearances.
“Thanks to the good financial situation achieved in recent years, playing in European cups, high attendance and systematically developing commercial activity, we have carried out the highest transfer in the history of Polish football,” Marcin Herra, vice-president of Legia Warsaw, said on the club's official website.
“I had offers from Spanish and German clubs in the summer. However, I felt that someone had appeared who believed in me and presented a clear concept for the team and my development,” Vinagre told TVP Sport.
“[Legia] coach [Gonçalo] Feio explained that he believed in successes in the domestic arena, and that we could also achieve a lot in the European arena. I believed in this idea and that's why I came to Warsaw,” he added.
The 25-year-old has already played for multiple clubs. He began his career at Sporting Club in his native Portugal, and had several loan spells before switching to Monaco in France. But it was not until he moved to Premier League Wolves that he made his senior debut in 2017.
He showed glimpses of his potential as a left wing back at the midlands club but found more game time when he was loaned back to Portuguese teams. In 2022 he returned to Sporting Club but loaned out again for several seasons, initially back to England, then Italy.
However, he has, strangely, never made consistent appearances across a single season. His loan to Legia was his fourth from Sporting. He has settled well at the club, putting in a series of excellent performances at left back, both domestically and in the Europa Conference League.Czarujemy dalej Ruben 🪄 pic.twitter.com/zQg182neAO
— Legia Warszawa (@LegiaWarszawa) February 6, 2025
He feels comfortable on the ball, and his energy up and down the left flank and the quality of his crossing have seen him contribute nine assists over 28 appearances.
“Thanks to the good financial situation achieved in recent years, playing in European cups, high attendance and systematically developing commercial activity, we have carried out the highest transfer in the history of Polish football,” Marcin Herra, vice-president of Legia Warsaw, said on the club's official website.
Legia opted to purchase the player amid interest from various other clubs. While the €2.5 million fee is record-breaking for the Ekstraklasa, if he maintains his current form in the second half of the season, his value could rise further.Trochę aura.
— Legia Warszawa (@LegiaWarszawa) February 7, 2025
Dobrego piątku Legioniści 👋
📸 @mat_kostrzewa pic.twitter.com/TLukTAfBD8
Indeed, there has been media speculation that Legia made the purchase so they could sell him for a profit in the near future.
New keeper In a deal linked to the Vinagre transfer, Bosian goalkeeper, Vladan Kovačević joined Legia on loan from Sporting on Thursday. Legia were keen to bring in Kovačević on a temporary basis but the Portuguese club had already reached their outgoing loan limit of six, football website goal.pl reported.
The permanent purchase of Vinagre gave Sporting one more loan spot. Kovačević made his name with Polish outfit Raków Częstochowa and was an important figure in their title winning side from 2022-23.
Poznań splash the cash Legia were not the only big Polish club that have been busy in the winter transfer window. At the end of January, Lech Poznań bought Patrik Walemark from Feyenoord, equaling the league’s transfer record, TVP Sport reported.
The Swedish winger cost the league leaders €1.8 million, the same price they paid for Ali Gholizadeh in 2023.
Highest transfer fees paid by Ekstraklasa clubs:
€2.5 million – Ruben Vinagre (Sporting CP – Legia Warsaw)
€1.8 million – Patrik Walemark (Feyenoord – Lech), Ali Gholizadeh (Charleroi – Lech Poznań)
€1.5 million – Bartosz Slisz (Zagłębie Lubin – Legia Warsaw), John Yeboah (Śląsk Wrocław – Raków Częstochowa)
New keeper In a deal linked to the Vinagre transfer, Bosian goalkeeper, Vladan Kovačević joined Legia on loan from Sporting on Thursday. Legia were keen to bring in Kovačević on a temporary basis but the Portuguese club had already reached their outgoing loan limit of six, football website goal.pl reported.
The permanent purchase of Vinagre gave Sporting one more loan spot. Kovačević made his name with Polish outfit Raków Częstochowa and was an important figure in their title winning side from 2022-23.
Poznań splash the cash Legia were not the only big Polish club that have been busy in the winter transfer window. At the end of January, Lech Poznań bought Patrik Walemark from Feyenoord, equaling the league’s transfer record, TVP Sport reported.
The Swedish winger cost the league leaders €1.8 million, the same price they paid for Ali Gholizadeh in 2023.
Highest transfer fees paid by Ekstraklasa clubs:
€2.5 million – Ruben Vinagre (Sporting CP – Legia Warsaw)
€1.8 million – Patrik Walemark (Feyenoord – Lech), Ali Gholizadeh (Charleroi – Lech Poznań)
€1.5 million – Bartosz Slisz (Zagłębie Lubin – Legia Warsaw), John Yeboah (Śląsk Wrocław – Raków Częstochowa)
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