Benfica's 18-Year-Old Renato Sanches Absolutely Lasers a Goal into Top Shelf from Distance

There are a couple of ways to make your mark in your first year in the big leagues. You could play quiet, consistent ball and work hard in practice to prove to coach you're worthy of playing in the big time. Or you could absolutely rocket a ball into top shelf from nearly a quarter-field away at the first chance you got.

Well yesterday, Benfica's wunderkind Renato Sanches—an 18-year-old Lisbon-born midfielder who has just four appearances for the A squad—decidedly went for the latter approach as he struck an astounding golazo from distance, leaving his manager Rui Costa in jaw-drop wonderment. You can't blame Costa. The only goal that comes to mind with that kind of distance, speed and pinpoint accuracy was Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's stunner against Uruguay—and both were almost taken in the exact same place. That's a fine class to be placed in.

Don't expect this Sanches kid to be sticking around the Portuguese league much longer if he keeps ringing in goals like that one.