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Franculino Djú

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Franculino
Personal information
Full name Franculino Gluda Djú
Date of birth (2004-06-28) 28 June 2004
Place of birth Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 FC Midtjylland
Number 7
Youth career
0000–2019 Olivais e Moscavide
2019–2023 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2026 Midtjylland 76 (39)
International career‡
2023– Guinea-Bissau 14 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 April 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 8 September 2025

Franculino Gluda Djú (born 28 June 2004), also known simply as Franculino, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland and the Guinea-Bissau national team.

Club career

Early years

Born in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Franculino Djú was raised in Portugal, where he began his youth career with Olivais e Moscavide before joining the academy of Benfica in 2019.[1] On 7 August 2020, he signed his first professional contract with the club.[2]

On 10 September 2022, Franculino scored for Benfica's under-23 side in a 3–0 win over Mafra U23. FC Midtjylland vice sporting director Ove Pedersen attended the match and was impressed by the young forward. He later learned that Franculino's contract with Benfica was due to expire at the end of the season.[3] On 2 February 2023, Midtjylland announced that Franculino would join the club after his Benfica contract expired at the end of the season.[4] Following the announcement in February 2023, Franculino no longer featured for Benfica and did not play another match before joining Midtjylland six months later.[3] He finished the 2022–23 season with 13 goals in 11 appearances for Benfica's under-23 side.[1]

Midtjylland

After playing youth football for Benfica, Franculino joined Midtjylland in July 2023,[4][1] following concerns that had emerged regarding his identity and legal age.[5] On 13 August 2023, he made his debut for the club against Vejle Boldklub in the Danish Superliga, where he also scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 victory.[6] On 17 August, just four days later, he scored his first hat-trick in a UEFA Europa Conference League qualification match against Cypriot side Omonia.[7]

During the 2023–24 season, Franculino scored 17 goals in all competitions for Midtjylland. He also won the Danish Superliga with the club that season.[8] Franculino was also the highest-scoring teenager in European football during the 2023–24 season.[3]

On 19 December 2024, Franculino signed a contract extension with Midtjylland until 2029.[9] During the 2024–25 season, Franculino scored 16 goals in all competitions for Midtjylland. Midtjylland finished second in the Superliga that season.[10]

In August 2025, FC Midtjylland reportedly rejected a bid of around €30 million from a Saudi club for Franculino, which would have represented a record transfer fee for a Danish Superliga player.[11] During the first half of the 2025–26 season, Franculino scored 16 goals in 17 league matches and was the Superliga's top scorer at the winter break. In the final match before the break, he suffered an injury that required surgery and ruled him out until March.[12]

International career

Born in Guinea-Bissau, Djú also holds French citizenship from his father.[13] Djú was called up to the Guinea-Bissau national team for a set of 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches in September 2023.[14] Shortly after, he scored his first goal for Guinea-Bissau in a 2–1 victory against Sierra Leone.[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 April 2026[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition'
Club Season League Danish Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Midtjylland 2023–24 Danish Superliga 2711213[a]53217
2024–25 Danish Superliga 28111112[b]44116
2025–26 Danish Superliga 21172111[c]43422
Career total 763953261310755
  1. Appearances in UEFA Conference League
  2. Six appearances and three goals in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 8 September 2025[17]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Guinea-Bissau 202331
202480
202530
Total141
As of match played 10 June 2024
Scores and results list Guinea-Bissau's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Djú goal
List of international goals scored by Franculino Djú
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
111 September 2023Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau Sierra Leone2–12–12023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

Benfica Youth

Midtjylland

Individual

References

  1. Marques, Walter (2 February 2023). "Franculino Djú deixa Benfica e ruma ao Midtjylland" [Franculino Djú leaves Benfica to join Midtjylland]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  2. "Franculino Djú assina contrato profissional" [Franculino Djú signs professional contract]. S.L. Benfica (in French). 7 August 2020. Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  3. "Den mest scorende teenager i Europa: Her er historien om Franculino" [Europe's most prolific teenage scorer: The story of Franculino]. FC Midtjylland (in Danish). 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 9 November 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  4. "FC Midtjylland henter stort angrebstalent i Benfica" [FC Midtjylland sign highly rated attacking talent from Benfica]. FC Midtjylland (in Danish). 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  5. "Franculino er ankommet: Glæder mig til at vise, hvad jeg kan" [Franculino arrives: 'I look forward to showing what I can do']. FC Midtjylland (in Danish). 3 July 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  6. "Ung FCM'er med debutmål: Ikke i tvivl om hans kvalitet" [Young FC Midtjylland player scores on debut: No doubt about his quality]. Nordjyske (in Danish). 13 August 2023. Archived from the original on 9 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  7. Bak, Daniel (17 August 2023). "Franculino-hattrick i målfest sendte FCM videre i Europa" [Franculino hat-trick in goal fest sends FC Midtjylland through in Europe]. Bold (in Danish). Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  8. "FC Midtjylland wins Danish league after final-day slip-up by Brondby. Kristoffer Olsson in the crowd". AP News. 26 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 October 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  9. "Franculino underskriver ny lang aftale" [Franculino signs new long-term deal with FC Midtjylland]. FC Midtjylland (in Danish). 19 December 2024. Archived from the original on 7 November 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  10. "3F Superliga | Stilling, resultater & kampprogram". Bold (in Danish). Archived from the original on 9 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  11. Abolhosseini, Farzam (28 November 2025). "Afsløring: Dansk rekordbud på Franculino Djú" [Report: Danish record bid submitted for Franculino Djú]. Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  12. Bellaiche, Emil (16 December 2025). "Franculino opereret: Ude i flere måneder" [Franculino undergoes surgery, out for several months]. Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  13. "Franculino Djú deixa Benfica e ruma ao Midtjylland". www.record.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  14. "Qualificação CAN'2023: BACIRO CANDÉ CHAMA ALAMA, OBLAK E PANOBU". O Democrata GB.
  15. Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Teen Hits Winner In Guinea-Bissau's Best AFCON Campaign". barrons. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  16. Franculino Djú at Soccerway
  17. "Franculino Djú". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  18. Thrane, Kasper (14 May 2026). "Midtjysk dødbold afgjorde grim pokalfinale" [Midtjylland set piece settled ugly cup final]. DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  19. "Kåringer" (in Danish). Danish Superliga. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  20. "Djú Franculino scorede Månedens Mål i juli" [Djú Franculino scored the Goal of the Month in July] (in Danish). Danish Superliga. 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  21. "Franculino Djú scorede Månedens Mål i oktober" (in Danish). Danish Superliga. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  22. "Thomas Jørgensen på Årets Hold i 3F Superliga" (in Danish). Viborg FF. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.