Francisco Conceição

Early career

Conceição was born in Coimbra. He started playing football at Belenenses, due to his brothers Moisés and Rodrigo also playing there, before moving to Sporting's academy in 2011 at the age of eight, spending six seasons at the club. With his father Sérgio becoming the manager of Porto, he joined their academy and was subsequently loaned to their feeder club Padroense, before fully joining Porto's youth setup in 2018.

Porto

In August 2020, Conceição signed his first professional contract with the club until 2023, and made his professional debut for (Porto B) in a 1–0 loss against Varzim during the 2020–21 Liga Portugal 2 season. On 15 January 2021, his father called Conceição for Porto's league match against Benfica to replace Otávio, which ended 1–1. He made his debut in the Portuguese top tier in a 2–2 draw against Boavista in the Derby da Invicta, on 13 February 2021; with 13 minutes left and Porto trailing 2–1, within five minutes he won a penalty, which was by Sérgio Oliveira, before scoring a goal that was ruled out by VAR. Four days later, he became the second youngest Porto player to feature in a UEFA Champions League match, coming on in the last minutes of a 2–1 win against Juventus in the round of 16 of the 2020–21 season. At the end of the month, he was fully promoted to the first-team. In 2021–22, Conceição played 33 total games as Porto won a league and cup double; only four were starts, including one in the league. He contributed…

Youth

Conceição represented Portugal at under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels, for a total of 15 caps and three goals. In March 2021, he took part in the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, earning his first cap for the under-21 side, in a 1–0 victory in Croatia on 25 March. On 31 March, he became the youngest player (aged 18 years and 90 days) to score for Portugal in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, after closing the 3–0 victory against Switzerland in their final match in the group phase. He would help Portugal finish as runners-up, after losing in the final 1–0 to Germany. In June 2023, Conceição took part in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Portugal were eliminated from the tournament, on 2 July, after a 1–0 loss to England in the quarter-finals.

Senior

On 15 March 2024, Conceição was called to the senior squad by manager Roberto Martínez for friendlies with Sweden and Slovenia. He debuted on 26 March in a friendly match against the latter that ended in a 2–0 loss. On 21 May, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. On 18 June, he came off the bench in the 90th minute, before scoring his first goal for Portugal two minutes later, which secured a 2–1 victory over the Czech Republic in the opening match. His father Sérgio had scored a hat-trick against Germany almost exactly 24 years earlier on 20 June 2000 during UEFA Euro 2000; as such they became the second father and son pair to have scored a goal in a…

Conceição is a technical winger, with a tight turning radius, outstanding close control and an eye for playmaking in central zones. His game revolves around getting the ball into the penalty area from wide via carries and crosses. His compact build, standing at a low center of gravity coupled with quick, small strides allows him to make frequent and consistent contact with the ball while carrying it. This thereby enables him to execute constant sharp changes of directions. His agile feet also equip him with the ability to swiftly readjust himself to manipulate angles in the box, either to get shots off for himself or to set his teammates up. Conceição's body composition also gives him good control over his gears, as he utilizes this to square up defenders, to keep them on their toes, before hitting them off guard with a good sudden burst. He also utilizes these short explosive bursts brilliantly when cutting inside, using a variety of touches – long, short, to disrupt the rhythm of defenders. His early promise, as well as his small stature (1.70 m), led to comparisons to Eden Hazard and Lionel Messi in the Portuguese press, with him sometimes being nicknamed "Messi do Olival" (Olival's Messi) by fans and in media outlets.

Born in Coimbra, Conceição is the fourth son of former Portugal international footballer and Al-Ittihad manager Sérgio Conceição; his older brothers Sérgio and Rodrigo are also professional footballers.