Bruno Varela

Benfica

Born in Lisbon and of Cape Verdean descent, Varela joined local club S.L. Benfica's youth system at the age of 11. On 22 September 2012, whilst still a junior, he made his professional debut, appearing for the reserves in a 2–0 away win against C.D. Aves in the Segunda Liga. From 2013 to 2015, with the team still in the second division, Varela was the undisputed starter. His competitive input with the main squad consisted of nine bench appearances, the first of which occurred on 29 August 2011 in a Primeira Liga match at C.D. Nacional when he was just 16 years old. On 29 August 2015, Varela was loaned to Real Valladolid in a season-long move. Barred by Athletic Bilbao youth product Kepa Arrizabalaga, he appeared in only one official game for the Spaniards during his spell, the 1–3 Segunda División home loss to RCD Mallorca in the last matchday.

Vitória Setúbal

On 2 July 2016, Varela left Benfica and signed with fellow top-flight side Vitória F.C. until June 2021. He made his debut in the competition on 21 August on his return to the Estádio da Luz, a 1–1 draw against the reigning champions.

Return to Benfica

In July 2017, Varela agreed on a return to Benfica for a fee of around €100,000. He made his competitive debut on 5 August, starting in the 3–1 victory over Vitória S.C. in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. His first appearance in the UEFA Champions League took place on 12 September, in a 1–2 group stage home loss to PFC CSKA…

Portugal

Varela represented Portugal at the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, being a backup to José Sá in the latter tournament. He was also part of the under-20 squad at the 2014 Toulon Tournament, starting in an eventual third-place finish. Varela again played understudy to Sá during the 2015 European Under-21 Championship, failing to appear for the runners-up. He was first choice during the 2016 Summer Olympics competition, in an eventual quarter-final run. On 21 March 2017, Varela received his first call-up to the Portugal senior side, replacing the injured Anthony Lopes for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Hungary and a friendly with Sweden to be held later that month. In October 2020, he replaced the same player after he tested had positive for COVID-19.

Cape Verde

On 4 October 2023, Varela received a call-up to the Cape Verde national team for friendlies against Algeria and Comoros. He won his first cap eight days later, in a 5–1 away loss to the former; he rejected to be selected for the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals, however, on the grounds that he had not taken part in the qualification campaign.

As of match played 18 May 2024

Benfica

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2017 Ajax

KNVB Cup: 2018–19 Johan Cruyff Shield: 2019 International

UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2015