Success and failure are separated by a fine and highly volatile line. For every winner, there is a loser, and switching between these two happens more frequently than one might imagine.The young caree...
Success and failure are separated by a fine and highly volatile line. For every winner, there is a loser, and switching between these two happens more frequently than one might imagine.
The young career of Dário Essugo represents a perfect example of the highs and lows of football.
At 20 years old, the midfielder already has four titles to his name, including becoming a World Champion last Sunday (July 13th), having played only 38 minutes. Nonetheless, his short career has also seen him already be relegated twice.
Interestingly, the titles were achieved with clubs where he played relatively few games/minutes, while the relegations occurred when Essugo played for longer periods of the season.
With this premise in mind, we looked at the brief but eventful journey of Dário Essugo, from the Sporting youth teams to the adventure in the Club World Cup with Chelsea.
First title after six minutes
In the 2020/21 season, Dário Essugo won the first title of his career – the Portuguese championship with Sporting – with just six minutes played in the competition.
In matchday 24 of the competition, during Sporting's home game against Vitória SC, Ruben Amorim decided to bring on shirt number '84' six minutes before the end of the match thus securing Essugo's debut as a professional for the Lions.
Nevertheless, these brief moments provided by the current Manchester United coach were more than enough for the young Essugo, then just 16 years old, to win his first career medal.
In the following season, the midfielder mainly played for Sporting's U19 and B teams participating in just two matches for the senior side – nine minutes in the Champions League against Ajax and 45 minutes in the league.
From champion to relegation
In the 2023/24 season, Essugo started the season with Sporting, making ten appearances before being loaned out for half a season to GD Chaves.
The midfielder represented the colours of the Valentes Transmontanos for about three months, participating in 14 matches – 13 of them as a starter.
The season in question was bittersweet for the player. By matchday 32, Benfica's defeat to FC Famalicão allowed Sporting to celebrate the title without having to play and earning Essugo another medal.
Meanwhile, there was nothing Essugo could do to save Chaves from relegation during his loan spell just five years after Sporting won the league.
Mixed emotions
After the loan period in Chaves, Dário Essugo returned to Sporting for the 2024/25 campaign but again did not find a space in the squad. The midfielder played just 16 (!) minutes as a substitute in two matches at the start of the season before securing a loan move in La Liga.
In search of minutes, routine, and above all, a project that would provide a basis for him to establish himself as a starter, Essugo joined Las Palmas until the end of the season. The young midfielder participated d in 27 matches for the Spanish team, scoring once.
The successive positive performances put the young player under the spotlight and the midfielder began to attract the interest of some European giants with Chelsea eventually winning the race.
Essugo completed the remainder of the season with the Amarillos with the future transfer to the Blues agreed. However, once again his loan spell ended in relegation after Las Palmas finished in 19th place.
But just three days after Las Palmas' relegation, Sporting were crowned champions again. Thanks to those modest 16 minutes played for the Lions, Essugo was part of the players who won the championship for the Alvalade team. From the melancholy of relegation to the euphoria of the title in just 72 hours!
The world stage
In the final stretch of the season, Essugo also joined the Chelsea squad that traveled to the United States of America, with a view to participating in the Club World Cup 2025. The midfielder played only 38 minutes in the competition, featuring in three different matches as a substitute.
Just last Sunday, Chelsea was crowned winner of the competition, with a resounding victory against Paris Saint-Germain, and Essugo's brief presence in the tournament secured the 20-year-old midfielder the status of World Champion.
Essugo wasn't the only player to be relegated and win the Club World Cup, though. Liam Delap did the same after his 2024/25 campaign with Ipswich Town before joining the Blues.
Overall, Dário Essugo ends the season with three achievements, two positive and one negative. Despite not being able to prevent Las Palmas' relegation to the Spanish second tier, the midfielder became a league winner with Sporting and a world champion with Chelsea. A true rollercoaster of emotions.
Category: General Sports
