Famalicão has been one of the surprise packages of the 2025-26 Portuguese Liga season. The northwest club, under manager Hugo Oliveira, is enjoying a strong campaign and battling Braga for a historic first-ever European qualification. With the second-youngest squad in the league, the team features prodigious talents like Gustavo Sá (21), De Amorim (21), and Spanish contingent Gonzalo Pastor (20), Marcos Peña (21), and Óscar Aranda (23). After being sidelined with a serious knee injury, Aranda has now returned at this critical stage of the season.
The 23-year-old winger was Famalicão’s standout star last season. He finished as the team’s top scorer with nine goals and three assists, establishing himself as a dominant force on the left flank. Aranda ranked second in the entire league for successful dribbles per game, a skill honed during his time at Real Madrid’s academy. His combination of technical ability and relentless running made him the most fouled player in the Portuguese top flight.
The club’s faith in Aranda never wavered despite his injury, and he recently signed a new contract running through 2028. “The club always showed they were there for me, just as I am for them,” he said after putting pen to paper. His return is a major boost for Famalicão as they push for a European spot for the first time in history.
Aranda joined Famalicão in the summer of 2023 after rising through Real Madrid’s youth system. He was a key member of Raúl González’s successful youth squad that won the UEFA Youth League, one of the ‘white blackbirds’ that left the nest to make his mark elsewhere. Now healthy, he aims to help write a new chapter for his Portuguese club.
