Vitória de Guimarães: Is there room in the castle for a motivated World Cup star?

Telmo Arcanjo, a key player for the surprising Cape Verde national team at the 2026 World Cup, recently experienced one of the most memorable moments of his career. This came after a somewhat challenging 2025/26 season in Guimarães on a personal level. Last season, the winger started only 14 of the 34 matches he played for his club, scoring just two goals – four fewer than the previous season.

However, the Blue Sharks' impressive performance in the planet's biggest and most prestigious international competition, with Arcanjo notably shining in their 2-2 group stage draw against Uruguay, hinted at a new trajectory for the player who arrived in Guimarães in 2023 from Tondela.

The attacker found a renewed motivation that had seemingly been missing for some time. Despite returning to Portugal later than the rest of the squad due to an extended post-World Cup vacation, he was quickly integrated into Tiago Margarido's training sessions.

Telmo Arcanjo, 25, like Miguel Nogueira, 21, benefits from being left-footed – they are the only two left-footers operating in those areas of the pitch. However, the African international has already seen his Portuguese teammate move ahead of him in the pecking order, with the younger player starting the last match against Nacional (a 1-0 victory).

The 19-time Cape Verde international ultimately came on in the final stages of that game against the islanders, a pattern also seen in the home defeat to Arouca (0-1). Tiago Margarido's selections indicate that the winger is indeed part of his plans – unlike, for example, Vando Félix and Fabio Blanco, who have been dropped from the squad. Yet, once again, the talent developed at Belenenses is far from being an undisputed starter.

In addition to his left-footed wingers, the Vitória manager also has three right-footed options for the wide attacking positions: Gustavo Silva, Oumar Camara, and Victor Andersson (the most recent signing, from AIK in his native Sweden).

Regarding the Swedish player, it's worth noting he missed last weekend's game but has since been registered with the league and is now eligible to face SC Braga next Monday (8:15 PM) at the Pedreira.