Those who closely follow Liga Portugal and Sporting CP games in recent seasons will know the answer to that question. Geny Catamo is a two-time national champion, but his journey in Portugal did not always point in that direction.
Nowadays, Mozambique’s national team is built around “Geny and ten others,” and much of that credit goes to Ruben Amorim.
The current Manchester United manager revived a winger in whom few still believed, after unsuccessful spells in Guimarães and Madeira. In Sporting’s end-of-season video, where one of the highlights was Amorim’s farewell speech, Geny Catamo’s tears told part of the story: the gratitude of a young player who, before the coach’s faith, was a substitute in a team that ended up relegated.
From Amora to disappointment at the Caldeirao
Geny Cipriano Catamo was born in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, and arrived in Portugal via Amora. The club on the south bank of the Tagus had a strong Mozambican presence, thanks to the influence of SAD administrator Zuneid Sidat, and that was where Geny got his first taste of European football.
At just 18, he was given his debut by Pedro Russiano in Amora’s senior team, then playing in the Campeonato de Portugal (the fourth tier of Portuguese football), and caught the eye of Sporting, who brought him into their youth squad on loan.
At that time, Amorim was already keeping tabs on the left-footer, who did pre-season with the first team in 2020/21, just weeks before signing his first professional contract with Sporting, who retained only 25 percent of his rights.
That period was almost a trial for the Mozambican, who stayed with the B team but was regularly called up to train with the first team. Then, in January, he was used as part of the deal that saw Marcus Edwards leave Vitoria SC for Alvalade, giving Geny a chance to play regularly in Liga Portugal, just days after making his debut in the competition under Amorim.
The situation was demanding, especially since the player Geny was replacing was the most unpredictable in the Guimaraes squad, but the Mozambican was never more than a secret weapon, starting only in the last game of the season - where he provided two assists.
It goes without saying that Geny Catamo did not convince at D. Afonso Henriques and, when he returned to Sporting, there was no room for him, especially after Edwards was signed. So, on the last day of the transfer window, the winger was loaned to Maritimo, in a season that ended with the Madeira club’s relegation after 38 (!) years in the top flight.
Given the circumstances, one would expect Geny to at least get playing time in Liga Portugal, but that was not how things turned out. Besides suffering the first relegation of his career, he left the Caldeirao dos Barreiros with just 11 appearances, six as a starter.
An unexpected bet pays off and turns him into an icon
After two fruitless loan spells, few expected Geny Catamo to make his mark at Sporting, but Amorim saw something other coaches did not, and the Mozambican repaid his manager’s faith.
In the opening match of the 2023/24 season, Geny took advantage of his teammates’ injuries and started on the right wing - a new position, but one Amorim had already tried with other wingers like Gonzalo Plata and Fatawu. After being almost a bit-part player at Vitoria SC and Maritimo, Geny embraced his new role and became a kind of 12th man for Amorim, playing not only on the right but also on the left or as a winger, though usually coming off the bench.
By the end of the season, Geny, who started out as surplus to requirements for most fans, had become an icon at Alvalade, thanks to the two goals he scored in the 2-1 win over Benfica - a victory that proved decisive for the championship title.
The Mozambican, who even featured in the song “Acordar” by rapper Plutonio, became the main nemesis of the Lions’ eternal rivals, especially after scoring the winning goal again in last season’s 1-0 victory, which marked Rui Borges’ debut as coach and was a turning point on the way to a back-to-back title that had eluded Sporting for 71 years.
The number 10 who wants to carry Mozambique at AFCON
From being written off to becoming a Sporting star, Geny returns to AFCON with a new status after his debut in 2023.
At 24, the shyness he shows in interviews is nowhere to be seen on the pitch. Whether on the right or left, as a wing-back or winger, the Mozambican is a player with dribbling and shooting skills, willing to take risks but also able to drop back and help the full-back defensively.
At AFCON 2025, he is the standout figure for Mozambique, as Pepo himself revealed in an interview with Flashscore: “For me, Geny (Catamo) is on a completely different level. You can really tell. For example, when we played Algeria, he was as good as their best players. In every detail - acceleration, strength, speed of execution, decision-making - you immediately see he’s a very special player.”
Geny’s performance wasn’t enough to beat Ivory Coast in the opening match, although he came close to scoring a late equalizer, but it was enough to catch the eye of those who hadn’t seen him before. “Who is Mozambique’s number 10?” Geny Catamo, the winger backed by Amorim, is now the great hope for Chiquinho Conde’s team in Sunday’s match against Gabon.
Follow the match live on Flashscore.
