THE Football is a sport that takes many turns in short periods of time, but not all stories are just ascending or descending, as many have ups and downs. This is the case of Mateo Tanlongo, the Sporting player who is now trying to regain his place in the Lions club, and has already established himself as a leader in the B team’s locker room.
Last Sunday, the Argentine midfielder was captain in the match against AVS, counting for the first round of the II League, which ended with a happy ending for the young lions, who won the match 0-1.
But it’s important to remember that he wasn’t always a fundamental part of Sporting’s project, as he didn’t last long in the main team.
From arrival with promises of stars…
Now, the 23-year-old midfielder arrived at the Alvalade club on January 5, 2023, with a lot of enthusiasm from the Lions’ management, with a very interesting CV.
Still 19 years old, Mateo Tanlongo was an under-20 international for Argentina, having participated in the 2023 World Cup at that level, where he fell with the Albiceleste in the round of 16, against their counterpart Nigeria, losing 2-0, where he played with names like Valentín Barco, Luka Romero or Máximo Perrone.
His transfer was even praised by Ruben Amorim, who admitted, at the time, that he would be a young man prepared to join Sporting’s rotation options.
“He was a young man with great potential who has been playing in a championship with a lot of pressure and in an important team. He already has that experience. He is a very intelligent defensive midfielder, he adapted well, he picked up ideas quickly and is very intense”, he began by stating.
“He’s going to have to grow. But it’s not too difficult to keep up with the rest of the boys. We’re very happy. These young guys will always take some time. But he’ll be called up. They have to compete with ours in training. He’s one more to fight for”, concluded the then Leonine coach, who now plays for AC Milan.
… to non-affirmation with Amorim
Even though there is always a period of adaptation, the truth is that this period of time was short for Tanlongo, who not even seven months later, went from being a young promise for Ruben Amorim’s options… to being disposable because he was unable to establish himself.
Several seasons of successive loans followed, to three different clubs, before returning to Alcochete and joining the B team.
First, and after 14 games for the main team, he went to Copenhagen for half a season, where he played just one game in Denmark, being called back for a new transfer to Rio Ave, where he ended up being more involved in the second half of the season with 12 games and even an assist for a goal.
In 2024/25 he had the best season of his career, with 28 games played for Pafos FC, from Cyprus, where he scored his first two goals as a senior player, assisting two others in all competitions.
Redemption arc in sight?
After these loans, he returned to the Alvalade club to try to return to his best level, playing 10 matches last season, and started the 2026/27 season in the best possible way.
Mateo Tanlongo was a starter, wore the captain’s armband and managed to win the victory to mark this special moment in his career with a flourish. We just have to wait and see if the Argentine midfielder can return to being dominant and, who knows, in Sporting’s main team.
