Who is Tiago Pereira Cardoso? | OneFootball

Tiago Pereira Cardoso: Who is Borussia Mönchengladbach's new goalkeeping prodigy?

He made his Bundesliga debut at a younger age than Marc-André ter Stegen and is already a senior international for Luxembourg – who is Borussia Mönchengladbach’s new goalkeeping prodigy Tiago Pereira Cardoso?

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Tiago Pereira CardosoAge: 18 (born 7 April 2006)Club: Borussia MönchengladbachPosition: GoalkeeperCountry: Luxembourg (4 caps)

Key stats

Eighteen years and 328 days, that’s how old Cardoso was when he made his Bundesliga debut in the Matchday 24 victory over Heidenheim. It makes him the second-youngest Gladbach goalkeeper to play in the Bundesliga after Uwe Kamps (18 years, 273 days) and ahead of Marc-André ter Stegen (18 years, 345 days), putting him in illustrious company.

It certainly was not expected to happen like that. With first-choice ‘keeper Moritz Nicolas (himself second choice at the start of the season) out with a groin injury and back-up Jonas Omlin suspended, 36-year-old Tobias Sippel – with over 200 games across Germany’s top two divisions – looked to be the obvious choice. But the veteran's cameo following Omlin’s red card against Augsburg, when he conceded all three goals in the Matchday 23 defeat, persuaded coach Gerardo Seoane to make a left-field but considered choice.

“He’s progressed in terms of personality and attitude,” Seoane had said in the build-up to the game of Cardoso, who had never even sat on the first-team bench in a competitive fixture before. “We’re convinced of his qualities.”

The Luxembourgish teenager, who has four caps for his country’s senior side, has had the opportunity to display his skills since joining Gladbach from Fola Esch in 2022. But touted as “one for the future”, his appearances had largely been limited to U19 level - where has often captained the side - with a single game as an unused substitute in the Regionalliga West this season following three appearances for the club’s second string last term.

“I think he was a bit tense before the game and was a bit nervous in the opening 20 minutes when he played one or two balls straight out of play. But that’s normal and not at all bad. He did his job very very well and gave us security,” said teammate Robin Hack, who scored twice in the 3-0 win at the Voith-Arena.

“I hope that he goes out a bit this evening, perhaps celebrates the Karneval and enjoys it. You only make your debut once, and if you win, it’s really great.”

Since his clean sheet against Heidenheim, Cardoso has made two further appearances for the first-team, maintaining his unbeaten record in between the sticks with wins against Werder Bremen and RB Leipzig, where he was a late substitute for the injured Omlin.

Plays a bit like: Marc-André ter Stegen

Of course it is early to fully compare Cardoso to the Germany and Barcelona goalkeeper, but there are obvious parallels. When Ter Stegen was thrown into the frenzied atmosphere of a Bundesliga Rhine derby with Cologne in April 2011, he too immediately looked at home at the top level. He had had the advantage of having been on the bench as back-up keeper for most of that season too before then coach Lucien Favre gave him his baptism of fire.

Watch: Cardoso keeps a clean sheet in debut win

At 6’2”, Cardoso stands an inch bigger than his illustrious predecessor in the Foals’ goal, and clearly has the confidence of the club’s goalkeeping coach, André Wachter, who arrived last summer from VfB Stuttgart and has pushed his young charge’s case.

“You don’t want to throw such a young goalkeeper in too early,” said the club’s sporting director Roland Virkus. “But our goalkeeping coaches certainly have the right instinct in this case.”

Did you know?

Cardoso, a member of the large Portuguese diaspora in Luxembourg, could have played for the country of his family’s origins. However, aged just 16, he received his first call-up to his birth country’s senior side in March 2023, and made his debut in a 1-0 defeat to Malta in a friendly in June that year. He featured in UEFA Nations League games in November 2024 and a friendly against Switzerland in March, but is yet to win a game at international level.

What they’re saying

“Suddenly putting an 18-year-old in goal is a big deal. But he brings a lot of quality with him." – Roland Virkus

“He can be proud of his performance. Of course he can enjoy it. It’s great his family were able to be there. We are delighted for him.“ - Gerardo Seoane on Cardoso's debut

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