Diogo Calila

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Diogo Calila
Personal information
Full name Diogo dos Santos Cabral [1]
Date of birth (1998-10-10) 10 October 1998 (age 27) [1]
Place of birth Seixal, Portugal
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Position Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Santa Clara
Number 2
Youth career
2008–2009 Belenenses
2009–2017 Benfica
2017–2018 Paços Ferreira
2018–2019 Belenenses
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019–2022 B-SAD 64 (0)
2020 B-SAD B 1 (0)
2022– Santa Clara 74 (3)
International career‡
2025– Mozambique 6 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:42, 15 December 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:53, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Diogo dos Santos Cabral (born 10 October 1998), known as Diogo Calila, is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Primeira Liga club Santa Clara and the Mozambique national team.

Contents

Club career

Belenenses

Calila was born in Seixal, Lisbon metropolitan area. A youth product of S.L. Benfica, he was promoted to the senior team of B-SAD in January 2019. [2] He made his Primeira Liga debut later that month, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute for Diogo Viana in a 3–0 away loss against FC Porto. [3]

Calila played 20 matches – 23 in all competitions – in the 2020–21 season, helping his team finish tenth in the table. He subsequently renewed his contract until 2024. [4]

On 27 November 2021, Calila was the only player available from the main squad to face Benfica, due to a bout of COVID-19. [5] Nine players started the game, most of them from the under-23 side and two being goalkeepers; after seven returned for the second half with the score at 7–0 and one suffered an injury, the fixture was abandoned. [6] [7]

Santa Clara

In August 2022, Calila signed a three-year contract with C.D. Santa Clara with the option of a further two; his former club retained 20% of the player's rights. [8] [9] He contributed 18 appearances and two goals in the 2023–24 campaign, [10] [11] in a top-division return one year after relegation. [12]

Calila scored his first goal in the top flight on 25 October 2024, in a 2–1 home win over Gil Vicente FC. [13]

International career

In August 2025, Calila was pre-called up to the Mozambique national team. [14] He earned his first cap on 5 September, featuring the entire 4–0 loss away to Uganda in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. [15] [16] In December, he was selected by manager Chiquinho Conde for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco. [17] In their second group game, against Gabon, he scored his first goal to contribute decisively to a 3–2 victory in Agadir, the country's first ever in the tournament. [18]

Personal life

Calila's father, Carlos (who shared the same nickname), was also a footballer. A forward, he played mostly for C.F. Os Belenenses. [19]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 December 2025 [20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupLeague cupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
B-SAD 2018–19 Primeira Liga 4000——40
2019–20 Primeira Liga12010——130
2020–21 Primeira Liga20030——230
2021–22 Primeira Liga2602110—291
2022–23 Primeira Liga20———20
Total6406110—711
Santa Clara 2022–23 Primeira Liga1500020—170
2023–24 Liga Portugal 2 1823000—212
2024–25 Primeira Liga3111000—321
2025–26 Primeira Liga10011102 [a] 0141
Total743513020844
Career total137310140201534
  1. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Conference League

International

As of match played 28 December 2025
Appearances and goals by national team and year [20]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Mozambique 202561
Total61
Scores and results list Mozambique's goal tally first. [20]
List of international goals scored by Diogo Calila
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.28 December 2025 Adrar Stadium, Agadir, MoroccoFlag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 3–13–2 2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Honours

Santa Clara

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Diogo Calila" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  2. ↑ Gonçalo Pinto, Pedro (11 January 2019). "Gonçalo Tavares e Diogo Calila dão salto da Liga Revelação" [Gonçalo Tavares and Diogo Calila make the leap from the Revelation League]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  3. ↑ Pereira, David (30 January 2019). "Seis minutos bastaram para o FC Porto desembrulhar o pastel" [Six minutes was all FC Porto needed to unwrap the pastry]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  4. ↑ "Diogo Calila e Francisco Teixeira renovam com o Belenenses SAD" [Diogo Calila and Francisco Teixeira renew with Belenenses SAD]. Record (in Portuguese). 31 May 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  5. ↑ Fernandes, Mariana (27 November 2021). "Nada disto foi um jogo de futebol (a crónica de um Belenenses SAD-Benfica que não devia ter acontecido)" [None of this was a football match (the report of a Belenenses SAD-Benfica that should not have happened)]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "Belenenses SAD com nove jogadores contra Benfica" [Belenenses SAD with nine players against Benfica] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "Com surto de Covid, Belenenses tem goleiro na linha, é goleado pelo Benfica, e jogo termina com 46 minutos" [With Covid bout, Belenenses field goalkeeper as an outfield player, are thrashed by Benfica, and match ends after 46 minutes] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  8. ↑ Martins Neves, Nuno (16 August 2022). "Diogo Calila deixa a B SAD e vai continuar a jogar na Liga Bwin" [Diogo Calila leaves B SAD and will continue to play in Bwin League]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "OFICIAL: Santa Clara contrata Diogo Calila" [OFFICIAL: Santa Clara sign Diogo Calila] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "A crónica do Santa Clara-Belenenses, 2–0: líder vence e garante pelo menos o playoff de subida" [Santa Clara-Belenenses match report, 2–0: leaders win and confirm at least promotion playoff]. Record (in Portuguese). 3 May 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  11. ↑ "Mafra-Santa Clara, 0–2: açorianos festejam subida à 1.ª Liga com vitória" [Mafra-Santa Clara, 0–2: Azoreans celebrate 1st League promotion with win]. Record (in Portuguese). 12 May 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "Santa Clara festeja regresso à Primeira Liga em Mafra" [Santa Clara celebrate return to First League in Mafra] (in Portuguese). RTP Açores. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Pataco, Miguel (25 October 2024). "Santa Clara vence Gil e ultrapassa Benfica no pódio" [Santa Clara beat Gil and overtake Benfica in podium]. Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  14. ↑ "Conde chama 54 "mambas" na pré-convocatória para jogos de Setembro" [Conde calls 54 "mambas" in pre-selection for September matches]. O País (in Portuguese). 12 August 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  15. ↑ "Diogo Calila entusiasmado para estreia nos Mambas e promete oferecer sua qualidade a lateral direito" [Diogo Calila excited about debut for the Mambas and promises to offer his skills at right-back] (in Portuguese). Lance. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  16. ↑ "Moçambique de Geny Catamo é goleado pelo Uganda" [Geny Catamo's Mozambique are thrashed by Uganda] (in Portuguese). CNN Portugal. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  17. ↑ "CAN: Moçambique chama 6 que atuam em Portugal" [CAN: Mozambique call 6 who work in Portugal]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 6 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  18. ↑ Barata, Pedro (28 December 2025). "Com Geny Catamo em destaque, Moçambique ganha um jogo na CAN pela primeira vez na história" [With Geny Catamo as star, Mozambique win a match in CAN for the first time in history]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  19. ↑ "Os pais e filhos do futebol português" [The fathers and sons of Portuguese football] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  20. 1 2 3 Diogo Calila at Soccerway
  21. ↑ Gonçalves, João (24 May 2024). "Ricardo Pacheco, presidente do Santa Clara: 'Vamos para a Primeira Liga para lá ficar.'" [Ricardo Pacheco, Santa Clara president: 'We go to the First League to stay there.']. The Herald News (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
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