It’s easy to forget Andreas Schelderup is 21 years young. The winger left Bodø/Glimt back in 2020, since then there have been games in Denmark and the Superliga with Nordsjælland, then Benfica, returning to Nordsjælland on loan, then back to the Portuguese big club this season – where football genius savage Jose Mourinho took over as coach. The last few months have been eventful, to say the least, for the young, Norwegian player.
In October 2025, Jose Mourinho, as the new Benfica coach, was already tired of the questions about Schelderup’s lack of playing time: “Schjelderup is Schjelderup. He struggles with that over 90 minutes, with the intensity and the sacrifice in the transitions,” Mourinho told A Bola.
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Then came the Champions League match against Real Madrid at the end of January. Here, Kylian Mbappé was as usual central for Real Madrid with two goals, but this time it was a Norwegian 21-year-old who stole the show. Two goals by Schelderup in the 4-2 win for Benfica, named player of the match.
After the game, Mourinho was again asked about the Norwegian.
– Schjelderup? There is talk and talk, but in the last four games he has played all of them. I think this Schjelderup is better than the one I met. He does things he didn’t do before,” Jose Mourinho said dryly, according to the Portuguese Record.
Although Mourinho should have some of the credit, Schelderup has also been given the necessary playing time to deliver. Now, the Norwegian winger is consistently referred to as one of Benfica’s most valuable players, having gone from an uncertain start to becoming an “indisputable starter” during the 2026 spring season. The sports newspaper A Bola recently highlighted a study from CIES that ranks Schjelderup as the second best U23 player in Europe outside the five biggest leagues.
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On Monday, Schelderup again played one of the main roles, when he scored on a penalty in a dramatic city derby against Sporting, a game Benfica won 2-1 and is still in the gold medal match in the Portuguese league.
Now Schelderup is one of Mourinho’s favourites, a journey few other players have made before him. From Mourinho’s “pick-on-the-box” to being a staple in the starting eleven in the biggest games in a matter of months, there aren’t many players who have managed this before the 21-year-old. Because if you stand in The Special One’s book with a negative connotation, it almost takes a football miracle to turn it around. Especially in a matter of months.
