Diogo Calila
Mozambican footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diogo dos Santos Cabral (born 10 October 1998), known as Diogo Calila, is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Botola Pro club Maghreb Fez the Mozambique national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Diogo dos Santos Cabral[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 10 October 1998[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Seixal, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Maghreb Fez | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2009 | Belenenses | ||
| 2009–2017 | Benfica | ||
| 2017–2018 | Paços Ferreira | ||
| 2018–2019 | Belenenses | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | B-SAD | 64 | (0) |
| 2020 | B-SAD B | 1 | (0) |
| 2022–2026 | Santa Clara | 91 | (4) |
| 2026– | Maghreb Fez | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | Mozambique | 8 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:29, 29 August 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13:03, 6 January 2026 (UTC) | |||
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] He made 102 total appearances during his spell, netting five times and providing six assists.[14]
Maghreb Fez
In September 2026, Calila moved to the Moroccan Botola Pro on a deal at Maghreb Fez.[15]
International career
In August 2025, Calila was pre-called up to the Mozambique national team.[16] He earned his first cap on 5 September, featuring the entire 4–0 loss away to Uganda in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[17][18] In December, he was selected by manager Chiquinho Conde for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.[19] 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.[20]
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.[21]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 29 August 2026[22]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| B-SAD | 2018–19 | Primeira Liga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 71 | 1 | |||
| Santa Clara | 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Liga Portugal 2 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| 2026–27 | Primeira Liga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 91 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 102 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 155 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 173 | 6 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 5 January 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mozambique | 2025 | 8 | 1 |
| Total | 8 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Mozambique's goal tally first.[22]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 28 December 2025 | Adrar Stadium, Agadir, Morocco |  Gabon | 3–1 | 3–2 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations |
Honours
Santa Clara