Ivan Lima has completed a permanent move from Benfica B to Polish side Piast Gliwice, sealing his first senior transfer away from Portugal and bringing an end to his long association with the Lisbon club’s academy structure. The left winger joins the Ekstraklasa outfit from the Liga Portugal 2 side in a standard transfer, with the switch officially recorded to begin on 2026-02-10. Contract details, including the end date and exact fee, have not been disclosed.
The move takes the 21-year-old winger out of his home country’s system for the first time and into Poland’s top flight, where he will represent Piast Gliwice in the Ekstraklasa. Lima arrives with a listed market value of €500k at the time of the transfer, reflecting a rise from earlier valuations during his spell with Benfica B. While the transfer fee remains undisclosed, the agreement confirms Piast’s decision to invest in a young attacker with experience across multiple Benfica youth levels.
Lima, born in Lisboa on 13/01/2005, holds dual nationality with Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe and is registered primarily as an attacking left winger, operating from the left flank while preferring his right foot. Standing at 1.74 m, he has come through every rung of Benfica’s youth ladder, progressing from SL Benfica Youth to the U15, U17, U19, U23, and ultimately Benfica B sides in a continuous pathway that began with his first recorded youth move in 2018.
His club journey charts a steady climb: a promotion from SL Benfica Youth to Benfica U15 in 2018, then up to U17 in 2020, U19 in 2022, U23 in 2023, and finally Benfica B in 2024, where he featured in Liga Portugal 2 before this transfer. Across this period, his market value history shows fluctuations but a clear upward trend, culminating in the €500k valuation shortly before his departure to Piast Gliwice.
Lima’s move also marks a significant step in terms of competition level and environment, exchanging Portugal’s second tier for Poland’s top division. At Piast Gliwice, he will be competing in the Ekstraklasa, which is a new league for him after spending his entire development phase within Benfica’s domestic structure. For Benfica B, his exit opens a pathway for other academy wingers and confirms another outbound transfer from the club’s productive youth system.
From an international perspective, Lima’s dual-national background adds interest to his profile. Both Portuguese and São Toméan observers will now track his adaptation to Polish football and his progress in a foreign league. With this confirmed move, the next phase of his career will be defined by how quickly he can translate his development at Benfica into consistent senior performances for Piast Gliwice over the length of his contract, which starts on 2026-02-10 and runs until its undisclosed expiry date.
