Rúben Pina has completed a move from GD Chaves to Leixões SC, joining the Liga Portugal 2 side on a free transfer. The 26‑year‑old left winger, who holds both Cape Verdean and Portuguese nationality, arrives with a current market valuation of €400,000 and immediately becomes one of Leixões’ more valuable attacking assets.
The transfer was finalised on 2026-02-02, with Pina leaving Chaves at the end of his spell there and signing terms with Leixões through to 2026-06-30. The deal involves no transfer fee between the clubs, meaning Chaves lose the player without compensation while Leixões secure a versatile attacker at no cost beyond wages and bonuses.
Pina is registered primarily as an attacking left winger and prefers to operate off the flank while playing on his right foot. Standing 1.84m tall, he offers a combination of physical presence and wide attacking threat, attributes that Leixões will look to harness in their push within Liga Portugal 2. Both his previous club Chaves and his new side Leixões compete in the same division, ensuring he remains at the same competitive level while changing environments.
Born on 20 Jan 2000, Pina has followed a distinctly Portuguese development path despite his Cape Verdean roots. His youth and early senior career took him through several clubs in Portugal: from Sporting CP’s youth ranks to a long association with CF Os Belenenses at various age levels, before moving to Desportivo Aves’ under‑19 and under‑23 sides. A step into senior football followed with FC Alverca, then a switch to Belenenses’ first team, and later a move to Chaves. Each stage has kept him within Portuguese football and familiar with the domestic structure and style.
The winger joined Chaves from CF Os Belenenses in 2024 and saw his market value rise significantly during his time there, peaking at €600,000 before settling at €400,000 in the most recent assessment. That valuation underlines how he is regarded as a legitimate asset at Liga Portugal 2 level and explains why Leixões were willing to act once a free transfer became possible.
Leixões, who also compete in Liga Portugal 2, add a player used to the demands of the division and already integrated into Portuguese football culture. For Pina, the move represents continuity in the league he knows, as well as a new platform to re‑establish or improve his market value after its recent decrease. For Chaves, his departure on a free transfer closes a chapter that began when they brought him in from Belenenses.
With his contract at Leixões now running until 2026-06-30, Pina enters the next phase of a career that, to date, has unfolded entirely within Portugal while drawing on his dual Cape Verdean and Portuguese background. The coming seasons will determine whether he can convert that steady progression and accumulated experience into sustained impact for his new club in Liga Portugal 2.
