From the second division to Europe
When Bruno Vicintin bought Clube Desportivo Santa Clara in 2022, the team were in Portugal’s top flight, Liga Portugal, but change was needed.
Vicintin said in the video below: “Three seasons ago (2022/23), I decided to buy a club myself, so I bought Santa Clara, who were in the First Division at the time. Our first season didn't work so well and we went down to the Second Division. We bought the club right at the end of the window.
"Last season (2023/24) we won the Second Division and got promoted. This season (2024/25) was a magical season. We finished fifth and got to the Conference League, that’s for the second time in the club's history.”
Watch our full interview with Bruno Vicintin
That rapid turnaround has been built on two things: stability and a clear player trading model.
“Stability. The decisions are not so passionate; they are much more professional,” Vicintin added. “I think our first season didn’t work so well because there were so many things we had to change. Santa Clara didn’t work well. The farm system [where larger clubs partner with smaller clubs] and structures were not good, and we are trying to change that.”
A global approach to recruitment
With resources more limited than Portugal’s biggest clubs, Santa Clara and Vicintin focus on finding value in overlooked markets.
“Our main business is to bring players from secondary markets such as South America and Africa, adapt them to Europe, prepare them for Europe, and sell mainly to the top five leagues. That's our core business and our strategy in the market,” says Vicintin.
It’s a model that demands a strong network of contacts: something that TransferRoom provides instantly.
“TransferRoom is really useful. It is a really good tool to make connections with clubs. It's really easy to connect with any club. If I watch a game anywhere and I like a player, with two clicks I can get in contact with the President of the other club. When I entered football 13 years ago, we had to have five agents to contact a club President. Now it’s two clicks in TransferRoom. I can speak to Owners, and it’s really easy to contact the agent or the decision-maker at the club.”
Connecting with the world
Santa Clara’s Owner is also a regular at TransferRoom Summits, where 100s of club decision-makers and a selection of top agencies meet in one place for 15-minute one-to-one meetings, knowledge sharing and exclusive networking.
That included June 2025’s Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and he instantly saw big benefits.
“We arranged many meetings with all kinds of clubs,” he said. “Each meeting has a different strategy. I meet clubs that I didn’t even know, from Guatemala, from Peru, from the Dominican Republic, from really new markets. I speak to the big players here in Argentina or the ones in Brazil that I already know well. I'm a really pragmatic person, and I really like the 15-minute meetings because I like to go straight to the point. I think the TransferRoom summit works really well for a pragmatic club Owner.”
Bruno Vicintin (right), had the opportunity to hold 23 one-to-one meetings with club and agency executives at the TransferRoom Summit in Buenos Aires
And the online platform is just as important to the club’s success.
“I use TransferRoom on my phone, and I used to do pitches daily. It's really good. I really like technology. It's something that helps us work and I’m all in on it. Of course, I can’t go to all summits, but I try to go to the maximum that I can. I try to connect with as many clubs as I can, and as many agents as I can, and I think that's one of the secrets of the success that CD Santa Clara have had in the last two seasons.”
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