Carlos Borges

Carlos Roberto Forbs Borges (born 19 March 2004) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge and the Portugal national team.

Club career Early career Born in Sintra, Lisboa Region, Forbs started playing football there, before enjoying a season-short spell at Sporting CP in the capital. He moved to England at the age of around 11, where he attended high-school at the Cooperative Academy of Leeds, but soon caught the eye of many Premier League scouts, joining the Manchester City academy in 2015.

In Manchester, he progressed through all of the youth categories, becoming a regular provider of goals and assists with the under-18 and under-23 teams, as City won both national tournaments between 2020 and 2022. He was named under-18 player of the season for Manchester City in May 2021.

By the end of 2021, he made his Youth League debut, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 away pool win against RB Leipzig.

He made headlines in September 2022, as he scored a hat-trick and delivered an assist during Manchester City's opening game of the Youth League, a 5–1 away win against Sevilla. He also proved to be instrumental a month later, with a goal and an assist in the 3–1 win at Copenhagen. In the 2022–23 season, he scored 25 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions for Manchester City U21.

Ajax

On 3 August 2023, Forbs signed for Eredivisie club Ajax on a five-year contract in a €14 million deal, which could rise to €19 million with variables. Nine days later, he made his professional debut for the Amsterdam side, coming off the bench to replace Brian Brobbey in the final minutes of a 4–1 home victory over Heracles Almelo, in the 2023–24 Eredivisie's opening game-week.

Ten days later, in the next league match, away to Excelsior, Forbs started and assisted Brobbey's opener, before being replaced by Davy Klaassen in the 60th minute; the game ended in a 2–2 draw. On 24 August, he made his debut in European competitions, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 4–1 win away at Ludogorets Razgrad, in the UEFA Europa League play-off round.

On 21 September, in an Europa League group stage match at home to Marseille, Forbs scored his first professional goal and also provided an assist; the game ended in a 3–3 draw.

Wolverhampton Wanderers On 30 August 2024, Forbs returned to England and joined Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers on an initial season-long loan.

Club Brugge On 17 July 2025, Forbs joined Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge for a reported fee close to €8 million, signing a four-year contract. He made his debut for the club as a 46th minute substitute for Hugo Vetlesen against Genk on 27 July, entering the field while his team was 0–1 down in an eventual 2–1 win.

On 5 November 2025, Forbs scored twice and provided an assist in a 3–3 draw against Barcelona in the Champions League league phase, being named Player of the Match for his efforts.

International career Born in Portugal, Forbs is of Bissau-Guinean descent. He is a youth international for Portugal. By 2022, he became a regular starter with the Portuguese under-19s.

On 8 September 2023, Forbs made his debut for Portugal's under-21s, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–0 home win over Andorra, in a qualifier for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Forbs was called up to the Portugal senior team on 8 November 2025 for the 2025 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Republic of Ireland and Armenia respectively. He made his senior national debut on 16 November, coming off the bench to replace Bernardo Silva and winning a penalty in a 9–1 victory over Armenia, at the Estádio do Dragão, as Portugal secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Personal life Formerly known as Carlos Borges, the player has opted to play using his mother's surname as Carlos Forbs since he joined Ajax in August 2023.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours Individual UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2023