Vangelis Pavlidis stats: Benfica striker leads Primeira Liga scorers
Vangelis Pavlidis has eight Primeira Liga goals for Benfica, one ahead of Sporting's Luis Suárez. We break down his scoring rate, share of team goals and the title race.
Vangelis Pavlidis is the leading scorer in Portugal's Primeira Liga after eight rounds of the 2026-27 season. The 27-year-old Greece striker has eight league goals for Benfica, according to Yalla Shoot data updated on 16 October 2026, one more than Sporting CP's Luis Suárez and three clear of the next group of challengers. He has scored in a side that has the best attack in the country, yet still trails unbeaten FC Porto in the title race.
This player profile looks at the numbers behind Pavlidis's form: his minutes per goal, how much of Benfica's attack he accounts for, where the club stands in the Primeira Liga table, and how the race for the golden boot is shaping up.
Vangelis Pavlidis's season in numbers
Pavlidis has played in all eight of Benfica's league matches, totalling 639 minutes. He has scored eight goals, two of them penalties, and provided three assists. His average match rating in the data is 7.70.
| Statistic | Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica) |
|---|---|
| Age | 27 |
| Appearances | 8 |
| Minutes played | 639 |
| Goals | 8 |
| Penalty goals | 2 |
| Non-penalty goals | 6 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Minutes per goal | 80 |
| Goals per 90 minutes | 1.13 |
| Average rating | 7.70 |
A goal every 80 minutes gives Pavlidis a rate of 1.13 per 90. Add his three assists and he is producing a direct goal contribution roughly every 58 minutes. That all-round output, scoring and creating, is a large part of why Benfica's attack has been the most productive in the league.
Share of team goals at Benfica
Benfica have scored 24 league goals in eight matches, more than any other club in the Primeira Liga. Pavlidis has a third of them: eight of 24, or 33 percent. Including assists, he has been directly involved in 11 of the 24, or 46 percent.
He is not carrying the attack alone. Gianluca Prestianni, 20, is third in the scoring chart with five goals and three assists for Benfica. Together the pair have scored 13 of the club's 24 goals, a little over half, which leaves 11 goals spread across the rest of the squad. Combined with a defence that has conceded only seven, Benfica have a goal difference of plus 17, the best in the league.
Benfica in the Primeira Liga table
Despite those numbers, Benfica are second. They have 19 points from six wins, one draw and one defeat, and their last five games brought four wins and one loss. The problem is the side above them: FC Porto have won all eight of their league games for a perfect 24 points.
| Pos | Club | W-D-L | GF-GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Porto | 8-0-0 | 20-4 | 24 |
| 2 | Benfica | 6-1-1 | 24-7 | 19 |
| 3 | Sporting CP | 5-3-0 | 20-9 | 18 |
| 4 | Santa Clara | 5-3-0 | 12-4 | 18 |
| 5 | Arouca | 4-2-2 | 11-7 | 14 |
| 6 | Academico Viseu | 4-2-2 | 11-10 | 14 |
The gap to Porto is five points. Behind Benfica, Sporting CP and Santa Clara are only one point back, both still unbeaten. The top two places currently carry direct entry to the Champions League league phase, while third is marked for Champions League qualification, so Benfica's position in that group matters as much as the title chase itself.
Primeira Liga top scorers race
The top ten according to the data:
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vangelis Pavlidis | Benfica | 8 | 3 | 639 |
| 2 | Luis Suárez | Sporting CP | 7 | 1 | 488 |
| 3 | Gianluca Prestianni | Benfica | 5 | 3 | 662 |
| 4 | Barbero | Arouca | 5 | 0 | 572 |
| 5 | Gonçalo Paciência | Santa Clara | 5 | 1 | 608 |
| 6 | G. Koutsias | Famalicao | 5 | 0 | 633 |
| 7 | A. Marcus | Estrela | 4 | 1 | 713 |
| 8 | L. Antonetti | Estrela | 4 | 1 | 713 |
| 9 | André Clóvis | Academico Viseu | 4 | 0 | 625 |
| 10 | Gabri Veiga | FC Porto | 4 | 3 | 529 |
Suárez: the most efficient challenger
The closest threat is Sporting's Luis Suárez, the Colombia forward. He is one goal behind with seven, two of them penalties, but he has needed only 488 minutes, a goal roughly every 70 minutes, which is a better rate than Pavlidis's 80. If Suárez continues to score at that pace while playing more minutes, the lead could change quickly.
Elsewhere, Pavlidis is the only player in the top ten with more than seven goals, and his three assists are matched only by Prestianni and Porto's Gabri Veiga. Porto's spread of scorers is notable: they lead the league, yet their top scorer in the chart, Gabri Veiga, has four goals, which suggests Porto's perfect record has been built on contributions from across the squad rather than one striker.
Two Greek players feature in the top six, with Famalicao's G. Koutsias on five alongside Pavlidis. Among the players on five goals, Arouca's Barbero has the best ratio at roughly one every 114 minutes, with Santa Clara's Gonçalo Paciência at about one every 122. Those rates are well behind Pavlidis and Suárez, which for now makes this a two-man race between the Lisbon rivals' strikers.
Background: Pavlidis at Benfica
Pavlidis joined Benfica from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in 2024. Benfica are Portugal's most successful league club, and for a centre-forward at the club the expectation is always to challenge for the scoring title. The Primeira Liga is an 18-team league with 34 rounds, so eight games represents less than a quarter of the season, and the race is wide open.
What's next for Pavlidis and Benfica
Benfica have 26 league rounds left to close a five-point gap on Porto while holding off Sporting and Santa Clara. For Pavlidis, the immediate test is the duel with Suárez at the top of the scoring chart. Track every result and upcoming Primeira Liga fixture on our matches page.