Kobbie Mainoo, of Manchester United and England, was in the year above Pinto at Ashton on Mersey School, where United send academy prospects, with Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford among earlier alumni.
Pinto, however, is now without a club after his recent release from English League One side Bolton Wanderers. It leaves him with the choice that faced two of the Hong Kong under-23 team who reached last year’s Asian Games semi-finals, Ellison Tsang Yi-hang and Kyle Lau Ka-kiu. Both have since prioritised studying.
Last year former Hong Kong head coach Jorn Andersen, whose selection of Pinto was one of his final acts in charge, bemoaned a “not good” situation where “the best young talents leave Hong Kong at 19 or 20 and stop playing football”.
Pinto’s case is slightly different in that he moved to England with his family in 2018. Two years later, he was spotted by Bolton while playing for grass-roots team Ashton on Mersey, then gained a professional contract aged 16. Pinto’s 2023-24 was hampered by injury and in February he was told he could leave.
“I have so many opportunities, and am excited about the future,” Pinto said after his return to Hong Kong. “I had two years of full-time football, and am thankful for what I learned from being around first-team players … I am not sure [what will happen next].
“I was in a tough spot a few months ago, I was injured and didn’t know if I was going to play football. Now I am playing for Hong Kong. It is crazy – you never know what football is going to give you.”
Pinto is waiting for approaches from other teams, and plans to attend exit trials, where scouts monitor players released from professional clubs. Equally, having obtained top marks from a two-year sports diploma while with Bolton, he is considering going to an English university “with a really good football programme”, or trying for a US university scholarship.
After the forward’s debut heroics, Wolfgang Luisser, the interim Hong Kong head coach, said he hoped “other clubs’ coaches saw”. “It is a challenge for him to find the right club, where coaches trust his qualities and he can show his potential,” Luisser said.
Pinto’s passion was born kicking a ball around Kowloon Tsai Park with his dad. He trained every week with Hong Kong age-group teams, and played for Happy Valley before leaving the city with his parents and younger brother.
“[Moving] meant we could study in a more relaxed atmosphere,” Pinto said. “There is also a better sports environment [in England].”
Pinto acquired his broad Manchester accent within months of living on the city’s outskirts. He speaks to his Portuguese father in English, to his mother in Cantonese, and used both to field media queries after his Hong Kong debut.
Whether he chooses a similar career path to Mainoo, Pogba, Lingard and Rashford remains to be determined.
“I will always plays football, and be available for Hong Kong,” Pinto said. “I want to be the best I can possibly be … I am deciding what is best to do next. I will trust my gut instinct, but football and studying are my main considerations.”