Goalkeepers of Benfica's youth team choose Brave GK gloves. 17-year-old goalkeeper Igor Kostenko is defending the goal for the U17 team with Brave GK Venom 2024 gloves at the Youngster Cup 2024 championship.
Youngster Cup 2024 is a prestigious youth football tournament that attracts leading youth teams from across Europe. It provides young players with the opportunity to showcase their talents on the international stage, competing against the strongest opponents in their age category. The tournament features U17 teams, including renowned clubs such as Benfica, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, and others. These teams send their best youth squads to allow players to gain valuable experience and prepare for new challenges in their careers.
For his performance at the Youngster Cup 2024, Igor Kostenko chose the Brave GK Venom 2024 — our latest goalkeeper gloves model, released especially for the 2024 European Championship. The backhand is adorned with blue and yellow elements, forming a geometric pattern in a three-dimensional style. The top features the model name "VENOM 2024" in blue and yellow colors.
These gloves are equipped with 4mm elite SUPREME latex with a 4mm foam lining, providing excellent grip and softness. The Roll Hybrid finger cut enhances ball control, while the Fix Fit system with silicone inserts inside the palm provides additional stability, preventing slipping.
The neoprene backhand absorbs impacts, protecting the hands from hard hits, and the reinforced construction without latex on the cuffs and the removable strap allow for custom adjustments to fit the goalkeeper's individual needs.
Our products are gradually gaining popularity in Europe among talented young goalkeepers. Igor Kostenko is a shining example of how our gloves help unlock the potential of young players.
Additionally, Brave GK is the official partner of Benfica for creating the club's goalkeeper gloves, which are available in all official club stores across Europe and on the official website. In October 2023, we announced that Brave GK signed a contract with Benfica to produce goalkeeper gloves.
In the summer of 2023, Ukrainian goalkeeper Igor Kostenko achieved significant success by becoming the champion of Portugal with Benfica U-16. At that time, Kostenko was the only Ukrainian playing in Benfica's academy, which is among the best football academies in the world. During that season, Kostenko played 26 matches, finishing 20 of them with a clean sheet. Igor's contribution helped the "young eagles" win the championship title in their age category for the first time in six years.
Kostenko began his football career in the Dynamo Kyiv system, training under the guidance of Serhiy Velychko from the age of seven. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he moved to Portugal and continued to develop his skills in one of the best academies in Europe.
Igor Kostenko also recently shared his thoughts on the future in an interview. The goalkeeper, who has been playing for Benfica's youth teams for three years, stated that despite moving to Portugal, he remains loyal to his roots and dreams of playing only for the national team of Ukraine. For him, this is a matter of principle, and he intends to do everything possible to proudly represent his home country on the international stage. Kostenko emphasized that participation in the Ukrainian national team is his main goal and motivation for the future.
