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.
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 1âÂÂ0 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 5âÂÂ1 away win against Sevilla. He also proved to be instrumental a month later, with a goal and an assist in the 3âÂÂ1 win at Copenhagen. In the 2022âÂÂ23 season, he scored 25 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions for Manchester City U21.
On 3 August 2023, Forbs signed for Eredivisie club AFC Ajax on a five-year contract in a â¬14 million deal, which could rise to â¬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 4âÂÂ1 home victory over Heracles Almelo, in the 2023âÂÂ24 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 2âÂÂ2 draw. On 24 August, he made his debut in European competitions, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 4âÂÂ1 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 3âÂÂ3 draw.
On 30 August 2024, Forbs returned to England and joined Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers on an initial season-long loan.
On 17 July 2025, Forbs joined Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge for a reported fee close to â¬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 0âÂÂ1 down in an eventual 2âÂÂ1 win. On 5 November 2025, Forbs scored twice and provided an assist in a 3âÂÂ3 draw against Barcelona in the Champions League league phase, being named Player of the Match for his efforts.
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 3âÂÂ0 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 9âÂÂ1 victory over Armenia, at the Estádio do Dragão, as Portugal secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
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.
Individual