Sporting Clube de Portugal says it has signed 19-year-old winger Monroe Shen Menglu, making her the first female Chinese professional footballer to play for a Portuguese club.

Shen played before in the Chinese Women’s Super League, for Jiangsu Ladies Football Club, and is a China under-20 international, according to a written announcement issued by Sporting.

She signed for Sporting on Sunday, the announcement says.

It quotes Shen as remarking on the Sporting record of nurturing world-class talent, turning out players  such as Luís Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo, and as describing the club as the best place for her to keep growing as a player.

“I believe more Chinese players will move to Europe”, Sporting quotes Shen as saying.

Separately, Chinese manager IMEI Sports disclosed that Shen joined Sporting as a free agent, and has a three-year contract with club.