André Villas-Boas: “Martingo is one of our own, this step is deserved” | OneFootball

André Villas-Boas presented Carlos Martingo as the future head coach of FC Porto’s handball team from 2026/27 onwards and made one central point crystal clear: this promotion comes from within and is built on a deep knowledge of the club. Standing alongside the coach, the president highlighted his connection to the club, his understanding of the current squad and the players of the future, as well as the conviction that he has the technical ability to lead the project. In essence, he painted the picture of a man shaped by the blue-and-white standards and assured: “It is a more than deserved step.”

When explaining the choice, André Villas-Boas, FC Porto’s president, presented it as a matter of continuity and identity, rather than a simple change of role. His tone reflected total confidence in someone who knows the corridors, the dressing room, and the inner workings of a sport in which the club wants to continue its project.

Asked about the reasons for handing the leadership to Carlos Martingo, Villas-Boas was clear and based the decision on his journey and the knowledge he has built up within the structure.

“It is a more than deserved step. He is someone who knows the Club deeply, not only our players in the current squad, but also the players of the future, in whom FC Porto believes to continue the handball project, and he is a man of the house,” he said. “He has brought us many titles, of course in his previous role as assistant coach, with different coaches, and he now takes on the role of head coach, which is a position he reaches deservedly and with a project that we want to sustain, based on the good FC Porto handball player, domestic and with potential, obviously without neglecting the international reinforcements that are necessary, but above all starting from Carlos Martingo’s knowledge and that of the entire FC Porto structure, as well as the personality and character that an FC Porto player must always show on the court.”

More than rewarding a career path, the president outlined an idea of continuity: the appointment of the new leader is tied to an internal culture, a player profile, and a way of being. Carlos Martingo’s name thus emerges as the link between the recent past and future ambition.

When the conversation turned to the weight of Porto identity, Villas-Boas stressed the importance of that emotional connection coexisting with the competence to lead.

“Being a Porto supporter helps, because he feels FC Porto, suffers with FC Porto, and knows perfectly well the demands of this club. That is how he was as an assistant, and that is how he will be as head coach,” he stressed. “His Porto identity is always present, in the way he suffers and feels the victories, and that is also what we want to carry forward over time. Of course he has the responsibility of leading an entire project, but we have absolutely no doubts about the technical abilities he has to command the handball team.”

In this reading, Porto identity does not appear as a romantic accessory, but as a factor of identification with the demands of the role. At the same time, Villas-Boas made a point of dismissing any idea that this was merely an emotional choice, linking his confidence to the technical plan.

As for the impact that profile can have on collective performance, the president pointed to Carlos Martingo’s ability to bring to the bench the same competitive attitude he showed on the court.

“I think there is a very characteristic profile of players who know what FC Porto is, who understand what this institution demands, not only in football, but also in the other sports. Everything comes from a winning culture that begins with the supporters and our history, which we have built over time,” he said. “Carlos Martingo, because he wore that skin as a player and now wears it as head coach, I have absolutely no doubt that he will make the players rise above themselves on the court for FC Porto.”

It was at that point that the message came full circle: from identity to performance, from the memory of a player to the responsibility of a head coach. Villas-Boas made it clear that he expects to see on the bench the extension of a culture that, at FC Porto, is never separated from the obligation to compete at the limit.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.