Bednarek joins FC Porto's captains after a breakthrough season | OneFootball

Signed at the end of July last year from Southampton for €7.5 million, Jan Bednarek arrived at the Dragão with a demanding mission: to take charge of FC Porto’s defensive organization at a time when, in the previous season, the team had felt the lack of a leadership voice. The Pole responded without hesitation. Backed by the experience built up over eight seasons in English football — 254 matches for Southampton and four for Aston Villa — the No. 5 fitted perfectly into Francesco Farioli’s ideas and helped restore stability to the back line. He did so with authority, taking charge of the team’s movements and, when necessary, raising his voice, while also defending his teammates and comforting them in less favorable moments.

At the end of the season, the results speak for themselves: the Dragons regained the national title, which had eluded them for four years, with Bednarek standing out. The center-back from Slupca was the third most-used player — only Diogo Costa and Froholdt logged more time on the pitch — totaling close to 4,000 minutes and earning a prominent place among the fans, Farioli and the club’s hierarchy. So much so that the idea of the defender as a “captain without an armband” ended up taking on very concrete shape. Less than a year after arriving at FC Porto, Bednarek entered the team’s captaincy hierarchy.

The integration of the Polish international into the squad’s leadership group was decided after Stephen Eustáquio’s departure for Los Angeles FC at the beginning of February. The Portuguese-Canadian was one of the team’s vice-captains, alongside Cláudio Ramos, Alan Varela and João Costa — Diogo Costa, as is well known, wears the armband — but his exit from the Dragão opened the door for Bednarek to enter the hierarchy.

The signs, moreover, had been appearing gradually. Early on, whenever Varela was absent from the starting XI, it was the 30-year-old defender who joined Diogo Costa to hear the refereeing team’s instructions before kickoff. This is because teams whose goalkeeper is the captain may designate an outfield player to speak with the referee during the game. When the Argentine was not playing, that responsibility fell to Bednarek, a clear sign of Farioli’s trust in his composure and ability to make his case.

Looking ahead, this is also a sign of the importance of the No. 5 in Porto’s project. Eustáquio is expected to return to Olival after the World Cup, but with his FC Porto contract entering its final year, he is unlikely to remain in the Dragons’ squad, especially as the board is already working on the search for a midfielder to strengthen the center of the pitch — Caleb Yirenkyi is on the radar, along with other options. In that context, Bednarek emerges as a solid presence in the calculations for the captain’s armband at the club that are national champions and heads into 2026/27 with an even stronger status. As he enters his second season in blue and white, he is already one of the most respected voices in the FC Porto dressing room. And on the pitch, the reality is the same: the center-back is an essential piece for Farioli.

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