“FC Porto always gave me room to grow” | OneFootball

Raquel Cunha renewed with FC Porto and described that step as a rare milestone at an age when almost everything is still just beginning. The young goalkeeper spoke about the happiness of continuing, the symbolic value of her debut for the first team, and the ambition to establish herself at a club that, in her words, gave her room to grow. Amid that mix of gratitude and hunger for the future, she assured: “I am 100% committed to the Club.”

At a moment of consolidating her path in FC Porto’s women’s football, Raquel Cunha came forward with a key idea running through all her statements: that a renewal is not just a contract, but also a confirmation of trust. At 15, the goalkeeper spoke about progress, belonging and responsibility, always with FC Porto at the centre of her remarks.

Asked about the meaning of the renewal, the Porto goalkeeper made it clear that she sees this step as more than an administrative formality. In her words, there is a sense of opportunity and the emotional weight of feeling recognized.

“I feel really good. It’s a unique opportunity and I’m very happy,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for better. It’s very important to me. The Club has always given me room to grow and trusted me. That means a lot.”

The tone is direct and revealing: Raquel Cunha sees the renewal as proof of trust and as the continuation of a bond that, for now, is fed as much by performance as by growth. The result is a simple and powerful message: FC Porto appears not just as a stage, but as a place for development and self-affirmation.

When the subject turned to her debut for the first team, the memory took on another depth. The young goalkeeper went back to the moment when nerves crossed paths with the feeling that she was ready.

“It was a moment I will keep with me for the rest of my life,” she recalled. “I was very nervous, but my teammates placed a lot of trust in me and I really felt good and ready to play, whatever happened.”

There is a clear picture here of the impact of a first time: the importance of the personal moment, but also the role of the group in supporting someone stepping in. The debut therefore appears less as a shock and more as a guided transition.

That idea of integration continued when she described the atmosphere within the group. Her remarks suggested that, for her, growth is also measured by the way she was welcomed.

“It was a phenomenal reception. They never put pressure on me, they were always there for me and helped me with everything, they even took me to training,” she said. “It was very good to be in such a united group and to be happy playing football.”

The picture that emerges is one of a strong emotional structure around a very young athlete. And that helps explain why Raquel Cunha’s development is repeatedly linked to the trust she found at the club and in the dressing room.

Speaking afterwards about a season experienced on several fronts, the goalkeeper highlighted the titles won by the A, B and under-19 teams as collective recognition. The focus was not on individual shine, but on the sign of growth in FC Porto women’s football.

“They are incredible rewards,” she stressed. “FC Porto women’s football is evolving more and more, and that is very important to me, as it is to all the groups I was part of. It is enormous recognition for all the work we did this season.”

In this reading, the trophies function as the consequence of a process and not just as a final snapshot. Raquel Cunha places herself within that evolution, but without separating it from the work of the various teams she took part in.

Her regular presence in the youth national teams was also seen in light of that growth. The goalkeeper linked that recognition to the impact FC Porto had on her visibility and on the demands of her path.

“FC Porto gave me much greater visibility and allowed me to gain much more recognition than I had before,” she explained. “I managed to work as hard as possible to reach the national team.”

The words suggest a direct relationship between competitive context and projection. More than a showcase, the club appears as a driving force for development in reaching higher levels of exposure and demand.

Her attention then turned to next season and to what she wants to maintain. Without grand promises, Raquel Cunha preferred to focus on consistency and on the desire to keep moving up.

“Next season, I want to keep working very hard and manage to maintain the level I showed this season. I’m very happy to be able to play in the First Division.”

The ambition appears here in its purest state, but expressed calmly. There is no straying from the essentials: work, sustain the level shown, and approach the First Division as the natural step in a rapidly accelerating journey.

In closing, the message was directed at the fans, with a clear commitment to dedication and responsibility. Her connection to the club once again appeared as the central axis of her words.

“I am 100% committed to the Club, very happy and ready to live up to everything the fans expect from me.”

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