Mário Santos: “FC Porto are proud to have a player like Cardinal” | OneFootball

Mário Santos highlighted the arrival of Cardinal to captain FC Porto’s newly created futsal team, which will compete in the National Third Division Championship in 2026/27. The sporting director for the club’s other sports focused on the player’s international résumé, his journey of overcoming adversity, and his declared connection to the Club. For Santos, it is “a great source of pride.”

As a new chapter begins for FC Porto futsal, Mário Santos presents Cardinal as a figure capable of bringing to the court an idea of leadership that goes beyond the game. The captain’s name therefore emerges as the first sign of a team that FC Porto wants to build in the image of its identity.

When discussing the signing, the FC Porto official was direct about the importance he attaches to this addition. More than an experienced player, he sees Cardinal as an example shaped by resilience and by his identification with the city and the club badge.

“He is a great player, a great example. He is one of the best players in the history of world futsal and an international athlete, but above all he is a great example of overcoming adversity,” said Mário Santos. “He comes from difficult beginnings, he has come a long way through resilience, and that is the greatest example he has set and continues to set. It is a great source of pride for FC Porto to be able to count on an athlete like him, who represents so much of what it means to be Porto and what it means to be an FC Porto player. He is an athlete who has always led by example, and that is what we want on and off the court. He has never forgotten his roots, he is proud to be from Porto, and he is a Porto-type player. It is a great joy for us to be able to count on him, on his performances, and on his example. This is the first announcement of a team we want to build in the image of our Club, and we want the players to embrace this Porto spirit from the very beginning. Cardinal is one of the greatest examples of a futsal player and a Porto-type player. I hope he has the best of luck here and that he helps us win.”

In Mário Santos’s words, the choice of Cardinal is not limited to what he can add competitively. The captain is presented as a reference point for a group that is still being formed, called upon to absorb from the very first moment the spirit that the Club wants to see reflected in the team.

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