Official! Full-back agrees Sporting deal, wants to emulate Nuno Mendes | OneFootball

Official: Sporting have signed Paulo Rodrigues to a professional contract, a 16-year-old right-back who has been standing out in the club’s academy, more specifically with the under-17s. The official announcement marks an important step in the player’s development within the Club’s structure.

The professional contract is a source of pride for the young player. “I’m very happy to sign my first professional contract with this Club, it’s a huge source of pride for me and my family. I will work with great focus and humility to achieve great things at our Sporting,” he began by saying in statements to the green-and-white media.

Paulo Rodrigues chose two former Sporting full-backs and national champions with the Club as his biggest role models. “I have two players as role models, Nuno Mendes and Pedro Porro. Nuno Mendes because he came through the academy, and Pedro Porro because he also played for Sporting; he is fast, strong, and I use him as an example.”

As for major goals, the young Sporting right-back was ambitious but confident: “My biggest dream is to reach the first team, play at the José Alvalade Stadium and represent Sporting in the UEFA Champions League one day,” he concluded, while leaving a strong message to Sporting fans. “Believe in us, there is a lot of talent here and we will keep working hard. Come on, Sporting.”

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