“Seeing my story on the Dragão big screen, hearing that ovation…” | OneFootball

Artur, a former footballer and winner of two Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira titles with FC Porto, believes the Dragons should approach Torreense with respect, but feels that winning the trophy could represent “a very great moral boost” for the start of the season.

The Brazilian won the competition twice with Porto, in 1996 and 1998, and also with Boavista in 1992. For the former forward, a difficult match is expected, especially because Torreense have already proven their quality by defeating Sporting in the Portuguese Cup final. “FC Porto always go into every competition to win, no matter what, but they know they will face a team that surprised a lot of people. Everyone was backing Sporting and Torreense went there and won. If FC Porto slip up, they could be caught out,” Artur said in statements to Lusa news agency.

Although he acknowledges the level of difficulty of the match, the former player, a three-time national champion with the blue and whites between 1996 and 1999, believes that the side led by Francesco Farioli has what it takes to confirm their status as favourites and begin the season with a title. “Starting the season by winning the first major trophy is always good. It gives strength to the players, the members and the whole structure. Players work to win titles and those achievements are what define a career,” he argued.

Artur scored in the first leg of the 1992 Supertaça for Boavista against FC Porto, and found the net again in the second leg of the 1996 edition, won by the Dragons 5-0 against Benfica at the Estádio da Luz. For that reason, he believes the trophy could serve as an extra incentive for the remaining objectives of the national champions. “The Supertaça is the first trophy of the season and gives that motivation to go in search of the league title. FC Porto is a different kind of club, it lives to win and, when we see a team winning titles year after year and always wanting more, that shows the strength the club has,” he said.

The former player also highlighted the work of Francesco Farioli, who led FC Porto to the national title last season and dispelled the doubts surrounding his appointment. “He is a coach many people doubted. He had come from losing a league title on the final matchday in the Netherlands, and winning the title with FC Porto was very important. He is someone who works very hard and looks every day for the best from the team. I believe he has everything it takes to win this first trophy of the year,” he noted.

During recent visits to the Estádio do Dragão and the Olival training centre, Artur revealed that he left a message for the Porto squad, encouraging them to achieve back-to-back league titles and win the Supertaça, while not forgetting the value of their opponent. “Torreense play with more freedom because the pressure is on FC Porto. They are an opponent who have already shown they can cause problems, and FC Porto know they will have to play very well to win this trophy,” he stressed.

The former player also recalled the emotion of returning to the Estádio do Dragão, where he watched the team’s presentation match against Aston Villa, more than 30 years after representing the club, when they were still playing at the Estádio das Antas. “It was a very great emotion. FC Porto was the club that made me recognised in Brazil and beyond. Seeing my story on the stadium screen and receiving that ovation meant a lot to me. Now I hope to experience another joy and see FC Porto win another Supertaça,” he concluded.

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