AF Porto salute world champion Dragons: FC Porto back youth development | OneFootball

Martim Chelmik, Yoan Pereira, Bernardo Lima (who at the beginning of the month received the Golden Dragon for revelation), Mateus Mide, and Duarte Cunha – the five under-17 world champions from FC Porto serving Portugal – were honored in the late afternoon at a ceremony organized by AF Porto, held at the Diogo Jota field in Prelada.

The blue and whites were represented by the President of the General Assembly, António Tavares, Vice-President Tiago Madureira, and the Director of Training, José Tavares. The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) was represented by the Financial Director, Vasco Pinho.

José Manuel Neves, President of AF Porto, emphasized that the work of the dragons in youth training results from «great competence» and stressed that «having five world champions» cannot «be a matter of chance». «FC Porto is a club that makes training a cause, that demands, but also provides its athletes with the ability to compete to win, including very unique values, more recognized beyond borders. The results show us that we are on the right path,» he stated.

The leader highlighted that «All this is the result of work and dedication, the work of clubs, district associations, coaches, and the families that support them. It was this that allowed, many years later, Portugal to become world and European champions,» adding that it is «obligatory» for AF Porto to receive and praise the five champions, who also «played on the fields serving the district teams».

With a new academy under construction and part of the infrastructure already available for training – such as the artificial turf at the Diogo Jota field – AF Porto foresees the emergence of new champions: «With a spirit of sacrifice, all this is possible, as long as we all work in the same direction: the Portuguese Football Federation, the district associations, and the clubs. If we all work in unison, we will have more world champions, more European champions, and more achievements.»

On a cold afternoon, many family members of the under-17 world champion quintet were present at the ceremony in tribute to the young dragons.

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