André Bessa returns to FC Porto to bolster basketball in 2026/27 | OneFootball

André Bessa will strengthen FC Porto’s basketball team in the 2026/27 season after signing a one-year deal. The 37-year-old Portuguese point guard, who stands 1.82 metres tall, arrives from UD Oliveirense and returns to the club eight years later, once again wearing the blue and white jersey he had already donned both in the youth ranks and as a senior.

In the 2015/16 season, after two Proliga campaigns with Dragon Force, both of which ended with the league title, André Bessa joined the Porto squad upon the club’s return to the Portuguese Basketball League. He then enjoyed an outstanding season, helping win the National Championship, the Super Cup and the Hugo dos Santos Cup, alongside players such as Brad Tinsley, Troy DeVries, Seth Hinrichs and Nick Washburn, among others. Until the end of last season, that had been FC Porto basketball’s most recent national title.

The point guard remained at the club for two more seasons before moving to UD Oliveirense in the summer of 2018. In Oliveira de Azeméis, he was crowned National Champion once again. Since leaving FC Porto, he represented Oliveirense for six seasons and Vitória SC for two, and at the latter club he was coached by Fernando Sá, the coach he now reunites with at Dragão Arena.

André Bessa thus becomes another experienced option for Fernando Sá’s squad, which will be tasked with defending the National Champion title in 2026/27. The new season will also be marked by the blue and whites’ debut in the Basketball Champions League group stage. For the point guard position, the Portuguese player will compete with Childe Dundão and Corey Allen.

Born in Porto and an FC Porto supporter, André Bessa, who also played for CAA Salesianos, already has a notable list of honours since turning professional: two National Championships, two Portuguese Cups, four Hugo dos Santos Cups and two Super Cups.

Speaking to the club’s media channels, Fernando Sá explained André Bessa’s return: “It was an immediate choice. We could have signed a young player who would have been more of a prospect for the future, something we even considered, but you have to understand the context those young players would be in and whether they would get playing time. We chose André Bessa, first and foremost because he is a fantastic Porto man. Then there’s the physical ability he has, the intensity he brings to the game, his speed, his reading and understanding of the game, as well as knowing what it means to play for a club that fights for titles. Defensively, he also brings us a lot of clarity and aggression, but above all he will be a player who unites the group. He will care deeply about the others, and we increasingly need that, that type of player. I know he will be a unifying link.”

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