André Silva on returning to FC Porto: “My most emotional call” | OneFootball

André Silva is back at FC Porto, the club where he took his first steps in football, in a decision that, he admits, went far beyond a professional choice. With Manchester City set to mark the start of the Dragons’ Champions League campaign at the Estádio do Dragão, the Portuguese forward acknowledges the importance of his roots and his desire to shine again on Europe’s biggest stage. And he made it clear: “FC Porto is the club of my heart.”

After playing for Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt and Leipzig, André Silva has returned to an environment he knows well and to which he feels deeply connected. A new European adventure is approaching, but the player made it clear that, when the time came to decide, emotions carried more weight than any purely rational analysis.

Looking back on the reasons behind his return, the forward admitted that the choice had a strong personal component.

“It was the most emotional decision of my career and the most difficult, if we analyze it only rationally,” he began. “FC Porto is the club of my heart. I grew up here, my family did too, and this is where I started playing football. That was without a doubt the most emotional factor. The fact that FC Porto are playing in the Champions League also helped with the decision, but even if they weren’t, it would still be the club that means the most to me.”

The return therefore represents much more than just a change of club. Taking part in the Champions League contributed to the decision, but André Silva’s connection to FC Porto, built from his earliest years, was decisive.

The possibility of competing again in Europe’s top competition is something the player views with ambition, although he stresses the need to prove every day that he deserves that opportunity. The forward has made 28 appearances and scored ten goals in the tournament.

“I always count on that possibility. But we have to work and show that we are good enough for it,” he added. “Twenty-eight games and ten goals are decent numbers, even if they may not seem very impressive. My goal is always to improve myself, to give my very best. And I believe the Champions League is one of the best stages to do that.”

André Silva sees those numbers as a starting point rather than a goal achieved. In the opening clash against Manchester City, FC Porto will face a test of the highest level, in a setting where the forward hopes to combine the emotion of his return with the ambition of regaining a leading role among Europe’s elite.

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