André Silva: “The Champions League is where FC Porto belong” | OneFootball

André Silva returned to FC Porto during the summer and is about to reunite with the Champions League. At 30, the striker remains ambitious to keep improving and sees Europe’s top club competition as the perfect stage to continue doing so.

“Yes, of course the last few seasons in the Europa League are the exception. The Champions League is where FC Porto should be. But you have to earn that place, especially because the fans demand it,” said the Portugal international in an interview with Kicker published this Monday. He then addressed the subject from an individual perspective.

“I always count on the possibility of playing in the Champions League. But we have to work and show that we are good enough for it. 28 games and 10 goals are decent numbers, even if they may not seem very impressive. Nowadays there are players like Kylian Mbappé or Erling Haaland who set the bar very high,” André Silva said.

The forward added: “My goal is always to surpass myself, to give my very best. And I believe the Champions League is one of the best stages to achieve that.”

Although he places FC Porto among the outsiders in this year’s edition of the competition, which kicks off tomorrow, and acknowledges that the club has already won the trophy twice, André Silva insists that status does not lessen the team’s ambition.

“I don’t like to set limits. I always want to reach the highest goals. Naturally, we are not favorites. FC Porto has won the competition twice, the last time in 2004. In financial terms and investment, we are not on the level of some clubs, but we can compete with them in desire, fighting spirit, determination and intensity,” said the striker.

Speaking about his return to FC Porto, André Silva spoke openly about the reasons behind the decision. “It was the most emotional decision of my career and the most difficult, if we analyze it purely rationally. 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 undoubtedly the most emotional factor,” he explained, stressing that the club’s participation in the Champions League did not influence his choice.

“Even if FC Porto were not in the Champions League, it would still be the club that means the most to me,” he said.

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