André Villas-Boas: “Dear Rodrigo, the Dragon will one day bring you back” | OneFootball

The possible transfer of Rodrigo Mora to Roma, in a deal that could exceed 50 million euros, is one of the topics highlighted in the editorial of the August edition of Dragões magazine, signed by André Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto.

In the text, the Porto executive challenges the “sad opinions” expressed by the player’s lawyer, assuring that they had “zero influence on the outcome of the negotiations between clubs,” although they “forced the player’s parents to distance themselves from his words and the player’s agent to apologize to the institution.”

Villas-Boas also states that “his disrespect toward FC Porto and, especially, toward FC Porto’s coach, will never be forgotten.”

The FC Porto president also draws a parallel between the transfers of Diego Moreira and Rodrigo Mora to Serie A. About the former, he recalls that he “left Benfica on a free transfer, went through Chelsea, Lyon and Strasbourg, and has now arrived at Milan for 50 million euros.” In that context, he admits that the club is seeking to become “stable, powerful, debt-free, capable of keeping its best talents for longer.”

“Rodrigo Mora joins Vitinha, Rúben Neves, Diogo Dalot, Fábio Vieira and Fábio Silva, homegrown talents who left early for other adventures and who continue to carry part of our identity with them. Far from home but close to the heart. Dear Rodrigo, the Dragon that took you to Rome is the same one that will one day bring you back,” he assured.

“We live by work, rigor and victory”

Under the title “Ode to FC Porto,” the article highlights the Super Cup triumph, achieved “on a miserable pitch, against a valiant, organized and courageous Torreense,” and offers praise for Francesco Farioli. According to Villas-Boas, the coach “in a short space of time, helped reverse the club’s sporting course, gave us back the national title, won the Super Cup and created a bond of belief with a group that recognizes in him the technical competence, rigor, altruism and human ability to lead.”

“While some try to diminish us, we keep adding titles. While some build scripts, we build teams. While some live off noise, we live by work, rigor and victory,” reiterates the FC Porto president, who also criticizes refereeing, the way Benfica treated the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proença, and what he described as “Anti-FC Porto narratives.”

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