André Villas-Boas warns Porto squad: “Here, playing well isn’t enough…” | OneFootball

André Villas-Boas spoke this Monday after the Dragões de Ouro Gala, held at the Dragão Arena, where, for the second consecutive year, club members were able to vote online to choose the winners in three categories: Footballer, Pavilion Sports, and Member of the Year.

The president of the Invicta club began by remembering Pinto da Costa and Jorge Costa, two FC Porto figures who passed away this year.

“Pinto da Costa has left us, the president of presidents, the man who transformed this club into a world reference, who always believed that FC Porto could be much greater and who guided us through decades of achievements, to this day, the most important in Portuguese football. Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa was the greatest sports director in world football and the greatest President in the history of FC Porto,” said André Villas-Boas, who continued his praise for Jorge Costa.

“Our dear Jorge Costa has also left us – our Bicho – captain and director, an example of courage, loyalty, and passion for the badge; of a deep love for his club, for the traditions of Porto and FC Porto. Raised at home, a homegrown player and a transmitter of energy, nobility, and joy. ‘I love this, I love the locker room,’ he often said, and with longing. If there is someone who inspires us like no one else, it is you, my dear friend Jorge,” he recalled.

Villas-Boas also justified the choice of Francesco Farioli, highlighting the demanding nature of the decisions made and the sought-after combination of competitive identity and modern working methods.

“We made demanding and difficult decisions. We entrusted the technical leadership to Francesco Farioli, a young coach but with an already solid track record, who well represents the balance we want: absolute respect for our competitive DNA and, at the same time, a modern approach to training, the game, and locker room management. We went to the market with rigor. We invested more than one hundred million euros in a squad that combines experience and youth, talent and character. Players who know that here, it is not enough to play well, you must have a relationship of commitment to the club and to our fans.”

The president stated that recent signs are positive and reaffirmed the collective goal of fighting for the title, dedicated to those who have given so much to the club.

“The signs given so far are encouraging. We all feel, in the locker room and outside it, that we have the conditions to fight until the end for the place that FC Porto deserves. The dream of being champions is present in every training session, every meeting, every decision we make. And this dream only makes sense because it is shared by everyone: management, coaching staff, players, members, and fans. We dream and we want this title so that we can dedicate it to those who have given so much for us and for FC Porto,” emphasized André Villas-Boas, who again insisted on the topic of financial health.

“A club is only truly strong when its foundations are solid. In just a few months, we have managed to take very important steps on the financial front. We achieved a historic consolidated net result, significantly reduced the operational costs of the SAD, improved equity, and at the same time, made the largest investment in recent years in the first team,” he concluded.

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