Bednarek joins FC Porto's captains after a breakthrough season | OneFootball

Signed at the end of July last year from Southampton for €7.5 million, Jan Bednarek arrived at the Dragão with a demanding mission: to take charge of FC Porto’s defensive organization at a time when, in the previous season, the team had felt the lack of a leadership voice. The Pole responded without hesitation. Backed by the experience gathered over eight seasons in English football — 254 games for Southampton and four for Aston Villa — the number 5 fit perfectly into Francesco Farioli’s ideas and helped restore stability to the back line. He did so with authority, taking charge of the team’s movements and, when necessary, raising his voice, while also defending his teammates and reassuring them in less favorable moments.

By the end of the season, the results spoke for themselves: the Dragons had regained the national title, which had eluded them for four years, with Bednarek standing out. The center-back from Slupca was the third most-used player — only Diogo Costa and Froholdt logged more time on the pitch — amassing close to 4,000 minutes and earning a prominent place with the fans, Farioli, and the club’s hierarchy. So much so that the idea of the defender as a ‘captain without the armband’ ended up taking on very concrete form. Less than a year after arriving at FC Porto, Bednarek entered the team’s captaincy hierarchy.

The integration of the Polish international into the squad’s leadership group was decided after Stephen Eustáquio’s departure to Los Angeles FC at the start of February. The Portuguese-Canadian was one of the team’s vice-captains, alongside Cláudio Ramos, Alan Varela and João Costa — Diogo Costa, as is well known, is the owner of the armband — but his departure from the Dragão opened the door for Bednarek to move up in the hierarchy.

The signs, moreover, had been appearing gradually. Early on, whenever Varela was absent from the starting eleven, it was the 30-year-old defender who joined Diogo Costa to hear the refereeing team’s instructions before kickoff. This is because teams whose goalkeeper is captain may designate an outfield player to speak with the referee during the game. When the Argentine was not playing, that responsibility fell to Bednarek, a clear sign of Farioli’s trust in his composure and ability to argue his case.

Looking ahead, this is also a sign of the importance of the number 5 in Porto’s project. Eustáquio is expected to return to Olival after the World Cup, but, with only the final year of his contract with FC Porto remaining, he is unlikely to stay in the Dragons’ squad, especially since the SAD is already working on signing a midfielder to strengthen the center of the pitch — Caleb Yirenkyi is on the radar, along with other options. In that context, Bednarek emerges as a solid presence in the race for the captain’s armband at the club crowned national champion and goes into 2026/27 with an even stronger status. As he heads into his second season in blue and white, he is already one of the most respected voices in the FC Porto dressing room. And on the pitch, the reality is the same: the center-back is an essential piece for Farioli.

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