Chris Smalling knows FC Porto well: “It’s all about winning” | OneFootball

Chris Smalling arrived at FC Porto with a clear message: he knows the club’s high standards and wants to meet them with competitiveness, leadership and ambition. In his first comments to the club’s media, the centre-back spoke about Pedro Emanuel’s influence, the impact made by the Estádio do Dragão, and the conversation that made the move inevitable. Above all, he made one thing clear: “It’s about competing and winning.”

In his first experience in Portugal, Chris Smalling presents himself as a signing fully aware of the weight of the shirt and the history he found upon arrival. The England international did not treat the move as a simple career step: he brought hunger, a desire to get started, and the conviction that success requires daily commitment.

When explaining the mindset with which he arrives at FC Porto, the centre-back immediately set the bar as high as possible. The club’s history is a point of reference, but also a responsibility.

“I’ve only just arrived, but I know the history of this club, I know it’s all about winning,” he said. “I’m someone who comes here hungry, ready to compete, and that will be visible in every training session and every game. I’ll give everything every day.”

The tone is one of immediate commitment. Smalling links ambition to matches, but starts by placing it in the daily work, where he intends to make the attitude he promises to bring onto the pitch clearly visible.

FC Porto is not unfamiliar territory for the centre-back either. At Al-Fayha, he was coached by Pedro Emanuel, the former Dragons captain, and closely followed the attention given to FC Porto.

“I know quite a lot, especially in recent years, because he and the coaching staff watched a lot of FC Porto matches,” the centre-back continued. “I know we’ll have a lot to talk about, we already did in Riyadh. It feels familiar and now I’m here, which is good.”

The link with Pedro Emanuel served as a first bridge to the blue-and-white reality. Smalling therefore arrives with previous points of reference and with a familiarity that could make adapting to the new context easier.

His arrival in Porto took him straight from the airport to the stadium, where he underwent fitness tests and got a close look at the club’s trophies. The excitement now comes before stepping onto the training pitch, with the centre-back ready to begin training.

“I’m very excited. I came straight from the airport to the stadium to do the fitness tests and I was surrounded by all the trophies and was able to see this club’s history up close,” Smalling said. “To be able to become part of it from now on. I can’t wait to start training.”

The first contact therefore had a strong symbolic dimension. Between the history on display and the expectation of the first training session, the new signing made it clear that he wants to move quickly from contemplation to participation.

Smalling found a team he describes as successful and in great form, but his focus is on the demands of a long season. His conversation with the coach reinforced that idea of continuity and progress.

“I know I’m coming to a successful team, to a team that won the league last season and that has started this one in great form,” the England international said. “It’s going to be a long season, with the cups and European competitions, and I’m hungry for more, I’m coming with a winning mentality. I spoke to the coach and that’s what he wants to happen in every game, so my role is to help the team keep progressing because it’s already in great shape.”

That ambition also extends to the goal of helping win trophies. Faced with the possibility of representing FC Porto, the other options lost their importance.

“I’m here for that, to help, to contribute, to do my part on the pitch and to bring trophies. That’s why I wanted to come here when FC Porto became a real option,” he said. “The other options disappeared because everyone knows FC Porto’s history, the players who have played here. It’s about competing and winning, that’s why I’m here.”

The centre-back also believes that experience and leadership can help a team that is required to maintain high levels through a demanding run of matches. Without losing sight of the recent past, he prefers to focus on the next challenge.

“I believe it will help and I hope to bring that experience and leadership onto the pitch,” the defender concluded. “I spoke to the coach and it’s true that we won the league last year, but this season it’s one game at a time, because we play every three days and our levels have to stay at the top. Every team will want to beat us, so I hope to help keep the standards high, learn the dynamics as quickly as possible and help the team.”

The common thread is unmistakable: Smalling is not arriving simply to add to his résumé, but to settle in quickly and sustain the team’s collective competitiveness. The leadership he claims will be measured by his ability to keep pace and respond to constant pressure.

The number chosen for this new stage will be 6, one of the defender’s usual choices throughout his career. The availability of the shirt was interpreted as a sign.

“I’ve worn number 6 before. 5 and 6 are my most chosen numbers, and since number 6 was still available, it was a sign that I had to take it,” Smalling explained.

The choice adds a familiar element to a move marked by many new things. At a new club and in a different country, the centre-back found a personal reference point in the number.

Smalling also saw the Estádio do Dragão while it was still empty, after already having watched matches there and heard about the atmosphere. The absence of fans did not stop him from imagining the stands full and the supporters backing the team.

“I’d never been here, but I’d watched games, heard a lot, and on the way from the airport I was able to see the stadium,” he said. “It was empty, but I can picture it full and with the supporters behind us. I can’t wait to be out there, to play in front of our fans and show them that I’m here to compete and hungry to do so.”

The image of a full Dragão fits with the tone of the entire presentation. Smalling wants his connection with the supporters to be built through the same competitive commitment he promised from the moment he arrived.

Finally, the England international explained that he felt wanted by both the coach and the club throughout the process that brought him to FC Porto. A brief conversation was enough to confirm the fit and turn the interest into a decision.

“I felt very wanted, not only by the coach, but also by the club, which did what it could to bring me here. It was good to hear the coach’s words, the way he sees me and how he thinks I fit into the team, the things I can add. He did his research, watched my games, and it just made sense,” he revealed. “After just ten minutes of conversation, I knew this had to happen, and it was done.”

The conviction came quickly, but his words point to a long-term commitment: compete, adapt and contribute. Between the weight of history and the confidence shown by the club, Smalling found the reasons he was looking for to choose FC Porto.

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