Deco: In today’s market, I’d last two years at Porto max | OneFootball

Deco gave a lengthy interview to this Monday’s edition of the British newspaper The Times, where he addressed several topics, including “the fantastic dream” he lived while playing for FC Porto when, in 2004, he won the Champions League under the leadership of the current Benfica coach, José Mourinho.

The former Portuguese international began by saying: “Nowadays, it would be more difficult. I hope it happens again. I love the city, but it’s not easy for FC Porto to hold onto players. I stayed there for five years, but a player like me or Ricardo Carvalho, nowadays, would stay for, at most, two years.”

It should be remembered that the playmaker arrived at Antas in 1999, coming from Salgueiros, for a fee close to eight million euros, and was later sold to Barcelona for 21 million euros. Deco now explains that move as the desire to fulfill “a dream” he had had since childhood.

About the transfer to Chelsea, in 2008, for ten million euros, he said: “When I decided my time at Barcelona had come to an end, I had two options. I had Internazionale, with José Mourinho. Of course, the influence of [Luiz] Felipe Scolari was important for me, but it wasn’t just about that.”

Regarding his choice for England, he maintained: “I wanted to play in the Premier League, to have that kind of experience. The decision was due to Chelsea’s project. I knew the team, the players. Chelsea was better for me.” The experience in English football ended up not meeting expectations and, two years later, he moved to Fluminense.

Deco explained the family connection to the move: “At that time, my ex-wife decided to return to Brazil. It was too far for my children. Before, they were in Portugal. My eldest is now 25 years old, but at the time, he was eight. It shook me a lot. That was one of the reasons I decided to return. I was happy here, even though my second year wasn’t as good.”

Regarding the outcome of that stage, he admitted: “I don’t like excuses, because everyone has their own problems, but, if I could, I would have liked to spend more years at Chelsea.”

“My idea was not to be Barcelona’s sporting director”

After ending his career in 2013, Deco went into player management and gradually strengthened his ties with Barcelona. A decade later, he became president Joan Laporta’s choice to take the position of sporting director – a role he assures he never imagined performing.

In his words: “I’m a fan of the club. Since I retired, I’ve kept friends here. I have a house here. The club needed a change, a rebuild, and I wanted to help, from the outside. My idea was not to be sporting director. After being elected, the president always told me, ‘You have to become the sporting director,’” concluded the former Portuguese international.

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