Eustáquio: “I need to watch how many minutes I rack up” | OneFootball

Maturity state: “I have to be careful with the amount of game time I accumulate, but I also can't be without playing. Now, I understand my body better than I did four years ago. I have very clear ideas and I know what I need to do. I've been working with people who can keep me in good shape.”

National team: “For me, it will be an honor to have two World Cup participations. I remember arriving in Qatar [in 2022] at the best phase of my career. I was scoring goals and making assists at FC Porto, playing 90 minutes regularly, Champions League... Unfortunately, afterwards, I couldn't keep up physically and couldn't play the second half against Croatia and the third game against Morocco.”

Leaders and influences: “I played with footballers who are great leaders and I learned a lot from them. I can mention three or four. In the national team, there was obviously Atiba Hutchinson and also Steven Vitória, who is someone with enormous knowledge. At club level, I played with Pepe and Otávio, a fantastic midfielder who helped me a lot at FC Porto. And the list could go on... The funny thing is that when I was 23, 24, and 25 years old, I heard certain things from these players that I didn't quite understand, but now I get what they meant. This is the kind of thing I've been trying to absorb and pass on to my teammates, who are still young and have much greater potential than I had at their age. If they start acquiring this knowledge now, they won't have a ceiling to hit.”

Captain's role: “As captain, I have to think about the team and not just myself. I have to communicate more, be an example, which is sometimes very challenging. And on top of all this, I have to fulfill my mission on the field. At the same time, I feel comfortable in this role because it's something I've already been doing at FC Porto. I've failed a lot, but most of the good things I do now are also because of that. I've been through some good stages in my career.”

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