FC Porto welcomes 31 youngsters from under-14 to under-19 at the Museum | OneFootball

The 31 players who will represent FC Porto at under-14 through under-19 level were welcomed to the Museum by José Tavares, head of youth development, and assistant coaches Rolando and André Castro, from the under-19s and first team respectively. The Welcome Day began with a session in the Fernando Sardoeira Pinto Auditorium, followed by a visit to the pitch, a stop by the jersey honoring Jorge Costa in the Dragão gallery, and a journey through the Club’s history in the trophy room.

João Moreira, a defender in the under-15 squad, described the moment as “a great experience” and said he came away with the “understanding that, even if you have quality, that means nothing without hard work.” After seeing “the titles and all the important people,” he said he was left with “an even greater sense” of “a winning club that likes to win.”

Guilherme Rodrigues, a new signing for the under-14s, also left the Museum with an even stronger conviction that “this club is very big and representing these colors is a privilege”: “We understand the size of the Club, which wins a lot and likes to win. I came here to be part of that history. I liked seeing the Club’s trophies; it is one of the best in the world, so it is a source of pride to wear this shirt.”

João Moreira (under-15)

The start of a new chapter “It is a source of pride to wear these colors. It is my first year at FC Porto and I am very happy to represent this Club. It was a pleasure to listen to the head of youth development and to two former professional players, two great examples for the Club. Being close to them was a great experience.”

Work as the path to success “I came away even more aware that, even if you have quality, it means nothing if we do not work hard and demand high standards from ourselves, especially when it comes to nutrition. On top of that, we cannot let ourselves get down in a bad moment. That is what I am taking with me.”

The impact of Rolando and André Castro’s testimonies “Having someone here explaining how they became successful gives us a different kind of expectation; we think that if he did it, then we can do it too.”

Representing FC Porto at the highest level “I already had an idea of the scale of what it means to represent FC Porto, but after seeing all these titles and all these important people, I am left with an even greater sense of it.”

Ambition to win “This is a winning club, one that likes to win, and I came here to win as well.”

Guilherme Rodrigues (under-14)

First steps in blue and white “It is an honor to wear this shirt because this is one of the best clubs in the world. I am very proud.”

An important lesson “I learned that this club is very big and representing these colors is a privilege.”

The advice of two well-known figures “It was important because someone with that experience can pass on to us what it means to be Porto, and we leave here having learned more. It is important because, if this is the path we want to follow, then those are the people we have to look to.”

What stayed with him from the Museum visit “We understand the size of the Club, which wins a lot and likes to win. I came here to be part of that history. I liked seeing the trophies and the scale of the Club, which is one of the best in the world, so it is a source of pride to wear this shirt.”

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