Francisco Conceição on FC Porto: "It’s always been the club of my heart" | OneFootball

Francisco Conceição gave a lengthy interview to this Friday’s edition of the Italian newspaper Tuttosport, where he spoke about various topics, particularly the derby of the 11th round of Serie A between his Juventus and Torino, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. (Portugal mainland time) on Saturday.

“It’s going to be important, we have to win, because it’s worth more than three points. There’s a history behind this game. The derby of my life is FC Porto-Benfica. I grew up as a footballer at Sporting, because when my father stopped playing, we moved to Lisbon. On Tuesday, they booed me because I played for FC Porto, which has always been the club of my heart,” he said, referring to the 1-1 draw between the Vecchia Signora and Sporting, in the fourth round of the Champions League group stage.

“In Portugal, at a certain point, between the physical aspect and technique, they choose technique. In Italy, it’s the opposite. That gives you an advantage in the short term, but it takes a lot away from you in the future. Here, I would have had difficulties emerging, and it would have been more complicated to become a Juventus player,” he further explained.

“I can give much more, I have a lot to prove. I haven’t been bad, but I still haven’t done what I’m capable of. Goals and assists are what make the difference between being a good player and being at the top level. That’s the path I want to follow; you can only be among the best if your numbers go up,” he added, outlining his personal ambitions.

Relationship with his father: little attention in Portugal

The player then addressed his relationship with his father, Sérgio Conceição, who was his coach at FC Porto and an opponent at AC Milan before heading to Saudi Arabia. Asked about being coached by him, he confessed: “At first, it was very difficult, but in Portugal, they never talked about our relationship because, on the pitch, I was doing well.”

“I always root for my father, but what happened, happened. We have to look ahead. I never played against him, not even last year, since I suffered a muscle injury,” he emphasized, before admitting that it would be… “perfect” to have him as a coach again, this time at the Vecchia Signora.

“He’s a great coach, I know his value. I got to the national team thanks to him. If I’m here, it’s thanks to the journey I had with him. He was very tough on me, especially off the pitch. He knows how important life off the pitch is. He helped me focus on my diet and recovery, he was a great example,” he added.

“Cristiano Ronaldo always tells me…”

To conclude, the 22-year-old forward said he admires players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, recognizing that there are fewer and fewer athletes at their level, and shared a piece of advice he receives from Ronaldo.

“Yes, I like talking to him. I learn a lot. Here, Cristiano did very well. He always tells me, ‘You’re at a great club, but when you don’t win, the pressure increases,’” he concluded.

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