Gonçalo Santos signs first professional contract with FC Porto | OneFootball

Gonçalo Santos, a 16-year-old forward, has signed his first professional contract with FC Porto, extending a bond with the club that began a decade ago. The young player, who has always worn blue and white since he started playing football, will be part of the under-17 squad, which will try to retain the national title won in 2025/26.

Born in Vila Nova de Famalicão, he joined FC Porto in 2017 and has gone through every youth level in the academy. In 2023/24, playing for the under-14s, he won the National Championship Second Division for under-15 beginners, after contributing 15 goals and seven assists.

The following season, he was directly involved in 18 goals over 34 matches for the under-15s. He was also called up for the first time to the under-17s, the level at which he would go on to become national champion, with four goals in 17 matches under head coach José João.

The young Portuguese international describes signing the contract as “a very special day because it means my hard work has been rewarded” and says he wants to “keep working so that more opportunities can come” at a “club that means a lot” to him, for which he feels enormous gratitude: “I’ve learned a lot here. Everything I know is thanks to FC Porto, and it was here that I learned never to give up and to always believe.”

A reward for hard work “It’s a very special day because it means my hard work is being rewarded. I feel very happy, and I have to keep working as I always have until now so that more opportunities like this can come.”

A special club “FC Porto is a very important club for me, one that means a lot. I’m very happy to continue representing this club, where I feel happy. I’ve learned a lot here. Everything I know is thanks to FC Porto, and I think the most important thing I’ve learned is never to give up and to always believe.”

The under-17 national title “It was a very happy day because we achieved a dream. We have good memories of it, but that’s already in the past and now we’re focused on this year. We felt that our hard work had been rewarded.”

The 2025/26 season “It was a year in which I improved in every way thanks to FC Porto’s help. I think it was a very positive season, I managed to play with older players, I was able to make my contribution, and I think now I can only keep improving.”

Winning the under-15 Second Division in 2023/24 “That was also a very special moment. FC Porto had not been National Champion for some time, and we managed to reach that milestone.”

Pre-season work “These have been weeks of hard work, preparing for the next match and the team’s future, and working on the coach’s ideas. We have to keep doing the same if we want to be rewarded. Pre-season is always a very important time when the team has to stay focused in order to implement those ideas. We’ve managed to all stay together as a group, all in the same boat, and now we just have to keep working.”

His relationship with Manuel Prata “I have a good relationship with the coach; I already knew him from the under-13s. He’s a coach who has helped me improve a lot.”

Representing the national team “Representing Portugal always gives me a very positive feeling. Being able to feel that I’m representing my country, my family, my friends, everyone… it’s something I love. There are no words that can describe what I feel when I represent the national team.”

Continuous development “FC Porto is very important because this is where I work every day. This is where I develop every day. Without FC Porto behind me, I wouldn’t have been able to reach the national team.”

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