Gonçalo Santos signs first professional deal with FC Porto | OneFootball

Gonçalo Santos, a 16-year-old forward, has signed his first professional contract with FC Porto, extending a connection 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 level of the academy. In 2023/24, playing for the under-14s, he won the National Championship Second Division title at youth level after contributing 15 goals and seven assists.

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

The young Portugal international describes signing the contract as “a very special day because it means seeing my hard work rewarded” and says he wants to “keep working so that more opportunities can come” at “a club that means a lot” to him and for which he feels enormous gratitude: “I’ve learned so many things 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 seeing my hard work rewarded. I’m very happy, and I have to keep working the way I always have 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 so many things here. Everything I know is thanks to FC Porto, and I think the most important thing I learned was 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 great memories from it, but that’s in the past now and 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 the older players, I was able to do my part, and I think from now on I can only keep improving.”

Winning the under-15 Second Division title in 2023/24 “That was also a very special moment. FC Porto hadn’t been national champions for some time, and we managed to reach that milestone.”

Pre-season work “These have been weeks of very 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 period in which the team has to stay focused to put those ideas into practice. We’ve managed to stay united 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’ve known him since 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 improve every day. Without FC Porto behind me, I wouldn’t be able to make it to the national team.”

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