Guarín backs Villas-Boas: “A visionary to revive FC Porto” | OneFootball

Fredy Guarín participated in the Casa Football Podcast and, among various topics, recalled the years he spent representing FC Porto. Guarín joined the blue and whites in 2008, coming from Saint-Étienne, and crossed paths with André Villas-Boas in the season when the dragons won the championship (undefeated), the Europa League, and the Portuguese Cup.

«I spent two years working to earn my place. And then came that season [2010/11, the treble], it was simply unique. We had a very Latin team, almost a family. There was a lot of quality, we were all in great shape, young and with a huge desire to win. It seemed like football and the universe itself had brought us together at that moment.»

Referring to André Villas-Boas, the coach who led the team during this golden phase, the Colombian spared no praise: «I had an excellent relationship with André. He is a great person. I am sure he will make FC Porto a great club again. He is a visionary, he knows very well what he is doing. With him, FC Porto can return to being that giant, with a strong structure and a clear project.»

«Honestly, I didn't expect to move from Saint-Étienne to FC Porto, a club that had won the Champions League a few years earlier. I think my quiet work in France ended up bearing fruit. No one imagined such a transfer. I arrived at a club of enormous level, with great players, and I had to fight hard to earn my place,» recalls the player, who after leaving FC Porto went to Italy to play for Inter Milan.

«We played to win, of course, but we also had a lot of fun. Do you remember Barcelona at that time, when they won everything and Ronaldinho was always smiling? It was a bit like that with us too. We enjoyed every moment. Everything was going well. We were three Colombians: me, Falcao, and James. There were Uruguayans, Brazilians, Sapunaru from Romania… it was truly a family. It was my best season in Europe. I never felt anything like it again in another team. It was truly unique,» Guarín recalled.

Among the teammates of that generation, some left a special mark on him. «Hulk impressed me a lot. He is literally a machine, living up to his name. Falcao was in the best phase of his career in Europe, a true goal-scoring machine. James was just starting his path in Europe and gained projection. And Moutinho was perhaps the most important player on the team: he did everything well, was very consistent, and always decisive on the field.»

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