“I’ll always give my all to defend the Club’s values” | OneFootball

Duarte Cunha renewed his contract with FC Porto until 2031 and described the signing as the continuation of an old dream, born when he joined the club as a child. Between the ambition of reaching the first team, the learning process in the B team and the promise to keep his daily commitment intact, the winger painted a picture of high standards and a strong sense of belonging. At the heart of it all was one simple and direct guarantee: “I will always give my maximum.”

This is a moment of affirmation and commitment for a young player who speaks of FC Porto as “the Club of my heart” and approaches every step with a clearly defined target. Growing within the B team, Duarte Cunha appears in this contract extension as someone who does not confuse recognition with complacency: there is gratitude, there is responsibility and there is one fixed idea running through all his answers — turning promise into arrival.

Speaking about the renewal, the winger made it clear that this extended deal carries an emotional weight that goes beyond the signed paper. He spoke like someone looking back without losing sight of what still remains to be achieved.

“Renewing with the Club of my heart is a very special moment. Every time I wear this shirt, I give my maximum, because that is what this Club has demanded of me since I arrived here at the age of nine,” he said. “Throughout these years, I always dreamed of this moment. By renewing my contract with FC Porto, I am fulfilling another dream.”

More than something to celebrate, Duarte Cunha sees the renewal as the natural consequence of a long-standing bond and a culture of high standards he has felt since his earliest years. The tone is emotional, but also one of duty, and that helps explain why the conversation quickly moves from pride to ambition.

When he spoke about his own development, he did so with awareness of the path he has travelled, but without any sign of premature satisfaction. So the goal came out plainly.

“I think it has been a very good progression. If someone had told me at nine years old that I would get here, I would not have believed it,” he explained. “I think I have developed very well, but I still want to go further, because I have a goal to achieve, which is to make my debut for the first team at the Estádio do Dragão.”

That is where his words take on a sharper competitive edge: individual growth only makes sense if it opens the door to the main stage. For Duarte Cunha, developing is not the end point; it is only the path towards a common goal shared by so many young players from the academy.

Asked about the step up to professional football, the player described the change in level naturally and highlighted the competitive impact of the Segunda Liga. Without dramatizing the demands, he treated them as a tool for growth.

“They are completely different rhythms and competitions. The Segunda Liga is an extremely competitive league, especially compared to the under-19 championship. I am a much more experienced player and I think the difference in pace and difficulty is very positive,” he analysed. “It is through difficulties that players develop. I have felt very good in the B team and I believe I am developing.”

In these words, there is a clear sense of maturing shaped by the toughness of the environment. The B team appears as a real learning space, less protected and more demanding, precisely the ground where a young player finds out whether he is ready to demand more of himself.

That journey has already left him with concrete milestones, in his first appearances and first moments of impact. Looking back on those debuts, Duarte Cunha spoke of happiness, always linked to being useful for the collective.

“I made my debut against Académico de Viseu and we won that game. I was very happy that I was able to help the team. My first goal was against Torreense, in a match we won 3-0. Above all, I am very happy.”

Even when revisiting naturally special moments, the winger keeps the narrative centred on the team. It is a small linguistic detail that reinforces the image of a player who wants to grow within a collective logic before projecting himself individually to higher levels.

Regarding his relationship with the first team, the tone was one of active patience: waiting, yes, but always learning. Duarte Cunha showed himself ready to absorb everything around him whenever he steps into that environment.

“It is a dream to train with the first team and I still hope to be able to play. I believe opportunities come with time and work,” he stressed. “I take in everything I can in every training session and I try to learn from the more experienced players, who have already been through all the major competitions, including the Champions League. I try to take in what they teach me.”

The verb is repeated, and not by chance: to “take in” experience, routines, standards and references. In the way he describes himself, Duarte Cunha appears less like someone waiting for an opportunity and more like a player preparing himself to be ready when it comes.

There was also room to look beyond the club, at the titles won with the national team, without that shifting the focus of the conversation. What could have sounded like consecration was presented as motivation to keep going.

“It all happened very quickly. First a European Championship, which had already been an unbelievable achievement and, right after that, a World Cup. It seems surreal, but it is true,” he acknowledged. “It was very good, but there is still a long way to go, especially the dream of playing at the Estádio do Dragão.”

Here too, the same logic is repeated: celebrate, yes, but without losing sight of the greater goal he identifies at FC Porto. The success he has accumulated serves as fuel, not as a brake, and the Dragão once again appears as the central image of everything he wants to achieve.

When he spoke about the recognition he received, Duarte Cunha let the emotional impact of that gesture show through. The reference to the club and the president was brief, but enough to show the weight of the moment.

“It is always very good to be recognised by the Club and by the president. We were all very happy. I got goosebumps on the lap we took around the Estádio do Dragão.”

The goosebumps he mentions help close the circle between belonging and ambition. The stadium does not appear only as the distant symbol of a future dream; it is also a place of emotional confirmation, the kind that helps strengthen the conviction of someone who wants to get there and stay there.

That same line continued when he spoke about the examples he has within the club and the path he intends to follow. The winger put the focus on daily work and on the players who turned the academy into a bridge to the first team.

“I believe that with work, sacrifice and the love we feel when we train every day at the Club of our heart, it becomes easier. All players have the goal of playing at the Estádio do Dragão,” he summed up. “I look at the players who came through the academy and reached the first team as an example, because that is the path I want to follow.”

There is no mystery in the formula he presents: work, sacrifice and identification with the club. The rest, in his words, seems to depend on consistency and time, two quiet ideas that run through the whole conversation.

He used that same tone to leave his most direct message to the fans, without fanciful promises and with a guarantee of total commitment. The pledge here was made without embellishment.

“They can expect the same Duarte, with the same desire to work, with extra motivation from this contract and with a great sense of responsibility,” he assured. “I can promise all Porto fans that I will always give my maximum and defend the values of our Club and our city.”

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