Joana César Machado: These players and families deserve praise | OneFootball

Recognizing that, in football, true merit goes beyond goals and trophies, FC Porto has chosen to honor the attitude, responsibility, and dedication shown off the pitch. By valuing the academic performance of future talents, the Club aims to promote a culture of excellence and the holistic development of its athletes.

Before the match between FC Porto and CD Nacional at Estádio do Dragão, Joana César Machado presented merit diplomas to the young people “who manage to balance sports practice, games, training sessions, and travel with their studies, and still do so with such merit,” an “amazing” achievement for which “both the athletes and their families are to be congratulated.”

Alongside the Board Member, the Academy Director José Tavares emphasized that “behind every great player there is always a great man” and recalled that “the educational journey is fundamental” and “school is very important”—an idea also shared by Rodrigo Teixeira, a 15-year-old defender with an average grade above 19, for whom “education is fundamental” and it was “a pride and an honor to receive this diploma at home.”

Joana César Machado, Board Member“It is an honor to present these diplomas to these athletes who manage to balance sports practice, games, training sessions, and travel with their studies, and still do so with such merit. It truly is spectacular, both the athletes and their families are to be congratulated and for me it is a source of pride to take part in this ceremony.”

José Tavares, Academy Director“FC Porto believes that behind every great player there is always a great man. As they are young, the educational journey is fundamental, education is fundamental, and school is very important. When they manage to balance sports performance, development with great ambition, and academic merit, we have to celebrate these victories and these successes, because the daily life of each of them is extremely demanding. They wake up extremely early, attend all classes, study, do a lot of group work, have training sessions, individual training, they have an incredible development journey and get home very late only to wake up early again the next day. That’s why the effort, dedication, and commitment they show are examples we like to recognize, because a Porto player is a player who has skills both on and off the field, so that success is part of their everyday life. Training to win in life is something special for us.”

Rodrigo Teixeira, U-17 athlete“It is a pride and an honor to receive this diploma at home. It’s amazing to see that I’m improving in every aspect, both in sports and academically. Having an average grade above 19 is very difficult and it wouldn’t be possible alone. You always need help, whether at school, at home, in life, or in football. It has to be with help, otherwise it’s not possible. Education is fundamental until we reach the top, because until then we could get injured or something could happen that brings us down. We always have to make an effort until we get there.”

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