Joana Resende recalls Pinto da Costa, backs Villas-Boas: “Section improved” | OneFootball

Eternal memories with the fans

Joana Resende recalled the special bond she always had with the fans, especially when greeting them at the end of matches. “I’ll treasure those moments forever,” Joana Resende said when asked to comment on the fact that she was the one who took the longest to make the rounds after games. “I was probably the first athlete to join this project and, having been here all these years, it’s only natural that I built a very strong and beautiful connection with the fans,” she explained, adding: “If it was an honour for them to high-five me, it was also an honour for me to high-five them.”

Manuel and Mariana, her greatest pillars

Throughout her career, her parents, Manuel and Mariana, were a constant presence in the stands, following their daughter. In the last match, however, her father ended up staying back due to health problems. “Obviously, I have to talk about my parents; they were and still are my pillars,” she said. “I don’t know what other parents are like, some may be similar and others not, but my parents were with me throughout my entire career and that, for me as a daughter, means an incredible amount,” she explained.

Pride, privilege and responsibility

The experience of wearing the FC Porto captain’s armband is one of the memories the libero intends to keep very close to her heart. “I don’t even really know what to say, but perhaps the words pride, privilege and responsibility fit well with having been team captain of my beloved club, my FC Porto,” she said, admitting that she had “always hated losing” and that “every defeat wearing the FC Porto shirt felt like a stab to the heart.”

A word of thanks to the clubs and the people

“Lady Volleyball” made a point of acknowledging the contribution of everyone who accompanied her along the way. “To all the clubs that were part of my journey,” she began. She then recalled the “importance of president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa for bringing the sport back, and also of president André Villas-Boas for improving and strengthening the section,” leaving one final message: “To my people — they know who they are — who celebrated and cried with me.”

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