José Tavares: “The Dragon’s Den is a special place” | OneFootball

Following the strategic alliance established at the beginning of the year, FC Porto and Coimbra FC Porto created the Elite Dragons – an integrated and multidisciplinary program aimed at the technical, physical, mental, and social enhancement of young footballers from the Minas Gerais club.

On a mission from FC Porto in Brazil, José Tavares visited the Dragon's Den – the Coimbra Sports training center in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte – attended the first sessions with the new methodology, and was present at the preparation matches of the Minas Gerais team.

“The Dragon's Den is a special place. It has its own energy, lots of nature, and talent. We want this talent to develop with the right culture and mentality, and for this to bear fruit both on and off the field. We want to train players and men, and we want many athletes to move from there to FC Porto, whether they are monitored, analyzed, or contracted. It was great to see all the games, training sessions, and players,” said the training director after “seeing more than 300 young people enrolled,” “a sign of recognition and commitment from Coimbra FC Porto in Minas Gerais.”

“We want the best for the selected players and hope that, in the future, more athletes will be called up. For this, we need them to give their best every day, in every training session and game. This is non-negotiable. We need a lot of dedication and will provide all the conditions for this with almost daily support,” added José Tavares.

Ricardo Guimarães, representative of Coimbra FC Porto, confessed to feeling “great joy” in working with “one of the biggest clubs in the world” and explained the purpose of the partnership: “These are the first call-ups, and we hope others will also reach this level. In Elite Dragons, we will further enhance the skills of each athlete.”

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