Matilde Vaz pleased after new deal: “I want to give my all for the badge” | OneFootball

Matilde Vaz faces the future in blue and white with the same calmness with which she speaks about a dream come true. In the young forward’s view, renewing with FC Porto represents both a reward and an obligation, after a season she describes as one of overcoming, growth, and establishing herself in Porto’s women’s football. Between pride in the path she has taken, the importance of the dressing room, and the ambition to keep growing towards the Liga BPI, she left a simple and clear promise: “I will keep going like this.”

At the start of a new chapter, after extending her contract, Matilde Vaz expressed an idea that shaped her entire speech: that the road travelled so far only raises the level of demand for what lies ahead. The first woman to score a goal for FC Porto spoke with an awareness of the weight of the badge, but also with the conviction that it is precisely that weight which drives her forward.

Asked about what it means to remain tied to the club, the forward did not hide the emotional side of the moment, although she was keen to add a sense of commitment to it.

“It is a feeling of pride and happiness. It is a dream come true, but also an added responsibility,” she said. “I want to keep working every day for FC Porto with the same passion.”

Her words reveal a clear balance between celebration and duty. The dream appears fulfilled, but never as an endpoint; rather, as the beginning of an even greater level of demand.

When speaking about the journey she has taken and the difficulties she has overcome, Matilde Vaz gave her remarks a strong sense of personal ambition and a desire not to stop here.

“It is a feeling of overcoming and, as I have already mentioned, of happiness, because it is not an easy path, we have many barriers to overcome, but I think I surpassed myself and exceeded my own expectations, so I feel enormous pride and happiness,” she stressed. “I hope to continue with my work, confidence, and ability to overcome. I always want more, always with this passion for the Club that makes everything easier.”

The idea of overcoming is repeated because it defines the tone of her entire testimony. There is no triumphalism in what she says; rather, there is the conviction that growth means continuing to push limits.

Looking back on the most memorable moment of the season, the player pointed to a night that helped etch FC Porto’s women’s team into the club’s recent memory.

“The most memorable moment was the second leg against Vitória SC, in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup. Of course we wanted to go as far as possible, but I think the final was not such a concrete objective and, when it happened, it became clear that the team was truly very united and that it had surpassed itself with a lot of unity and passion for the Club,” she recalled. “We managed to reach the final, which was a historic achievement for FC Porto’s women’s team and very significant for my career, so I am very happy about that.”

More than the reference to one match, what stands out is her collective reading of that moment. Matilde Vaz speaks of unity as the driving force and turns the memory of that run into proof of identity for a group that was built through adversity.

Even so, her individual growth does not appear detached from the context around her. When addressing the dressing room, the forward was keen to highlight the impact of her more experienced teammates on her development.

“Sharing the dressing room with these more experienced teammates gives me growth that I would not have elsewhere. I have gained a maturity and experience in football that is sometimes hard to acquire, and I think this season was marked by overcoming and by the feeling of never giving up,” she acknowledged. “I want to keep learning from my older teammates so I can continue to surpass myself. I am very grateful to my teammates because they help me grow every day, and that makes me very happy.”

Here, her words take on a particularly clear collective dimension. The progress she claims for herself also comes from sharing, learning, and a competitive environment that, in her view, speeds up maturity.

At the end, she returned to what matters most: the weight of wearing the FC Porto shirt at such a young age and the way that trust turns into daily fuel.

“I think it is a much greater responsibility, but it is also extra motivation to be here and for them to trust me to be part of FC Porto women’s football’s first team at this age,” she said. “I have to keep working every day and giving everything for this Club because I do this with passion and love for the shirt, and I will keep going like this.”

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