New chance ahead? Veron returns to FC Porto for Farioli test | OneFootball

FC Porto’s victory in Friday’s friendly against Deportivo de La Coruña gave Francesco Farioli more than just a positive result. Near the final whistle, the coach once again gave minutes to a player whose return had been eagerly awaited by the Dragons’ fans: Gabriel Veron.

The 24-year-old Brazilian forward joined the club in 2022/23 from Palmeiras. In his debut season, he showed promising signs for a player who was then only 20 and had never competed outside Brazil.

Signed for around €10.34 million, Veron eventually lost ground, however. Several loan spells followed, keeping him away from the Porto squad and making him an increasingly forgotten figure among the fans.

Against the Spanish side, the winger had only ten minutes to make an impression. During that period, he took part in the blue-and-whites’ counterattacks and was close to André Silva when he scored the goal that made it 1-3.

It remains to be seen whether that brief appearance can help convince Farioli. The competition is considerable: the Italian coach has five wingers available for the two attacking flanks of the current national champions, not including Gabriel Veron. The Brazilian has been working mainly with the B team, for whom he has already played once this season.

The situation limits his chances, but it does not shut the door on the first team. A possible injury to one of the wide players could open up space for the No. 97 shirt to get more minutes.

Borja Sainz, Pepê, William Gomes and Oskar Pietuszewski have already shown their value to the coach, while Gabriel Mec is still emerging as a developing talent. Faced with these options, Veron will have to stand out in daily training to earn Farioli’s trust.

Gabriel Veron’s path since arriving at FC Porto

After his first season at the Dragão, the Brazilian enjoyed the second most productive season of his career at Cruzeiro: he scored six goals and provided two assists in 37 matches. Only in 2020 had he posted better numbers, with nine goals and five assists, also in 37 games.

In 2025, he was loaned out again to Brazilian clubs. He represented Santos in the first half of the year and Juventude in the second, without managing at either club to match the performances he had produced at Cruzeiro.

He then spent the remainder of the 2025/26 season at Nacional in the Primeira Liga, where he totaled one goal in 13 appearances. He has since returned to Olival and continues trying to establish himself at FC Porto, now under the guidance of Francesco Farioli.

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