Rodrigo Mora, Roma start and idol Dybala: “To play and train with him…” | OneFootball

Rodrigo Mora, a Roma player called up to the under-21 national team, spoke about the fight for qualification, the ambition to win the European Championship, and his first steps in Italian football. Between adapting to a new reality and the privilege of sharing a dressing room with Paulo Dybala, the young Portuguese player appeared confident and assured: “We want qualification.”

After a lifetime linked to Porto and a decade representing FC Porto, Rodrigo Mora is now going through a profound change, on and off the pitch. Even so, his message remains the same: confidence in Portuguese talent, collective ambition, and excitement about everything Roma is giving him.

The under-21 team’s journey was the first point he highlighted. Mora praised the team’s overall performances and made it clear that qualification remains the objective guiding the group.

“So far I think we have been a great team, we have done everything except get a win and we have conceded zero goals. We want qualification,” he said.

The message combines satisfaction with the work done and the awareness that the essential task is still unfinished. There is no room for complacency: the focus is on the next step.

Asked what he can bring to the national team, Mora pointed to the characteristics that set him apart, without separating individual talent from collective strength.

“I have a different player profile, the kind that finds those passes and also brings goals, with a different profile in this national team, which has great players and talent. That’s how a united group is formed,” he explained.

The youngster sees his difference as a complement, not a status symbol. In his view, it is precisely this variety of solutions that helps build a cohesive team.

The bar, however, is set above simple qualification. Mora does not hide the fact that Portugal having never won the under-21 European Championship fuels this generation’s ambition.

“Portugal have never won the under-21 European Championship, that’s what we’re thinking about and we want to win it,” he said.

That confidence extends to the quality of the new generations, in a group where Mora himself is already finding players even younger than him.

“Without a doubt, a lot of talent. Mezian [Soares] has just come in, and he is two years younger than me. Portugal has a lot of talent and that is very good for Portuguese football, it has to continue,” he stressed.

More than an isolated promise, Mora describes a stream of talent that strengthens the national team’s possibilities. The European ambition thus appears backed by the conviction that there is enough quality to aim for something unprecedented.

Away from the national team, the move to Roma forced him to leave the environment in which he had lived and played for many years. The cultural and footballing difference is acknowledged without hesitation, but also without fear.

“I think it was a different change, I spent 19 years living in Porto, 10 playing for FC Porto, and it is a different culture and a different kind of football, but I’m happy and I think it will be a good move for me,” he admitted.

In his words, adaptation appears as a natural challenge of growth. Mora does not ignore the weight of the change, but he looks at this new stage with happiness and expectation.

His first goal for Roma has already given him a memorable moment, although the young Portuguese has another stage in mind. Scoring at the Olimpico is a clear desire, fueled by the atmosphere he has found there.

“I really like scoring goals and being able to score for Roma was something beautiful, but I still want to score at the Olimpico, it is special and I want to experience that. The atmosphere is something very special and beautiful and it really makes you want to score for Roma,” he said.

The goal he has already scored does not end his ambition; on the contrary, it has opened the door to a new objective. His emotional connection to the stadium and the fans emerges as an important part of this period of discovery.

At the heart of this beginning in Rome is also Paulo Dybala, a childhood reference who has now become a teammate. Mora highlighted not only the Argentine’s rare quality, but also the humility and support he has received from him.

“Without a doubt, he is someone you watched as a child, and being able to play and train alongside him while he does things that very few can do... He is also a very humble person, who helped me at the start at Roma. I really like him as a player and as a person, and I am very grateful to be able to play with him,” he confessed.

That admiration has now taken on a daily dimension: the idol has become a colleague and a source of support during a period of transition. Between the talent he observes up close and the willingness he found off the pitch, Mora sees Dybala as a role model both as a player and as a person.

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