Rodrigo Zalazar reveals Varandas line that sold Sporting to him | OneFootball

Rodrigo Zalazar explained that Frederico Varandas played an important role in his decision to join Sporting, although the desire to wear green and white already existed before any contact from the Lions’ president. The Uruguayan international arrived at Alvalade this summer for 30 million euros.

In an interview with ‘Kicker’, the 27-year-old revealed the phrase that struck him most during the negotiations and ultimately reinforced his decision: "When my agent told me about this possibility, I immediately replied that it was exactly what I wanted. I didn’t want to hear about anything else. President Frederico Varandas was very clear with me: 'Rodrigo, we definitely want you.' That meant a lot to me. And my compatriot Maxi Araújo is there too. All of that contributed to the decision. For me, Sporting is the biggest. Naturally, I already had that opinion before, but in recent years Sporting has been the club that has won the most titles in Portugal," he said.

The player had also attracted interest from other major Portuguese clubs, namely Benfica and Porto, but ultimately chose Sporting’s project. The footballer already has one goal and one assist in his first five matches for Sporting and says he does not feel any extra pressure because of the large investment.

"I don’t see it as pressure. It is a demonstration of confidence in me. When a club makes such an important investment in a player, it means they believe in his abilities. In football there is always pressure, regardless of the amounts involved," he explained.

Sporting host Galatasaray this Wednesday in the opening matchday of the Champions League league phase, and Zalazar believes the Lions can once again surprise in Europe. "Sporting have extraordinary ambition. The expectations are to improve on what we have already done very well. I hope we can repeat that path and, if possible, go even further. Sporting reached the quarter-finals and were knocked out by Arsenal by the finest of margins, with Arsenal going on to reach the final. It was a historic campaign. What is possible this time? Sporting can win everything. We have a great team, a fantastic atmosphere, and the club is like a family. But we also know that the fans’ expectations are high. We have to fight for every title."

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