Samu launches bid for the throne | OneFootball

The Portuguese saying goes, "from Spain, neither good wind nor good marriage," but Samu has been proving this proverb wrong. With just over a year at FC Porto, the Spanish international has already scored 31 goals in the blue and white jersey—achieved in his 50th game—numbers that bring him close to becoming the top Spanish scorer in the club's history and set him up for the challenge of Thursday's match against Salzburg in Austria.

In the victory over Rio Ave, Samu scored the 2-0 for the Dragons, and with that goal, he equaled Iván Marcano for second place on the club's list of top Spanish scorers. He is now one goal away from matching Toni Martínez (32) and two from surpassing him—a feat possible in the first round of the Europa League this Thursday.

As for the current season, despite missing the game against Casa Pia due to an injury in Barcelos, Samu leads the team's scoring list with four goals, coincidentally the same number he achieved in the first five rounds of the championship last season.

In the 2024/25 season, the forward, the most expensive in FC Porto's history—acquired for 32 million euros—totaled 27 goals and three assists. These records have attracted the interest of major European clubs. Keeping Samu was a triumph for the management, allowing Francesco Farioli to continue relying on his goals.

The coach is even more grateful now with Luuk de Jong out of action; Deniz Gül competes with Samu for the starting position in the center of Porto's attack.

At just 21 years old, the Spaniard has shown remarkable scoring ability and aims for attainable individual goals, never allowing them to overshadow the collective interests. Nevertheless, he is marking an era that has left fans satisfied.

Eyeing the podium in the Europa League

Six of Samu's 31 goals with FC Porto were achieved in the last edition of the Europa League. In the club's history, only four players have scored more in this competition (formerly the UEFA Cup): at the top is Radamel Falcao with 17 goals, all in the 2010/11 campaign when Villas-Boas' FC Porto won the trophy in Dublin. Following are Derlei (11), Cubillas, and Miglietti (both with seven). Thus, Samu needs just one more goal to enter this specific podium.

Cry of revolt and apology

In the defeat in Rome, in the playoff for access to the Europa League round of 16—with Martín Anselmi at the helm—the Dragons were eliminated after losing 3-2, following a 1-1 draw at Dragão. In Italy, Samu stood out again by scoring a beautiful bicycle kick goal. This episode did not diminish his ambition to win; at the end of the match, he was furious and fired criticisms in various directions: “I think we started well in the game, until we scored. But then we can't disconnect like that, we have to be more mature, and the game slipped away in 5 minutes. Then, with the sending off (of Eustáquio), what do you want me to say? We looked like 10-year-old kids,” lamented the forward, before apologizing on social media: “I spoke in the heat of the moment and it was not my intention to criticize any teammate.” The issue was resolved, and Samu now wants to shine again in the European competition.

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