Signed for Benfica, but says Porto is the club in his heart | OneFootball

Deco was at the Portugal Football Summit and looked back on some of the most memorable moments of his career, including his troubled arrival in Portugal. At 18, the former Portugal international believed he was actually going to play for Benfica, but he was loaned to Alverca. The change of plans did not stop him from training a few times with the club from Luz, before focusing on Salgueiros and, later, falling in love with Porto.

"At the time, I was 18 and my agent told me I was going to Benfica. And when I realized what was happening, they introduced us to Alverca’s director. The airport was full of journalists and I found it strange. Cajú was with me too, and we found out that the press was there because of Paulo Nunes, who was going to Benfica. We also thought we were coming to Benfica, but we were immediately introduced to a man from Alverca. And it was only when I saw the signs saying Alverca that I found out where I was going," he said.

After going to a few Benfica training sessions, Deco eventually put that idea behind him, until he watched a match at the Antas and became convinced that he wanted to wear blue and white. "Porto was like love at first sight. I went to watch a match at the Estádio das Antas, with Jardel scoring goals. I could immediately picture myself playing there. I still went to Salgueiros, but I wanted to play for Porto", he recalled.

His spell at Porto, however, also had difficult moments. Deco admitted that the first few years did not match what he had imagined, mainly because of some injuries: "My story at Porto also involved suffering. I didn’t feel that the fifth straight league title was part of my story. I dreamed of becoming part of the club’s history, of being a reference. The first few years were not like that, with some injuries. After winning the UEFA Cup, Barcelona wanted to sign me, and I wanted to go. Pinto da Costa said that if Mourinho left, I could go; Mourinho said that if Pinto da Costa agreed, I could go. And I realized that something was not right. I was in a bad way for two months, but then I decided I had to get back to playing. Barcelona came back the following year. I thought it would not work out because they were not offering what Porto wanted, but the president was very fair and said I could go wherever I wanted," he explained.

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