Smalling trains at Olival and joins FC Porto trip to Corunna | OneFootball

A day after being officially announced as FC Porto’s surprise signing, Chris Smalling reported to Olival, met his new teammates, trained and then travelled to A Coruña. With several absences in central defence, Francesco Farioli is expected to give the England international his first minutes in today’s friendly against Deportivo, scheduled for 6 p.m. and broadcast on SportTV1. In his first message to the group, the centre-back immediately set out the aim and assured: “We’re going to keep winning.”

Smalling arrived early at the training centre, still getting a lift, for a first day full of symbols and new experiences. Welcomed by head coach Francesco Farioli, the defender joined the squad’s routine, delivered a message of ambition and got to work before joining Porto’s travelling party to A Coruña.

The circumstances could speed up the new signing’s introduction into the plans. Bednarek, Kiwior and Prpic are away on international duty with their respective national teams, while Nehuén Pérez is injured, leaving FC Porto with several absences in the heart of defence.

Smalling went through the traditional guard of honour and, before the training session, addressed his teammates. “Thanks, guys. Happy to be here,” he said. “We’re going to keep winning,” he concluded in English, before finishing with a “vamos” in Portuguese.

On the pitch, the defender was not put through the same workload as the rest of the players, but he showed positive signs, especially in the fitness tests. Between careful integration and competitive need, the match against Deportivo appears to be the first opportunity for Farioli to start assessing the England international in a game setting.

Smalling’s first day also included a look back at his career. In a video posted by FC Porto on social media, the centre-back was challenged to choose five defining moments from a journey that, among the episodes selected, began with his Premier League debut for Fulham at the age of 19.

His first goal in a derby for Manchester United also made the list, serving as a bridge to what the defender hopes to experience in blue and white. “I’ve been lucky enough to score a few in derbies, but the first ones are always special,” he recalled. “I hope to score a few goals in future clásicos,” he added.

The choice reveals an ambition that goes beyond simply joining the squad: Smalling is already projecting himself into the most emotionally charged matches. His past in English derbies thus fuels the expectation of creating new moments in the clásicos ahead of him.

Among the other memories he chose were his first English title, in 2010/11, with the Red Devils, and his first goal for England, scored against Portugal at Wembley. Winning the Conference League with Mourinho’s Roma completed the selection and brought the experience he lived in Italy closer to the passion Smalling recognizes in Porto.

“I saw the celebrations here last season, which reminded me of what happened there. Knowing what football means in Rome, I can see the same thing here in Porto,” he stressed. “That was another big reason for coming here. To be able to feel the whole city in the celebrations is something I want to experience again! I’m sure I’ll have two or three moments here to add to the list.”

The comparison between Rome and Porto helps explain the England international’s motivation for embracing this stage of his career. Smalling arrives with strong memories, but makes it clear he does not intend to live off them alone: he wants to add new chapters to the list.

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