Trubin on Porto derby: "9 in 10 Portuguese support Benfica" | OneFootball

Anatoly Trubin gave an interview to the portal 'Tribuna' where he highlighted the adaptation process to Portugal, a country where he has been living for almost three years since his transfer to Benfica in the summer of 2023, coming from Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine.

The Eagles' goalkeeper admitted that playing with Brazilian compatriots at his previous club did not make his linguistic integration at Benfica easier.

"Actually, at Shakhtar, I only learned swear words from the Brazilians. So, to be honest, it was difficult for me because I'm one of those people who need time to settle in and feel comfortable with everyone. After that, it becomes easier, but even so, I am now surrounded by incredible people. When I arrived, everyone said 'if you need anything, if you need help, just say it, we will help with everything,'" Anatoly Trubin began, praising the Portuguese people.

"The people in the city are very friendly, it seems to me that the Portuguese are very open and welcoming to everyone. So, overall, everything was good. Of course, now the adaptation is simpler than at the beginning. When I understand the language and culture better, I feel the people, and it becomes much easier for me," he mentioned.

As for Benfica, the goalkeeper was impressed with the size of the club he represents: "I would say that 9 out of 10 Portuguese are Benfica fans. The pressure here is much stronger. Since the fan base is significantly larger, it is felt a lot in the stadium. Even if we don't play very well, the stands can pressure the team. In Ukraine, it's easier to deal with that because the fan base isn't that big. In away games, sometimes you feel like you're playing at home. It happens that in the stadiums, there are about 70 percent Benfica fans and only 30 percent of the home team. So, sometimes it feels like we almost always play at home."

This season, Trubin has another compatriot in the locker room: midfielder Sudakov, also from Shakhtar Donetsk, on loan with a mandatory purchase clause at the end of the season, for an amount around 30 million euros, thus becoming Benfica's most expensive signing.

"His situation is easier than mine was because I can help him with almost everything," assumed Anatoly Trubin, the goalkeeper who managed to achieve the record of the most games without conceding goals during the year 2025, counting commitments for the club and the national team. He kept a clean sheet in 26 of the 61 matches played. It should be noted that Lukas Hornicek (Sp. Braga/Czech Republic) and Diogo Costa (FC Porto/Portugal) also appear in the top 10, both having 22 games without conceding goals.

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