Villas-Boas on FC Porto: “I hope to do better as president” | OneFootball

At a time when FC Porto is looking to consolidate its season, André Villas-Boas once again put into words the scale of the challenge he took on as president. His full name carries a past of success as a coach, but the message now is different: running the club demands a broader reach, a different kind of pressure, and the obligation to leave a mark beyond memories of the dugout.

Asked about his relationship with José Mourinho, with whom he worked at Chelsea and Inter, Villas-Boas spoke calmly and naturally about a bond that has survived time and the competitive context.

“I was younger… My spell at Inter was a wonderful experience that I remember fondly,” he said. “Mourinho taught me a lot and, from time to time, we exchange messages, even though he coaches Benfica, one of the clubs with a great rivalry with FC Porto. We are competing to win the league [along with Sporting], but we respect each other.”

There is, in his words, a blend of personal memory and competitive pragmatism. The respect remains, but it does not dilute the rivalry or the demanding environment in which FC Porto operates.

When the conversation turned to the weight of the role, the blue-and-white president laid out the differences between managing a team and leading an entire institution. His tone was direct, almost instructive, as he described the scale of the responsibilities.

“As a coach, there are many pressures and many things to control inside and outside the dressing room, but the president has enormous responsibilities, above all that of putting the right people in the right positions across the club’s different areas,” he explained. “FC Porto is a multi-sport club with football teams, but also basketball, volleyball and handball teams. For me, having been elected by the other members, it is a great challenge. The first year was difficult, a year of transformation; we put the financial side in order, restoring the club’s stability. Now, with Farioli, the results are coming and we are in the race to win the league and in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup.”

The answer paints a clear picture of the role: less focused on the details of the dressing room, more dependent on structure, choice and stability. Villas-Boas presents himself as someone who sees the club in its full scope and who reads the signs of the season as a consequence of that work of reorganisation.

His personal goal came up later, no longer as nostalgia for the coach he once was, but as the benchmark for the executive he wants to be. And there, the ambition appeared without embellishment.

“At FC Porto, I won a league title and a Europa League, as well as a Super Cup and a Portuguese Cup. I hope to do better as president,” he stressed. “It is not easy because the gap compared to Europe’s biggest clubs has widened compared to the past, but before I ran and was elected in April 2024, I studied and worked for two years with the aim of being ready. I am giving it my best.”

More than a balance sheet, the wording works as a programme. Villas-Boas does not hide how difficult the context is, but he also does not step back from ambition: the past serves him as a measure, not as a refuge.

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