Villas-Boas on Mora, recalls Moreira: “No mourning for lost talent” | OneFootball

André Villas-Boas used Rodrigo Mora’s transfer to AS Roma to respond to the criticism directed at FC Porto. The Porto president presented the deal as part of a broader strategy involving youth development, financial sustainability, player valuation, and the team’s competitiveness, arguing that the board’s decisions are aimed at safeguarding the club’s future.

Among the arguments put forward is a comparison with other players developed in Portugal. Villas-Boas believes there is a difference in how certain transfers are judged and brought up the example of Diego Moreira, who left Benfica on a free transfer, went through Chelsea, Lyon and Strasbourg, and eventually moved to Milan for 50 million euros. In the FC Porto president’s view, that case did not trigger a public reaction similar to the one caused by Rodrigo Mora’s departure, which became the target of heavy criticism.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Diogo Moreira case: “[…] there are also decisions that force us to talk about the future, youth development, sustainability, and the responsibility of running a club that wants to keep winning. This summer, two players developed at Portuguese clubs moved to Italian football in deals with an academic benchmark of 50 million euros. Diego Moreira left Benfica on a free transfer, went through Chelsea, Lyon and Strasbourg, and has now arrived at AC Milan for 50 million euros. A talent developed in Portugal left the club that nurtured him without any direct return, moved through different leagues, and ended up generating one of the biggest sales in French football. There was no national mourning, no usual tallying of accounts, no permanent outrage, nor any sudden concern over the loss of Portuguese talent. There was silence.”

Mora’s path: “Rodrigo Mora followed a different path: he was developed at FC Porto, grew within our club, won our hearts, and joined AS Roma in a deal that values him at 50 million euros, guaranteeing FC Porto a significant immediate return and preserving a decisive stake in his future. Suddenly, concern, commotion, sadness and financial scrutiny set in, joined by the typical selective memory of the national ‘panel brigade.’ Losing a talent on a free transfer deserves no comment; valuing him at 50 million euros becomes a problem, as long as the credit and the return stay in the North.” The board also criticises the intervention of a pundit who, according to the statement, tried to take the spotlight away from the transfer process. Villas-Boas argues that the lawyer’s actions had no influence whatsoever on the negotiations between the clubs, but that the statements made led the player’s parents to distance themselves from them and Mora’s representative to apologise to the institution. The president believes those positions were incompatible with a lawyer’s professional duty of confidentiality and discretion and says the disrespect shown toward FC Porto and the club’s coach will not be forgotten.

From Vitinha and Fábio Silva to Mora: “The perfect scenario will always be one in which scouting, youth development, sporting success and financial success come together at the right moment: a stable, powerful club, without question, capable of keeping its best talents for longer and choosing, without constraints, when and under what conditions to let them go. That is the FC Porto we are working toward. Until we get there, sport is also made up of compromises, crossed paths, difficult decisions, and the need to protect both present and future sustainability without giving up the obligation to keep winning. Rodrigo Mora joins Vitinha, Rúben Neves, Diogo Dalot, Fábio Vieira and Fábio Silva, homegrown sons who left early for other adventures and who still carry part of our identity with them. Far from home but close to the heart. Dear Rodrigo, the Dragon that took you to Rome is the same one that, one day, will bring you back.”

A message to the critics: “To all those who criticise us, those who belittle us, those who turn every FC Porto decision into a suspicion and every success into an inconvenience, we also leave a word of thanks. Don’t stop existing. You too play a leading role in affirming the greatest Portuguese club. You force us to stay alert, to explain ourselves better, to work harder, and to remember every day that for FC Porto, the path is rarely simple. While some try to diminish us, we keep adding titles. While some build narratives, we build teams. While some live off noise, we live off work, rigour and victory.”

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