With 150 matches for Sporting, Morita says his goal is clear | OneFootball

At the end of his contract with Sporting, Hidemasa Morita reached 150 games wearing the lion's shirt last Tuesday, in the 1-0 victory over Porto at the Estádio de Alvalade, in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals. Reacting to this personal achievement, the number 5 admitted he experienced an “incredible” moment in the match of the queen competition of Portuguese football and even revealed that he wants to open a pastel de nata shop in his hometown.

“It was incredible. I knew I was close to 150 games, but I hadn’t realized it would happen in a match against Porto. It was very special. I’m very happy, even more so because we won the game at Estádio José Alvalade. It was a great day,” said the 30-year-old player in an exclusive interview with Sporting TV.

Signed from Santa Clara in 2022 for 3.45 million euros, the Japanese player recalled the moment he landed at Alvalade: “I immediately realized it was a huge club. When I was at Santa Clara, my goal was to come to this club. And it happened. I remember the first day well, although at that time I could barely speak any English. I think I’m better now. It’s a huge pleasure to be here and play for this club... It’s incredible.”

Morita, who has won two league titles and one cup with the lion’s shirt, assures that the Sporting squad “is a family” and spoke about the celebration parties at Marquês de Pombal. “For me, the best moment was when we arrived at Marquês. There were lots of green lights and an incredible atmosphere. But it was a very long night and I couldn’t keep celebrating the whole time. I sat on the ground many times, just taking it all in and applauding. The second championship was even better than the first,” he noted.

Having lived in Portugal for six years, the midfielder concluded by confessing that he feels fully integrated into Portuguese society after the initial difficulties. “I feel very comfortable here. I’ve been in Portugal for five or six years now and I really enjoy living here. The people are very warm. Whenever I go to a shopping center or anywhere else, Sporting fans, and even fans of other clubs, come up to talk to me and greet me. I really like the people and also the food. Everything is perfect.”

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