Alberto Costa admits: “Playing for FC Porto was a childhood dream” | OneFootball

Alberto Costa gave a lengthy interview to this Thursday’s edition of the newspaper O Jogo, in which he ‘lifted the veil’ on the transfer that brought him from Juventus to FC Porto in the last summer transfer window, in a deal worth around 15 million euros – a figure that could rise to 16 million depending on the achievement of certain objectives (with João Mário moving in the opposite direction).

“It was a childhood dream to play here, and when my agent told me about the possibility, I was immediately very excited. When I left Vitória SC, of course it was an incredible step, but I was left with the feeling that it was too little, after so many years at the club and so few games there, but even if there had been more…”, he began by saying.

“A player, when he is in Portugal, dreams of becoming a champion here. In this case, I have the chance to do it with my childhood club and it seems like everything happened at the right moment. I am very grateful to be here and I feel that FC Porto helped me a lot, they showed a lot of interest in me,” he added.

The under-21 international also took the opportunity to comment on the title race, at a time when the Dragons are leading alone, three points ahead of second-placed Sporting. “Inside here, we’re not feeling any pressure. I feel like we’re only thinking about winning the next game. We have to win the next challenge and we always focus on the next opponent.”

“Now, we’re going to have a lot of games in a short period of time, but we always concentrate on the next one, there’s little talk about the games that will come after. On the other hand, it’s one of the most gratifying things we can hear when the fans say we represent them. We just want to keep that going. If they say we show grit on the pitch, we can only be happy about it and it makes us even more eager to show it,” he further emphasized.

From the tackle at Alvalade to internal ‘scoldings’

The right-back recalled the Clássico on August 30, in which FC Porto won 1-2 at the Estádio José Alvalade, a performance in which he was decisive both for the assist for Luuk de Jong’s goal and for a crucial tackle. “During the game, I didn’t even really notice things, but everyone told me it was like a goal. It was a beautiful moment.”

“On the pitch, I already had the perception that it was three against three and I managed to catch up, but it was something very quick and a matter of choices. Interestingly, before the game, we had trained that specific support switch, running inside and not turning to the other side, but to that one. Maybe I even did it unconsciously,” he confessed.

Finally, the 22-year-old pointed out the importance of the atmosphere at the Dragão for the team’s good moment, admitting, however, that sometimes there are warnings between teammates when necessary.

“Yes, without a doubt, in a non-aggressive way that doesn’t cross the line. But when someone sees another not giving that extra meter, people speak up right away, there’s no problem. And the person who slips up at a certain moment accepts and understands, because we’re all here for the same reason and with the right mentality. If necessary, the next day, it’s that same person who pushes someone else,” he concluded.

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