André Pereira takes over FC Porto futsal: “It’s a great privilege” | OneFootball

André Pereira was chosen to lead FC Porto’s first senior futsal team, which will make its debut in the 2026/27 season in the third national division. At 29, the coach leaves the Dragons’ under-19 side to take charge of a project built on continuity, development, and future ambition. At his presentation, he did not hide the symbolic weight of the moment and assured: “It is a great privilege.”

At a founding moment for Porto’s blue-and-white senior futsal, André Pereira introduced himself with a clear idea: to build a team that respects the club’s identity without losing sight of the path that had already been prepared. The competitive debut will be the first step in a structure intended to link youth development to the first team.

Chosen to lead the new team, the coach highlighted the work carried out in recent times and the composition of a squad still under construction, based on a balance between different generations.

“It is a great privilege to have been chosen to be the first coach of FC Porto’s senior futsal team, in a logic of continuity for a project that began two years ago. In recent times, we have been working to reach today with a technical staff aligned with the winning mindset of this project and with a squad under construction, one that ultimately embraces great diversity and a mix of youth and experience, so that the players complement each other,” he began.

More than just an entry into the third division, André Pereira’s words outline a plan that seeks to build consistency from day one. The ambition is not limited to the present: it also involves creating a foundation capable of sustaining the senior team.

The coach, who until now had been in charge of FC Porto’s under-19 team in the sport, then spoke about the personal connection he has with the club and the importance of making youth development an effective bridge to the top level.

“Given my history at the club and the way I identify with FC Porto, this was something very special. This day had been in preparation for some time, with the aim of creating a project based on youth development and culminating in the senior team,” he stressed. “So, it is a huge source of pride and a great privilege.”

For Pereira, that bond goes beyond knowing the competitive context. The coach pointed to the need to “know the club’s values and identity.”

“Looking inward and at our youth development, I have no doubt that, more than just taking on the third division, we are preparing a long-term project, and I am certain that in the short or medium term we will have players from our academy moving up to the senior team. That leaves us very comfortable and satisfied. As for the squad we have built, we took care to identify players with the necessary sporting profile and with the human profile and understanding of what it means to be Porto and what this club represents,” he revealed. “We are talking about players who did not hesitate when they learned the invitation came from FC Porto. There are players performing at a very high level who understood that they had no other option but to be with us, because their hearts are blue and white.”

The building of the group is thus presented as an extension of the culture the coach wants to see inside the arena. The emphasis on human character comes alongside sporting demands, in a team called upon to represent an identity even before consolidating its competitive journey.

The final commitment made by André Pereira was directed at the fans. The intention is for the new senior team to reflect FC Porto’s way of being in any match context.

“From the day we started thinking about building this team and this structure, we started building a team in the image of the fans. We want the fans to identify with this team and understand that we are representing them, regardless of the arena where we are playing, whether at home or away, and regardless of the moment in the game,” he concluded. “This will have to prevail from beginning to end.”

It is a promise of identity to accompany the birth of a new project. Between youth development, the squad, and the connection to the stands, André Pereira places the representation of the club at the center of Porto’s senior futsal debut.

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