Miguel Queiroz on title return to the Dragão: “Weight off my shoulders” | OneFootball

Center Miguel Queiroz was full of praise for the spirit of sacrifice shown by all his teammates throughout the playoff, while also admitting the relief brought by a title that, given FC Porto’s inconsistency at the start of the season, at one point seemed unlikely.

“The proverb that says ‘a crooked tree never grows straight’ is one we definitely need to change. This team started badly, but showed great character and turned things around. We suffered some very difficult defeats, particularly against the two teams that were relegated, but we had the clarity to understand what was wrong, put our egos aside and bounce back. It is a great victory for the whole collective. We worked tirelessly and produced a brilliant playoff,” said the Porto captain, before going on to acknowledge the weight of the triumph against Benfica: “It is my greatest victory. When I came to FC Porto, I had the challenge of bringing the club back to the top division and becoming champions again. I came, I saw, and we won. In my first two years we were champions in the Pro League and in the League, but then came a 10-year gap in which I could not become champion again. During that period, the motivation was, with every year I didn’t win, to understand where I could improve in order to help the team win. I kept carrying all those stones in my baggage, and today a huge weight has been lifted off me because this is the first championship trophy I have lifted as captain. I’m going to take all the stones out of my backpack, but they will stay on the shelf so I never forget all the years in which I pushed myself to be better to help the team.”

In a reflective tone, his assessment also extended to his family context, without that diminishing his desire to continue helping FC Porto achieve new feats. At 34, he has remained connected to the club since 2013/14, when he arrived at Dragon Force.

“The last time my mother saw me play a final live, I hugged her and we both cried after the defeat to Benfica. I promised her that she would see me become champion again. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible, but I’m sure that now she is with my grandfather eating some Algarve-style squid and drinking sangria, full of pride,” said Miguel Queiroz, before looking ahead to his ambitions: “Before looking to the side, I always looked at myself, and the satisfaction is that every year, over the last six seasons, people told me it had been my best season. Now I believe my best season is still yet to come, especially because there is still a lot to do. I am 35 years old, but I believe I still have a lot to give,” explained the Dragons captain, without hiding that he needed to “rest a little more” before joining up with the national team: “In a week the national team starts, and I needed more rest, but I’m sure I’ll find a way to be ready to help Portugal.”

Benfica and heart

The anxiety surrounding the title win and the many swings in the score in the decisive game against Benfica were also highlighted by Miguel Queiroz, especially because the center did not hesitate to admit that it was a match in which there was more emotion than rationality on both sides.

“Game 4 was played with a lot of heart by both sides. Benfica was playing for its life and so were we, because we knew we had to close it out at home. For all these reasons, it was a game with too much anxiety. We played a lot with our hearts and not so much with our heads,” confided Miguel Queiroz, admitting that “these kinds of matches are the hardest to play”: “After watching the game more calmly, I’ll understand it better, but what I felt out there was that it was almost everyone wanting to be the hero, trying to solve it somehow. It was very complicated because we felt we had to finish it at home, and on the other side was Benfica giving everything to stay alive.”

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