Vítor Pinto on André Villas-Boas tribute: “He took the flak on key calls” | OneFootball

The initiative came from FC Porto’s members and supporters – a tribute to André Villas-Boas. And for Vítor Pinto, deputy editor of Record, it makes perfect sense. Much more than the general public could ever have imagined.

Vítor Pinto is clear: André Villas-Boas was, this season, much more than a president. After Andrés Villas-Boas stepped down from the role of sporting director, it was the president himself who took charge – handling contacts, leading negotiations and completing the circle of involvement in the club’s football operations. With Dr. Tiago Madureira as his right-hand man in management and Henrique Monteiro as a key figure alongside the team on a daily basis, Villas-Boas built a structure that worked – and worked well.

“He took the heat”

The Record journalist has no doubts: Villas-Boas clearly took on many of the costs of preparing for the season, put in place a more complex structure than the one with which he was elected, and played a decisive role in crucial negotiations – including, first and foremost, the trust placed in Francesco Farioli. A decision that proved to be a masterstroke.

For Vítor Pinto, Villas-Boas’s role was enormous – but largely silent, away from the spotlight, behind the scenes where seasons are won before a ball is even kicked.

Above all, Vítor Pinto stresses that opening a cycle of success and victories at FC Porto has always been André Villas-Boas’s dream. And now, in just his second season, that dream is becoming reality – with the league title finally returning to the Dragão.

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