Duarte Cunha living “a dream that’s becoming reality” | OneFootball

At FC Porto’s pre-season training camp in England, João Teixeira and Duarte Cunha are among the youngsters called up to work under the watchful eye of Francesco Farioli. The midfielder and the winger describe a senior squad open to bringing academy players in, but also a setting of maximum demands, in line with the message left by André Villas-Boas at the start of training. João Teixeira summed up the mindset in place and assured: “everything we do is to win and give our all.”

At St. George’s Park, pre-season is also serving as a stage for different generations to come together. João Teixeira and Duarte Cunha, both products of the academy, are closely experiencing an opportunity that reflects the responsibility given to the more experienced players: helping the younger ones grow without lowering the competitive bar.

Asked about living and working with the senior squad, João Teixeira highlighted his teammates’ openness and the culture he has found at the training camp. In his words, integration is not limited to adaptation: it carries a clear idea of ambition.

“The players are also easygoing with us, they always try to help us and adapt us in the best way. The mentality they try to instill in us is that everything we do is to win and give our all.”

The midfielder’s view matches the message André Villas-Boas gave the group on the first day of pre-season. For the FC Porto president, the senior players have a decisive role in shaping the path of the youngsters.

“The senior players have a role to play with the academy. They must help these kids grow, help integrate them, because they are the future of our club and each of you has a greater responsibility in that journey,” the president told the group at the start of pre-season.

Alongside João Teixeira and Duarte Cunha, João Afonso, Granaas, Gonçalo Ribeiro, Gabriel Brás, Luís Gomes, Yoan Pereira, Tiago Silva, Mide, André Miranda and Eduardo Ferreira are also doing pre-season with the first team. The training camp therefore brings together new signings and young players in an environment where every session can count as a response to the demands set by the club structure.

Duarte Cunha reinforced that idea when speaking about the benefits of working daily with more experienced players. The winger pointed to learning as one of the clearest hallmarks of being with the group.

“We youngsters, by being here with this very strong group of players, learn much more.”

For the young players, contact with the first team is an opportunity for growth within a more intense environment. And that intensity is also the ground on which João Teixeira is trying to show he is ready.

A 20-year-old midfielder, João Teixeira had FC Porto B as his main competitive stage in 2025/26 and also became under-19 champion. Now, at the training camp led by Francesco Farioli, he sees physical preparation as one of the foundations for making the most of the opportunity.

“When the demands are high, as they are in the first team, we are always prepared for whatever may happen during the season. The training sessions we had at the start helped us a lot to arrive here with good physical condition,” he assured.

The midfielder is sharing the experience with other teammates from the B team and is approaching the step up without getting carried away. The demands are greater, but that is precisely where he finds the measure of the preparation required.

Duarte Cunha, an 18-year-old winger, arrives at the training camp after becoming under-19 champion in 2025/26 and taking part in a dozen games for the B team. For the youngster, the call-up to the first team makes real an ambition that had been growing throughout the season.

“Being here with the first team is a dream that is starting to become reality,” he said.

The winger acknowledged that the difference in context is huge, but stressed that he saw the toughness of the work as a natural part of the challenge. Confidence in the path he has taken and in the support of the coaching staff comes through in his words.

“Throughout the year I kept believing it was possible to be here in pre-season. I knew it was going to be very tough, but I also knew I would be ready,” he said. “The manager also helps a lot, the whole coaching staff helps a lot. And being in this context, which is the highest-level context in Portugal, we always end up benefiting greatly, both physically and mentally.”

Between the ambition of those arriving and the responsibility of those welcoming them, FC Porto’s pre-season is sending a consistent message: academy players are being called on to grow alongside the more experienced ones, but with no shortcuts when it comes to the demands involved.

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