“I’ll always give my all to uphold the Club’s values” | OneFootball

Duarte Cunha renewed his contract with FC Porto until 2031 and described the signing as the continuation of an old dream, born when he arrived at the club as a child. Between the ambition of reaching the first team, the learning process in the B team, and the promise to keep his daily commitment intact, the winger painted a picture of high standards and a strong sense of belonging. At the heart of it all was one simple and direct guarantee: “I will always give my all.”

This is a moment of affirmation and commitment for a young player who speaks of FC Porto as “the Club of my heart” and who approaches every step with a clear target in mind. Growing within the B team, Duarte Cunha appears in this contract extension as someone who does not confuse recognition with complacency: there is gratitude, there is responsibility, and there is one fixed idea running through all his answers — turning promise into arrival.

When speaking about the renewal, the winger made it clear that the now-extended deal carries an emotional weight that goes beyond the paper signed. He spoke like someone looking back without losing sight of what still remains to be achieved.

“Renewing with the Club of my heart is a very special moment. Every time I wear this shirt, I give my all, because that is what this Club has demanded of me since I arrived here at the age of nine,” he said. “Throughout these years, I always dreamed of this moment. By renewing my contract with FC Porto, I am fulfilling another dream.”

More than a celebration, Duarte Cunha sees the renewal as the natural consequence of a long-standing bond and a culture of high standards that he has felt since his earliest years. The tone is emotional, but also one of duty, and that helps explain why the conversation quickly shifts from pride to ambition.

When he addressed his own development, he did so with awareness of the road he has travelled, but without any sign of premature satisfaction. His target therefore emerged without hesitation.

“I think it has been a very good progression. If someone had told me at nine years old that I would get here, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he explained. “I think I have developed very well, but I still want to go further, because I have a goal to fulfil, which is to make my debut for the first team at the Estádio do Dragão.”

That is where his words take on a sharper competitive edge: individual growth only makes sense if it opens the door to the main stage. For Duarte Cunha, developing is not the final destination; it is only the path to a goal shared by so many young players coming through the club.

Asked about the step up to professional football, the player described the change in level naturally and highlighted the competitive impact of the Segunda Liga. Without dramatising the demands, he treated them as a tool for growth.

“They are completely different rhythms and competitions. The Segunda Liga is an extremely competitive league, especially compared to the under-19 championship. I am a much more experienced player and I think the difference in pace and difficulty is very positive,” he analysed. “It is through difficulties that players develop. I have felt very good in the B team and I believe I am improving.”

In these words, there is a clear sense of maturation built on the toughness of the environment. The B team emerges as a real learning space, less protected and more demanding — precisely the kind of ground where a young player finds out whether he is ready to demand more of himself.

That path has already left him with tangible milestones, in his first appearances and first moments of impact. Looking back on those debuts, Duarte Cunha spoke of happiness, always linked to being useful to the team.

“I made my debut against Académico de Viseu and we won that game. I was very happy to have been able to help the team. My first goal was against Torreense, in a match we won 3-0. Above all, I’m very happy.”

Even when revisiting naturally special moments, the winger keeps the narrative centred on the team. It is a subtle detail in his language that reinforces the image of a player who wants to grow within a collective framework before projecting himself individually to higher levels.

In his relationship with the first team, his words reflected active patience: waiting, yes, but always learning. Duarte Cunha showed himself ready to absorb everything around him whenever he moves up a level.

“It is a dream to train with the first team and I hope I can still manage to play. I believe opportunities come with time and with work,” he stressed. “I soak up everything I can in every training session and I try to learn from the more experienced players, who have already gone through all the major competitions, including the Champions League. I try to absorb what they teach me.”

The verb is repeated, and not by chance: to absorb experience, routines, standards, and reference points. In the way he describes himself, Duarte Cunha comes across less as someone waiting for an opportunity and more as a player preparing himself to be ready when it comes.

There was also room to look beyond the club, to the titles won with the national team, without that shifting the focus of the conversation. What could have sounded like a crowning moment was presented instead as an incentive to keep going.

“Everything happened very quickly. First a European Championship, which had already been an incredible achievement, and right after that, a World Cup. It seems surreal, but it’s true,” he acknowledged. “It was very good, but there is still a long road ahead, especially the dream of playing at the Estádio do Dragão.”

Here too, the same logic applies: celebrate, yes, but without losing sight of the greater objective he identifies at FC Porto. The successes he has accumulated serve as fuel, not as a brake, and the Dragão once again appears as the central image of everything he wants to achieve.

When he spoke about the recognition he had received, Duarte Cunha let the emotional impact of that gesture show through. The reference to the club and the president was brief, but enough to reveal the weight of the moment.

“It is always very good to be recognised by the Club and by the president. We were all very happy. I got goosebumps from the lap we took around the Estádio do Dragão.”

The goosebumps he mentions help close the circle between belonging and ambition. The stadium appears not only as the distant symbol of a future dream; it is also a place of emotional confirmation, the kind that helps strengthen the conviction of someone who wants to get there and stay there.

That thread continued when he spoke about the examples he has within the club and the path he intends to follow. The winger focused on daily work and on the players who turned the academy into a bridge to the first team.

“I believe that with work, sacrifice and the love we feel when we train every day at the Club of our heart, it becomes easier. All players have the goal of playing at the Estádio do Dragão,” he summed up. “I look at the players who came through the academy and reached the first team as an example, because that is the path I want to follow.”

There is no mystery in the formula he presents: work, sacrifice and identification with the club. The rest, in his words, seems to depend on consistency and time, two quiet ideas running through the entire conversation.

He used the same tone when delivering his most direct message to the fans, with no fanciful promises and a guarantee of total commitment. The pledge here was made without embellishment.

“They can expect the same Duarte, with the same desire to work, with extra motivation from this contract and with a great sense of responsibility,” he assured. “I can promise all Porto fans that I will always give my all and defend the values of our Club and our city.”

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