Jaime Marta Soares urges tribute for player who left Sporting | OneFootball

Rui Patrício officially ended his sports career at the age of 37. Jaime Marta Soares, former president of the General Assembly of Sporting, closely followed the entire process of the player's departure from Alvalade and does not accept questioning the dedication of the Portuguese international, arguing that he should be honored.

"I was with him at that very difficult moment and I can assure you that Rui Patrício cried like a child out of love for Sporting. People have memories and I know well what he went through in a very complicated moment. Those who know Rui know that he is a gem, a humble, family-oriented guy who deserves the respect of the Sporting fans," the former official told the newspaper 'Record'.

Jaime Marta Soares also explains that, despite the troubled departure after the attack on the Academy, the former player always gave his all for Sporting: "I think if Sporting doesn't do it, it will be an injustice because Rui never did anything to harm the Club. It is the most basic justice to pay him a tribute," he said.

After the news was announced, the green and white Club made a post on their official social media, recalling the goalkeeper's time at Sporting: "He played 467 times with the Lion on his chest, the 2nd player in history to have that responsibility the most. Good luck in this new stage, Rui Patrício." Despite the short message, there were several comments expressing displeasure from the fans (Learn more HERE).

The former 'number 1' of Sporting terminated his contract with the lions after the invasion of the Academy and ended up signing with Wolverhampton, where he stayed for three seasons (2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021), until moving to Roma in 2021/22.

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