Jan Bednarek: “I was meant to join FC Porto, I’m really happy to be here” | OneFootball

In the preview of the match against Nottingham Forest, related to the third round of the Europa League and scheduled for Thursday, Jan Bednarek spoke to UEFA Magazine about his experience at FC Porto. The 29-year-old Polish defender confessed to being very happy and mentioned that he is trying to learn Portuguese out of "respect" for his teammates and club staff, also commenting on the ambitions of the Dragons for this season.

Linguistic challenge

"I want to learn to speak Portuguese out of respect for my teammates and I am determined to do so for the people and the Club. I already know a very important word, which is 'win'. I am not afraid of making mistakes and that part is even important when you learn a new language. Even if sometimes I might say a word incorrectly, the truth is that I am trying to break this language barrier within the team."

A common goal

"All footballers say that being on the field is much easier, because we just have to try to play good football, but we want to bring FC Porto back to where it belongs, which is precisely at the top."

Experienced presence

"When the team is struggling and needs more control, I feel capable of relaxing and assessing what is happening around me so I can help the younger players."

Key element in the locker room

"We have a very young team and I believe that the younger ones need to have someone in the locker room they can look up to as a reference and who guides, cheers, and supports them in more complicated situations. I try to contribute to the team's mentality on the field."

European nights

"They are a great challenge, but they have been very exciting at the same time. Sometimes I think about what it will be like in the future and the future seems very good to me. It's spectacular to have the opportunity to compete on European nights at 29 years old."

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