Mário Santos: “FC Porto are proud to have a player like Cardinal” | OneFootball

Mário Santos highlighted the arrival of Cardinal to captain FC Porto’s newly created futsal team, which will compete in the National Third Division Championship in 2026/27. The sporting director for the club’s other sports focused on the player’s international résumé, his journey of overcoming adversity, and his clear connection to the Club. For Santos, it is “a great source of pride.”

At the start of a new chapter for FC Porto futsal, Mário Santos presents Cardinal as someone capable of bringing to the court a kind of leadership that goes beyond the game. The captain’s name thus emerges as the first sign of a team that FC Porto wants to build in the image of its identity.

Speaking about the signing, the Porto official was direct about the importance he places on this addition. More than just an experienced player, he sees Cardinal as an example shaped by perseverance and by his identification with the city and the badge.

“He is a great player, a great example. He is one of the best players in the history of world futsal and an international athlete, but above all he is a great example of overcoming adversity,” said Mário Santos. “He comes from difficult beginnings, he has come a long way through perseverance, and that is the greatest example he has given and continues to give. It is a great source of pride for FC Porto to be able to count on an athlete like him, who represents so much of what it means to be Porto and what it means to be an FC Porto player. He has always led by example, and that is what we want on and off the court. He has never forgotten his roots, he is proud to be from Porto, and he is a Porto-style player. It is a great joy for us to be able to count on him, on his performances and on his example. It is the first announcement of a team we want to build in the image of our Club, and we want the players to feel this Porto spirit from the very beginning. Cardinal is one of the greatest examples of a futsal player and of a Porto-style player. I hope he has the best of luck here and that he helps us win.”

In Mário Santos’s words, the choice of Cardinal is not limited to what he can add in competitive terms. The captain is presented as a reference point for a group still in the making, one called upon to absorb from the very first moment the spirit that the Club wants to see reflected in the team.

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