Striker who sank Porto with Arouca admits Sporting interest | OneFootball

Cristo González had a great season at Arouca, scored twice against Porto, and was close to joining Sporting.

Sporting tried to sign Cristo González from Arouca. The forward shone for the Beirões - scoring goals in the draw (1-1) and victory (3-2) against Porto - lavishing praise on the Lions while playing in Portugal. Now in Qatar, the Spaniard explained the reasons why he didn't join the squad then led by Ruben Amorim.

"I was waiting for Sporting, but they needed a player to leave for me to join. I really liked that option, but it didn't materialize. The market closed in Europe, but it was open in Qatar, and Al Sadd had also been following me throughout the summer. It all happened very quickly," he said to Marca newspaper.

Before heading to Qatar, Cristo informed his close circle: "I talked to my family and told them that this opportunity had arisen and that I planned to take it. Besides having my life sorted out, it's a competitive league and another market to showcase yourself, which is also nice."

"It's the year I remember most fondly. I joined a club I didn't want to, because it was a team with little name, but if I hadn't gone, I don't know what would have happened. I arrived and was welcomed phenomenally. It was a very family-oriented club, without pressure, and that's what I needed," he explained about his time at Arouca.

This season, wearing the Umm Salal jersey, on loan from Al Sadd, Cristo González - valued at 5 million euros - played a total of 419 minutes in seven games, scoring two goals. In 2023/24, for Arouca, the Spanish forward scored 18 times in 42 matches and also assisted his teammates on 10 occasions.

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