Wilson Manafá on FC Porto: “It was the peak of my career” | OneFootball

Wilson Manafá gave an interview to the newspaper A Bola, in which he addressed several topics. Among them, the 31-year-old right-back, who currently plays in China for Shanghai Shenhua, recalled his spell at FC Porto, starting with the transfer from Portimonense.

“Things were going really well at Portimonense. People were already talking about Olympiakos being interested and all that. But Jadson, the centre-back who played with me, kept saying I was going to FC Porto. I had no idea about anything, though. Then, in the game against Benfica, António Folha came up to me and said: ‘At this rate, it’ll be hard to keep you here.’ News started coming out saying FC Porto were interested, and my agent at the time confirmed it to me. I even spoke to Sérgio Conceição. It came out of nowhere. I was at home, I spoke to my wife, Jéssica, and said: ‘I have the opportunity to go to FC Porto.’ She immediately started imagining all sorts of things, as if I were going to the other side of the world [laughs]. But everything went well, she came with me to Porto and really liked it,” said Manafá.

“It was a childhood dream. I always wanted to play for a big club and in the top flight. When that opportunity came up, it was a dream come true. Then the titles came too, which was great, but when I arrived at FC Porto, that was the peak of my career,” added Manafá, who then spoke about adapting to the Dragão:

“At first it’s always complicated. Going from Portimonense to an FC Porto where you’re expected to win every game is always difficult. A lot of criticism, a lot of people talking, which is normal. That half-season when I arrived, and the start of the following year, were a bit complicated, but then I started adapting to the demands and the way the club worked, and it became much easier.”

Wilson Manafá was asked which player impressed him most at FC Porto, and he answered like this:

“Corona was top class. In every aspect — dribbling, passing, control — he really was top class. And as it happens, he was one of the guys I got on with best there. Me, Otávio, Tiquinho, and Danilo too, he’s a really nice guy. I could talk about practically the whole dressing room because I’m someone who gets on with everyone, and the group was fantastic. Maxi, even Iker, Pepe, Zaidu, Fábio Cardoso...”

Wilson Manafá also spoke about the impact of Sérgio Conceição on his career:

“It was good, because he gave me a different view of football and made me more demanding. Now I’ve got this thing where I hate losing and get really upset — not like him, nowhere near like him [laughs] — but I do get upset. He did me a lot of good, helped me improve and believe in myself more.”

Wilson Manafá also commented on the season FC Porto are having:

“FC Porto have been very good, always very consistent since the start of the league, always getting good results. I’m happy about that. I always try to watch the highlights the next day, but it’s not the same as watching the match live. Still, I always try to follow FC Porto, and I think this year they’ve surprised everyone,” he said, before speaking about the impact of Francesco Farioli.

“Exactly, also because of the previous year, because of all the chaos, with the group going through so many ups and downs. I thought it would take FC Porto a bit longer to get organised again, with the change of president and the restructuring as well. But FC Porto have done very well.”

Wilson Manafá was also asked about the possibility of returning to Europe and Portugal:

“To Portugal, maybe further down the line. I’m 32 years old and I still don’t feel that now is the time to come back. But it could happen, I don’t know what the future holds.”

“I’d like to play for Portimonense, but right now that’s a bit complicated. Obviously FC Porto are the club I like most in the league, but I know it’s very difficult to go back,” continued Manafá, who has been with the Chinese club for three years.

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