Carlo Di Benedetto on Porto's Champions League: “We were hopeless…” | OneFootball

“They said we couldn’t play hockey at all. They said we were old. They said we were finished. They said that with these players it wasn’t possible. They said we had grown complacent. They say we are European champions,” wrote Carlo Di Benedetto in an Instagram story after winning the roller hockey Champions League with FC Porto.

Celebrations with a few messages mixed in

Porto’s core group, euphoric after the European title, made sure to recall the criticism they had faced

“This team always rises from the ashes and you should never write us off,” said Gonçalo Alves. “We had a very difficult start to the season and a lot of people didn’t believe in us,” said Rafa. “We went through a very difficult year, with a lot of criticism,” stressed Xavi Malián. In short, three of FC Porto’s most experienced players used the celebrations of the win over Barcelona, and of lifting the Champions League, to brush aside some of the criticism they had been hearing.

“I’m not going to swear, but this team goes beyond itself,” insisted captain Alves, aware that FC Porto “has the ability to always compete at the highest level.” “This club knows what it takes to win this title,” Rafa recalled, also noting that “two months after the start of the season, many people didn’t believe in us.” “This team is special and, when there is so much quality and such a human group, the outcome comes more easily,” he added.

European champion for the first time, “after five lost finals,” Hélder Nunes did not want to “lose the sixth” and admitted he was living a childhood dream. “When I started playing, I saw my idols becoming champions and I wanted to be one of them,” he made clear.

With a fourth Champions League secured, FC Porto now turns its attention to the playoff that will decide the title in the Placard Championship. And while coach Paulo Freitas warns of the need to “get back to work and recover,” the players do not hide their desire to “grab a third straight title.”

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