Ex-Sporting player recalls Alvalade: “I sensed the greatness…” | OneFootball

Diogo Paulo, one of the standout players in the Belenenses squad who has contributed to the good season for the “pastéis” in the Liga 3, spoke to Notícias ao Minuto, discussing his career so far, with a focus on his brief spells at Sporting – where he hopes for a crucial return – during his youth development, and at the most recent League Cup champion, Vitória SC, where he played for the B team, ‘winking’ at a possible return.

“We’re happy. Now we have to finish this regular phase where we have two more games and we want to win them. But yes, we achieved the first goal of the season and we want to keep winning in the championship phase. The ultimate goal is to be champions,” Diogo Paulo began, in an interview with Notícias ao Minuto.

The midfielder, who looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Matic, recalled his youth spells at two of the biggest clubs in Portuguese football, with Sporting being his ‘home’ until the under-13s, while Vitória SC came at a later stage, as he joined to play for the under-19s and reached the B team of the “Vitorianos.”

“They were different experiences... At Sporting I was very young, I already understood the greatness of the club, but without that idea of what the football world was. There’s a regret about how it ended but that’s football, it’s part of the game. I played with great players and of course, at that time, what surprised me the most and made the biggest difference was Félix Correia. He was and still is a star,” he concluded.

“The future? I used to be more about predicting or making plans. Of course I want to reach a higher professional level, but honestly, I’ve learned to live more in the moment, the present. I’ve improved my mentality and I believe in myself a lot, I know I can achieve beautiful things if I keep working well,” he said, before mentioning his desire to return to Vitória SC one day in the future.

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