Gabri Veiga wins Antonio Palacios award, ends season on high at Porto | OneFootball

Gabri Veiga’s arrival at FC Porto, on the eve of the Club World Cup and at a time when the blue-and-white universe was still absorbing the frustration of a season below expectations, helped restore some morale among the ranks. Even so, that enthusiasm quickly faded. The Spanish midfielder did not escape the wave of mistrust generated by the Dragons’ failure in the competition, becoming an early target of criticism from the fans.

However, the 180-degree turnaround that André Villas-Boas and Francesco Farioli began last summer ended up paying off, both collectively, with the conquest of the national title, and individually.

Gabri finished his first full season in Porto as one of the team’s most influential players and, yesterday, was honored in his hometown with the Antonio Palacios Sports Award. At a gala held in Porriño, the 24-year-old Galician midfielder received a particularly special distinction, awarded by his fellow locals, for being nowadays one of the municipality’s and the region’s greatest ambassadors internationally, serving as an example for the younger generations of the town where he was born.

As he is on his honeymoon, the player was represented by his parents and the rest of his family, and sent a video thanking the organizers. On another occasion, he will attend City Hall.

Named after a well-known architect from Porriño, the Antonio Palacios Award covers various areas of society. In Sports, it was awarded in 2025 to Claudio Giráldez, current coach of Celta de Vigo, the club where, interestingly, Gabri Veiga shone before moving to Saudi Arabia, where he played for Al Ahli.

“Gabri is an example of discipline, commitment and dedication. He proudly elevates the name of Galicia and his hometown, helping to promote the values of sport,” emphasized Alejandro Lorenzo, mayor of Porriño, regarding the distinction awarded to the FC Porto player. Gabri ended last season with six goals and 12 assists – only Samu had more direct goal contributions.

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