Joins FC Porto from Benfica, admits: “Delighted to represent my club” | OneFootball

Beatriz Carvalho arrived at FC Porto with her age as a footnote and ambition front and center. The 17-year-old goalkeeper spoke about her emotional bond with the blue-and-white crest, her desire to grow under Daniel Chaves, and the goals she already carries into this new stage. Along the way, she introduced herself without hesitation and assured: “I’m going to give it my all.”

At the start of a new chapter with FC Porto’s women’s football team, Beatriz Carvalho delivered a message of disarming enthusiasm and quiet conviction. Her full name may still be making its debut at this level, but the idea running through her words is simple: gratitude for the opportunity, pride in wearing the club’s colors, and the understanding that this step demands work, learning, and personality.

Asked about the immediate meaning of the move, the young goalkeeper spoke about the leap she has just made and how she received it. Without putting on a show of caution, she admitted her surprise and happiness at reaching this level so early.

“It’s a very good step. I wasn’t expecting to reach this level so early, but I’m very confident, very happy, and very grateful that they’ve given me this opportunity.”

The tone reveals someone stepping into this new context with her eyes wide open, without hiding the magnitude of the moment. More than celebrating her arrival, Beatriz Carvalho immediately focused on the responsibility that comes with it.

When she spoke about her relationship with the club, her answer took on an intimate dimension. It was not just a formal introduction: it was also a declaration of belonging.

“I’m a Porto fan, my whole family supports Porto, and I’m very happy to be able to represent the club that means the most to me and to my whole family.”

The goalkeeper also explained what made her accept the challenge and placed the decision in the wake of the blue-and-white club’s recent growth.

“I accepted the invitation because of everything FC Porto has achieved in these two years, and it still has a lot more to achieve from here on.”

There is a clear mark of emotional identification here, but also confidence in the direction of the project. Beatriz Carvalho arrives with her heart fully committed, without losing sight of the future.

Her age, inevitably, came up in the conversation, and the goalkeeper handled the subject with maturity. Instead of using it as a shield, she presented it as a reason to learn.

“I hope to learn a lot because, at the end of the day, I’m only 17 years old and I’m going to work with people much older than me, people I have a lot to learn from so I can leave here even better than I already am.”

Then, when challenged to explain what she adds to the group, she was direct and objective, like someone who knows competition is also built in the details of training.

“With me, competitiveness in the squad will increase, especially among the goalkeepers.”

It is a mature way of positioning herself: with the humility to grow and, at the same time, with the confidence needed to claim space. In that balance between learning and self-assertion, you can sense the approach she wants to bring into the dressing room.

As for her goals, Beatriz Carvalho did not shy away from the word ambition. She spoke about making her debut, about Liga BPI, and also about the title, without stretching her remarks beyond what mattered most.

“The goal is to make my debut for FC Porto and in Liga BPI. I think that’s a very good goal for someone who is only 17 years old,” she said. “And to become champion with FC Porto, of course.”

The reference to her debut shows competitive caution; the mention of the top spot reveals the hunger of someone who has not arrived merely to watch. The individual and collective goals appear side by side, as often happens with someone who wants to grow quickly within a bigger project.

There was also room to revisit a memorable moment against FC Porto, still from the opposite side, in the first clásico between FC Porto and Benfica’s women’s teams. The memory blends nervousness, fear, and the feeling of having risen to the occasion.

“I remember a lot. At first I was a little nervous, after all it was the first clásico in history between FC Porto and Benfica’s women’s teams,” she recalled. “When they told me I was going to play, I was afraid of what might happen, but I went in and I think I had a good game. I made a lot of saves, especially in the second half, but it was a good match. We didn’t think FC Porto would make things so difficult for us, but they really did.”

The episode helps complete the goalkeeper’s competitive profile: someone who recognizes fear but does not hide from it. And by recalling how difficult FC Porto made that game, she also reinforces the idea of the high demands she will now be experiencing from the inside.

As she adapts to the new environment, the presence of a familiar face could matter. Beatriz Carvalho spoke naturally about Mariana Queirós and highlighted the bond they had already built with the national team.

“I already have someone to talk to. I get on very well with Mariana, and I’m also very happy about that.”

It is a small detail, but rarely an irrelevant one in an integration process. Between the novelty of the setting and the player’s youth, that emotional bridge can help make her entry into the group lighter.

When the conversation turned to the origin of her choice to play in goal, her answer brought her back to the family setting. It is clear that the position was neither an accident nor a passing whim.

“My father was also a goalkeeper, and ever since I was very little I always wanted to be a goalkeeper. I never wanted to play in any other position.”

That heritage reappeared right after, when she was asked about her references between the posts. And even with big names in her answer, the emotional hierarchy was defined without hesitation.

“My father, Diogo Costa, and Rui Patrício. But the biggest of all is definitely my father.”

The picture becomes coherent: the vocation was born early, nurtured at home, and today reaches the highest level at the club she has always felt was hers. There is technical influence, of course, but above all there is a very clear emotional root in this choice.

When it came time to describe herself, Beatriz Carvalho summed up her profile with the same directness with which she approached the rest of the conversation. Without embellishment, she gave her own competitive definition.

“I think I’m a very communicative goalkeeper, one who goes for everything, never gives up, and is very combative on the pitch.”

It is a self-image that fits well with everything she had said before: commitment, courage, and presence. In a position where personality matters as much as technique, the way she presents herself says almost as much as what she promises to do.

The national team also appeared as another central axis of her ambitions. Beatriz Carvalho spoke about what it means to represent Portugal and her desire to reach an even higher level on that path.

“It means a lot. Portugal is my country, and I also want to reach the highest level with the national team. I hope I can achieve many things with the national team, because there is still a lot to achieve.”

Asked about what it means to be called up, she drew a direct link between her performances at club level and international recognition.

“It is a reflection of the work I do at the club, where I show that I’m capable of being in the national team. Playing for Portugal means a lot to me.”

Here too, her message remains consistent: the national team appears as a consequence of daily work and as a horizon for growth. The patriotic feeling is there, but always tied to the idea of merit and development.

In her final message to the fans, the new goalkeeper left the simplest promise and perhaps the most important one. She did not speak of shortcuts, only of commitment and ambition.

“I’m going to give it my all, I’m going to be very happy here, and I hope to achieve many things with FC Porto.”

It is a closing line that completes the circle opened at the beginning: gratitude for the opportunity, full identification with the club, and the desire to turn enthusiasm into performance. For Beatriz Carvalho, arriving at FC Porto is both an openly embraced dream and a starting point.

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