Leaves Benfica for FC Porto and admits: “Delighted to join my boyhood 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 badge, her desire to grow under Daniel Chaves, and the goals she already carries into this new chapter. Along the way, she introduced herself without hesitation and made one thing clear: “I’ll give it everything.”

At the start of a new chapter with FC Porto’s women’s football team, Beatriz Carvalho left 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 an act of caution, she admitted her surprise and happiness at reaching this level so early.

“It’s a very good step. I didn’t expect to reach this level so soon, but I’m very confident, very happy, and very grateful they gave me this opportunity.”

The tone reveals someone stepping into this new setting with her eyes wide open, without hiding the size 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, the 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 of my heart, mine and my whole family’s.”

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

“I accepted the invitation because of everything FC Porto has achieved over these two years, and it still has a lot more to achieve going forward.”

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

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, from whom I have a lot to learn, so that 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 to position herself: humble enough to grow and, at the same time, confident enough to claim her space. In that balance between learning and self-assertion, you can sense the mindset with which she wants to enter the dressing room.

When it came to objectives, 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 the message beyond what mattered.

“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 be a champion with FC Porto, of course.”

The reference to her debut shows competitive caution; the mention of the top exposes the hunger of someone who has not arrived just to watch. Her individual and collective goals are closely linked, as is often the case with someone who wants to grow quickly within a bigger project.

There was also room to revisit a defining moment against FC Porto, still from the other side, in the first clássico between FC Porto and Benfica’s women’s teams. The memory blends nerves, fear, and the feeling that she rose to the occasion.

“I remember a lot. At the start I was a bit nervous, after all it was the first clássico 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, and 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 shape the goalkeeper’s competitive profile: someone who acknowledges fear but does not hide from it. And by recalling how difficult FC Porto made that match, she also reinforces the sense of high standards that now surround her from the inside.

In adapting to the new environment, the presence of a familiar face may carry weight. Beatriz Carvalho spoke naturally about Mariana Queirós and highlighted the connection they have already built in the national team.

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

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

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

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

That inheritance 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 them all is definitely my father.”

The picture becomes coherent: the vocation came early, was nurtured at home, and has now reached 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 the time came to describe herself, Beatriz Carvalho summed up her profile with the same straightforwardness 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 fierce on the pitch.”

It is a self-image that fits well with her earlier words: 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 emerged as another central axis of her ambitions. Beatriz Carvalho spoke about what it means to represent Portugal and her desire to reach even higher in that journey.

“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 what it means to be called up, she made the direct link between club performance and international recognition.

“It reflects 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, the message remains coherent: 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’ll give it everything, I’m going to be very happy here, and I hope to achieve many things with FC Porto.”

It is a farewell that closes the circle opened at the beginning: gratitude for the opportunity, complete identification with the club, and the desire to turn enthusiasm into performance. For Beatriz Carvalho, arriving at FC Porto is both the fulfillment of a dream and a starting point.

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