Mateus Mide: Vitinha’s advice and ambition to shine at FC Porto | OneFootball

After the European Championship and the World Cup, is this stage the only one left to conquer (interview at Dragão)? “Without a doubt. It's something I've thought about since I was a child: making my debut on this stage, in front of all the fans. I work every day to achieve this goal.”

Do you want to go in and play? “Yes.”

Did arriving after the World Cup with titles change anything? “It changed my way of thinking; I feel a greater responsibility, knowing that I achieved that feat, but the mentality always remains the same. In the European Championship, the moment that marked me the most was the penalties against Italy, because we felt we were going to win and no one could stop us.”

And in the World Cup? “As many mentioned, the talk before the game with Belgium, but I also felt the penalties in the match with Brazil a lot. There was a moment when we all felt some pressure, but then everything passed. For me, that was the most remarkable moment. We were very happy to be invited to be received at the stadium, but it was difficult when I had to take the microphone; I felt the pressure of knowing there were 40,000 people listening to me. I always went in with the intention of helping, and even those who didn't start any game knew it was to come in and contribute, thinking about the collective.”

You made your debut with the B team and have already scored. How do you view this opportunity? “I'm representing the B team and I see this opportunity as the opportunity of the moment. I know I'm doing very well, but I also know that I need to work hard every day to continue.”

Did the European Championship and World Cup help? “They helped a lot; I can't say otherwise. They give motivation and confidence from the club in us.”

The best of the World Cup, what do you feel? “I remember everything we went through, me and the group, everything we had to do to achieve this conquest. For me, it was the greatest achievement, but I know everyone was very happy.”

Did you see Vitinha play here (at Dragão)? “I saw him a few times, but I saw a lot…”

You were often associated with Vitinha, because of the style... Do you agree that you have similarities? “I agree, because of the way we play. We have a very similar style. When I returned from the World Cup, I was having dinner with my agent, who called Vitinha and handed me the phone. I had no reaction, but then the conversation flowed and we talked about ourselves. He told me what I need to do for the future and not to think that everything is already done, because I have to continue.”

Do you keep an eye on the A team, train with the main team, is it a dream? How was the first training session? “I remember, during the training camp in the Algarve, at the beginning of January, and I realized that the difficulty was going to increase. But I faced the challenge very well, although with much greater demands.”

How did you approach it, what was your attitude? “I arrived with respect; we have to respect what they do, they are A team players, but I was very well received. I had to go through the initiation, introduce myself, sing a song and, to be funny, I spoke Italian to the coach. I earned some points…”

How did you see Farioli's compliments? “I saw that he talked about me, that I have a lot of quality, but that I need to improve a lot of things. I will continue to train every day to perfect the smallest possible detail.”

How was the reception in the A team? Do you have a connection with any player? “I felt that with many players, but especially with Mora, with whom I already shared the locker room, and with Deniz Gul, who welcomes the younger ones very well; he is very cool. But everyone received me very well, both the nationals and the foreigners.”

And Farioli? “I had to speak Italian (smile). It was a very good reception; he gave instructions for training and also outside of it.”

How do you look at the future? “Knowing that I'm in the B team, my goal is to continue playing at the highest level for FC Porto and, one day, to be able to make my debut here. It gives me chills to be here, but it gave me even more chills when I had to speak; I won't forget that. 2025 will be a remarkable year, very important for me and my family.”

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