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

After the European Championship and the World Cup, is this the only stage 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 that goal.”

Do you want to get 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 my mentality always remains the same. In the European Championship, the moment that marked me the most was the penalty shootout 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 team talk before the game against Belgium, but I also really felt the penalty shootout in the match against Brazil. There was a moment when we all felt some pressure, but then it all passed. For me, that was the most striking moment. We were very happy to be invited to be welcomed at the stadium, but it was tough 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 to help, and even those who didn’t start any games knew they were there to come in and contribute, thinking about the team.”

You debuted with the B team and already scored. How do you see this opportunity? “I’m representing the B team and I see this as the opportunity of the moment. I know I’m doing very well, but I also know I need to work hard, every day, to keep going.”

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

The best thing about 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 victory. 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’ve often been compared to Vitinha, because of your style… Do you agree that you have similarities? “I agree, because of the way we play. We have a very similar style. When I came back from the World Cup, I was having dinner with my agent, who called Vitinha and handed me the phone. I didn’t react at first, 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 keep going.”

You keep an eye on the A team, you train with the first team, it’s 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 the difficulty was going to increase. But I faced the challenge very well, although with much higher 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, trying to be funny, I spoke Italian to the coach. I earned a few points…”

How did you see Farioli’s praise? “I saw that he spoke about me, that I have a lot of quality, but that I need to improve many things. I will keep training every day to perfect even the smallest 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’ve already shared the locker room, and with Deniz Gul, who welcomes the younger ones very well; he’s really cool. But everyone welcomed me very well, both the Portuguese and the foreign players.”

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

How do you see the future? “Knowing that I’m in the B team, my goal is to keep 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 is going to 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.