André Silva: Leaving FC Porto early may have shaped my career | OneFootball

André Silva gave a long interview to this Friday's edition of the newspaper O Jogo, in which he discussed various topics, namely his departure from FC Porto in the summer of 2017, heading to AC Milan for around 38 million euros, when he was only 22 years old.

“The feeling I had was that I left the club quite quickly. Perhaps this may have influenced my entire career by leaving in that way. The club was in a moment that needed it, due to financial difficulties. From this perspective, I say and emphasize that I feel there was something left to do, for what the club means to me, for the speed with which I passed through the first team,” he began by stating.

“It was quite hard for me, a difficult process, I lived the ambition of being on the big stages, feeling the pressure of helping the club I loved. Losing that involvement was painful, especially because of the phase I was going through, for what it meant to be at FC Porto, playing and having an impact. Neither the name of the club nor what I was going to earn alleviated those feelings. I knew what I was leaving behind…,” he continued.

“From FC Porto, that offer to return never came. It didn't come, maybe I could have accepted it, you never know. But there were opportunities to return to Portugal, to the league that made me a player and boosted my career. It happened before Frankfurt and also when I was at Leipzig,” he completed.

“FC Porto? I hope they win that title”

The Portuguese forward was unable to establish himself at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and went through successive loans to Sevilla and Eintracht Frankfurt, the club that signed him permanently in 2020. He later played for Leipzig, Real Sociedad, Werder Bremen, and currently represents Elche.

Still, he maintained contact with the Dragons and praised the management of André Villas-Boas: “They are in a spectacular moment, commendable. After 42 years of presidency of Pinto da Costa, a complicated phase was predictable. It's necessary to give credit and see that this difficulty is being quickly overcome.”

“Everything is going very well, the responsibility is also starting to increase, but I feel there is great control by everyone which leads to what is happening. I hope they win that title, I hope they maintain this level,” added the forward, who is currently 30 years old.

“I identified a lot with Rodrigo Mora”

To conclude, André Silva praised two FC Porto footballers, starting with the young Samu Aghehowa: “He is very young and has a strong presence, you can see it on the field by the respect he commands from defenders. He has a lot of physical power and goal-scoring ability. Football is a whole, it's necessary to create, but it's also always necessary to have someone capable at the front to score, to have that capacity and composure.”

Regarding Rodrigo Mora, the striker stated: “I identified a lot with him, for the path, for the journey he made. I see Mora very favorably, and I root a lot for his success. He has done a great job, he is a can opener in tight spaces. He creates many imbalances, he is one of those who, out of nowhere, creates something.”

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