I went to Arabia and now I’m at a giant like FC Porto, they see I was right | OneFootball

Gabri Veiga, 23 years old, stated that he feels very comfortable at FC Porto and assured that all the choices made in his short career were well thought out – particularly the move from Celta de Vigo, the club where he was trained, to Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia at the age of 19.

After two seasons at that club, the opportunity at FC Porto arose, an almost symbolic return for the Galician player.

In an interview with Radio Marca, the player from Porriño – just 130 kilometers from Invicta – once again defended his decision to go to Arabia before making the leap to FC Porto. Despite initial criticism, he insists he did what he thought was best: «I will never regret it, because at that moment it was the most favorable decision for me. Perhaps not what many people expected, I've said it a thousand times. I never sought to be right, I always sought what was best for me sports-wise and now I have returned to a club like FC Porto, with huge demands and to continue growing as a player, which I believe I did in Arabia. I went with contractual flexibility to decide better later and ended up taking this step in a very big club.»

The under-21 international midfielder signed a five-year contract in June, in a deal valued at 15 million euros. About joining the club he said: «From the first day you enter, you realize the greatness of FC Porto. The expectations, the pressure also of being at a very high level in a very competitive league, and then also in Europe… Well, there are many goals, a lot of desire to win, a whole city behind you. It's a very big club, but I'm not saying anything new, everyone already knows», he explained.

«Here the demand is to win every game. With FC Porto, Benfica, Sporting, SC Braga… It's not so much like in Spain, here there are clubs very close by Guimarães, Barcelos, Braga… Everything is very close, so they are almost derbies as if it were Vigo-Pontevedra. It becomes special because people also live it a lot, the fans travel a lot with us, which helps us a lot. And obviously, it's all very domestic, very competitive and it's something that's very good», he explained. Additionally, he highlighted the ease of adaptation due to the cultural proximity with Galicia.

Avoiding a FC Porto-Celta

Speaking humorously about the club's priorities – the League and the UEFA Europa League – he stated: «If it can be both titles, then both. Obviously, it's very difficult to win any title, but our goal here at FC Porto is to win every game, regardless of the opponents. From there, it will be to win all the titles we can. After a few years without winning the Portuguese League, which has many rivalries, it would be especially good; then projecting the club at a European level would also be very important for the club. But well, we are still in November, let's follow the line we are on, as we can do great things, of course.»

Spain National Team and Portugal as a Favorite in the World Cup

The midfielder was also questioned about the main Spanish national team, which has many midfielders – Gabri hopes for his opportunity and even compared it with Portugal: «We perhaps have the best midfield in the world currently. Like Portugal, there is a huge level, they are playing in big clubs, at great levels, and I still have many steps to take to get there. But of course, obviously, it's a dream. I have to keep working hard. And besides, I am very demanding and I know what I can give and what I have to give», he noted, pointing to Portugal among the favorites for the 2026 World Cup.

Gabri also addressed the rivalry between Portugal and Spain: «Yes, there is a rivalry, we are neighboring countries, but there is always a certain rivalry between Spaniards and Portuguese. Maybe not so much between Galicians and Portuguese, because we get along much better, so maybe the adaptation here has been very good. Here they are very similar to Galicians, the treatment, the way of being, the climate, everything is very similar. We are very comfortable here, maybe that's why so many Spaniards have come recently.»

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