José Tavares: “The Dragon’s Den is a special place” | OneFootball

Following the strategic alliance established at the beginning of the year, FC Porto and Coimbra FC Porto have created Elite Dragons – an integrated and multidisciplinary program aimed at the technical, physical, mental, and social development of young footballers from the Minas Gerais club.

On a mission for FC Porto in Brazil, José Tavares visited the Covil do Dragão – the Coimbra Sports training center in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte – attended the first sessions with the new methodology, and was present at the preparatory matches of the Minas Gerais team.

“The Covil do Dragão is a special place. It has its own energy, lots of nature, and talent. We want this talent to develop with the right culture and mentality, and for that to bear fruit both on and off the field. We want to shape players and men, and we want many athletes to move from there to FC Porto, whether they are monitored, analyzed, or signed. It was great to see all the matches, training sessions, and players,” said the academy director after “seeing more than 300 young people enrolled,” “a sign of the recognition and commitment of Coimbra FC Porto in Minas Gerais.”

“We want the best for the selected players and we hope that, in the future, more athletes will be called up. For that, we need them to give their best every day, in every training session and match. This is non-negotiable. We need a lot of dedication and we will provide all the conditions for this with almost daily support,” added José Tavares.

Ricardo Guimarães, representative of Coimbra FC Porto, admitted to feeling “great joy” in working with “one of the biggest clubs in the world” and explained the purpose of the partnership: “These are the first players called up and we hope that others will also reach this level. In Elite Dragons, we will further enhance the skills of each of the athletes.”

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