Official! Midfielder signs for Sporting and speaks about... | OneFootball

Official: Francisco Simões, a 16-year-old midfielder from the Lions who plays for the club’s Under-17 team, signed his first professional contract with Sporting this Thursday. The young player, who began his football career at Taboeiro, in the Aveiro FA, before joining Sporting’s Aveiro hub and arriving at the Academy at the age of 12, said he was proud of himself for reaching this new milestone.

"I’ve always been very happy here and I want to thank Sporting for welcoming me so well. It’s a source of pride to sign for Sporting, a club that has taken me in since I was very young. I work every day for this, so that this moment could come, and I have to thank everyone," he began, speaking to the club’s media channels.

The young player from the green-and-white U17 side also did not forget João Simões, pointing to him as a reference in the first team. "The Sporting player I look up to is João Simões. I have him as a reference because he was also a resident at the Academy. I spent some time with him here at the Academy, and now he is at the highest level. He is a source of pride for Sporting and for me, and he is a role model who helps me in every way as I dream of reaching the highest level," he said.

In addition, Francisco Simões did not hide his ambitions and his dream of one day playing for the Lions’ first team. "My biggest dream with Sporting is to win a national championship; I think it is a very important title for me and for Sporting. At international level, it is to win a title for Portugal. It’s my country and it would also be a source of pride to win a title for the national team," he said, also taking the chance, of course, to leave a message for Sporting supporters. "Keep supporting our club, we are one big family, we are always united, together, and we must keep it that way, because Sporting is a great club and we are going to win much more", concluded the 16-year-old midfielder.

This season, playing for the Under-17 team, Francisco Simões has made 22 appearances in a Sporting shirt, recording one goal and one assist. The U17s are second in the Championship Qualification Phase with 17 points from nine matches played. On matchday 10, Sporting travel to Braga, in a game scheduled for April 19 at 11:00 a.m.

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