Paulo Teixeira: Few can match Pinto da Costa’s success | OneFootball

Paulo Teixeira is currently a member of FC Porto’s Superior Council and was for many years vice-president to Pinto da Costa in the club’s management. On the first anniversary of the passing of the historic Porto leader, the former mayor recalls his legacy and states that it will be difficult for anyone to match such an extensive record of achievements.

“It is a landmark year for FC Porto, because it saw the departure of the most decorated president in the world, the one who brought the most joy to FC Porto’s members. He was one of those people we thought was immortal. It will be hard for anyone in Portuguese sports—let alone at FC Porto—to reach the level of success he achieved,” emphasized Paulo Teixeira, in statements to the newspaper Record, confident that Porto fans will soon return to the path of success.

“In 2024, FC Porto went through a transition phase. Everyone knew that the day president Pinto da Costa ceased to be the leader of this great club, things could and would be different, because we are talking about someone who has no comparison—there is no one else who has been at the helm of a club for over 40 years. We knew things would be different, there would always be a transition phase, and we hope that in the short or medium term FC Porto will resume its success in football and then in other sports. But there is always an adaptation phase, a new board came in, a new administration,” recalled the member of FC Porto’s Superior Council.

Regarding the recent accusations from Sporting, who compared the leadership of André Villas-Boas to the days of Pinto da Costa, Paulo Teixeira considered them inappropriate.

“Speaking about someone who is no longer here is just too much; it shows a lack of civility and education that I would not expect from someone who mentioned the name of Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa. We have had big clubs visit FC Porto, smaller clubs as well, and no one ever complained about the photos or the air conditioning. I have visited the FC Porto Museum more than three times, including the visit to the opponent’s locker room at the Dragão, and I have always seen things change for the better, because it is a dynamic space. FC Porto has a history, and the museum’s walls are not enough to convey FC Porto’s global story—there is no club in Portugal that has achieved as much nationally and internationally as FC Porto. The walls also serve to illustrate what the media publishes. What is in the museum carries over to the corridors, to the locker room walls. In the stadium itself, there is a phrase that says ‘Winning since 1893.’ It’s a ‘fait-divers’ for those who would like to be leading the league right now, but are not, and I hope they never will be,” concluded the former Porto vice-president.

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