Premier League midfielder came through at Sporting: Benfica wanted me too | OneFootball

Dário Essugo explained that, while still very young, he received offers from both Benfica and Sporting, ultimately choosing the Alvalade club because of the project presented to him. The Chelsea midfielder recalled that decision-making moment and the whole family context involved.

“I was 10 years old when I signed for Sporting. It was very good, but I didn’t think too much about it, because Benfica also wanted me. Sporting presented a very good project to me and my family, for us to go there, so I chose them. It was very close to home, but my parents worked, and I needed someone to take me to training,” he told the English club’s official platforms.

The 21-year-old player also added more details about the support he received at the start of his development: “At first, Sporting would pick me up from school to take me to training, but later, sometimes, my family had to leave work a little earlier to pick me up. My family was a huge support. That is the most important thing. If you have someone who believes in you, that is very important. If I hadn’t had my mother or father to pick me up from training, maybe I wouldn’t have gone out at all.”

The Portugal Under-21 international - who was on Liverpool’s radar - ended with a more general message about his development and mentality in football: “If you are not yourselves, or if you try to be someone else, you will not get anywhere. So, be yourselves, listen to your mind, to what you feel and what you want. Keep working, keep pushing, and never give up, because life changes very quickly, so you never know.”

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