Sporting player says goodbye after 192 games: I achieved everything | OneFootball

Ricardo Esgaio was presented this Monday, September 1st, as a new signing for Turkish club Karagumruk, on a contract valid for two seasons. The right-back thus leaves Sporting, but left an emotional message to the green and white supporters.

"I tried to give my all for the Club. I am proud. I managed to win everything there was to win with Sporting. I had a goal: not just the trophies we won, which are important, but to become national champion with Sporting. I managed to do it twice and obviously I am very proud of my journey here. The titles are always memorable, but when I made my debut for Sporting, that is another memory I have in my mind. It wasn’t the Sporting of today. It was even harder to reach the first team, but it’s a memory that stays with me," the player began by saying in statements to Sporting TV.

The full-back says he is an "example": "I have to be proud, because it wasn’t an easy journey. I arrived at the Academy when I was 13, I came alone to live at the Academy, we know that at that age it’s not easy and at the time Mr. Aurélio Pereira helped me a lot. Fortunately, with many things he told me, I managed to stay, continue with it, and I managed to reach Sporting’s first team. You can look at me as an example, that I always tried to help the club and help my teammates".

The footballer left a message to coach Rui Borges and the rest of the squad: "I wish you the best of luck in the world, obviously. May you continue to give your best, because if you give your best, you will achieve the goals you want. And never lose focus on the task and the work. Because that way you will reach the highest level. It is my pride to see Sporting the way it has grown. To see how it has evolved, how it can go head-to-head with any team and goes into every game to win. That is the most important thing for me and for us players," he concluded.

Ricardo Esgaio - valued at 1.5 million euros - ends a 17-year connection with Sporting. The ‘number 47’ played a total of 192 matches for the Lions’ first team, where his two goals and 18 assists contributed to winning two Leagues, two Portuguese Cups, two Super Cups, and one League Cup.

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