Villas-Boas: “It's Porto's strength that keeps ruffling so many feathers” | OneFootball

In his speech during the Dragões de Ouro ceremony, André Villas-Boas admitted that the 2024/2025 season was marked by difficulties and successes for FC Porto, describing it as a demanding year.

“When we look at the 2024/2025 season, we know it was a tough year. We achieved important victories, launched structural projects, but we did not win the national football title that we all wanted. There were moments of frustration and there were mistakes, and we have no problem admitting that. The most important thing is that the club did not hide, and for that reason, it was not a lost year,” he stated.

During the season, the club won the Super Cup in football, confirmed its status as national champions in roller hockey for the second consecutive year, won the Super Cup and Cup in basketball, and achieved several victories in swimming and adapted sports. For Villas-Boas, these achievements show that “the Porto spirit, competitive and winning, is present on all fronts, honoring the symbol we represent and elevating the name of FC Porto in every sport.”

In football, the club entrusted the team to Francesco Farioli, “a young coach, but with an already solid track record,” who, according to Villas-Boas, represents the balance between the club’s competitive DNA and a contemporary approach to coaching, the game, and locker room management.

With an investment of over 100 million euros, the squad was strengthened with athletes who combine experience and youth. Villas-Boas described the early signs as promising: “The signs given so far are encouraging. We all feel, both in the locker room and outside it, that we have the conditions to fight until the end for the place FC Porto belongs. The dream of becoming champions is present in every training session, every meeting, every decision we make.”

The president also highlighted the historic consolidated net result of €39.2 million, the reduction in operating costs, and the growth in membership – more than 15,000 new members in five months – in addition to the infrastructure projects, such as the Olival High Performance Center and the multi-sport arena planned for Campanhã.

Villas-Boas praised this mobilization: he stated that the strength of the fans – visible in season tickets sold out in record time, packed stands at home and away, and massive traveling support – keeps FC Porto as a troublesome presence for many and ensures that, even in the face of adversity, the club is not alone.

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