Villas-Boas on Rui Costa’s distance: “At Luz, I was in row 6 or 7” | OneFootball

During the tribute to Mateus Mide at the Gaia City Council, André Villas-Boas was asked why he didn't sit next to Rui Costa, to which he responded succinctly.

«When I was elected, I watched the Benfica-FC Porto match from the seventh row of the presidential box at Luz. So we reciprocated with the third row of the presidential box at Dragão. There is no animosity. Currently, there is a divide between the “big” clubs; on some issues, we are at opposite ends. There is not enough respect for us to sit next to each other.»

Without anticipating surprises in this month's market and reaffirming confidence in the squad «as it is», André Villas-Boas discussed the development potential of Mateus Mide, a midfielder highlighted at the Vila Nova de Gaia City Council.

«Portuguese clubs need to rely on youth development; in the main team, we have Diogo Costa, Martim Fernandes, and Rodrigo Mora as examples. A generation that includes Mateus Mide is coming up. FC Porto also needs to support these athletes and provide them with comfort to continue growing, which sometimes happens through contract renewal. It's possible he will renew. We want the five U-17 World Champions to reach the main team in the future.»

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