Title goal scorer Fernando Andrade reviewed Porto’s season and some episodes of his career, especially after he arrived in Portugal. The striker began by recalling a serious injury sustained at Al Fayh and being kicked by Saudi Arabia.
“I had a very serious injury, the anterior cruciate ligament. Everything was very fast in Arabia, I was there for three days and got injured. Then they kicked me out of there, they didn’t support me in anything. I came back here, had surgery and went through all the treatment at Porto. It was 5 stars, they helped me a lot,” he began by participating in the WibCast podcast.
Despite a knee injury, the Brazilian recovered almost in record time and managed to take part in the last league match against Estoril.
“Initially, the doctor told me that it would take me 12 months to play again. In the NBA, for example, players are released to play only after 12 months of recovery. At 8 months I still felt pain that was bearable but did not go away. All the colleagues with whom I spoke and who already had this injury returned to training only after 10 months, after six I was already training, ”he recalled.
“Every day for the first six months, I was from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm in Olival. Always! I gave up a lot. I excluded the negativity from the whole process, I knew that in January the transfer window would open, I could get a club or register at Porto. There was a lot of work. The truth is that I was part of the group from the very beginning, I was only out for 10 days, I spent the whole pre-season… I feel like I’m part of the group and the registration was a very good recognition from the lord. . This is a phenomenal group,” he added.
Fernando Andrade also took the opportunity to talk about Benfica’s interest and how he knew he could sign for Porto.
“When I was at Santa Clara, Benfica made an offer with Porto. I had to decide. I have always wanted to play for Porto ever since I came to Portugal. I played for Oriental, and then, when I moved to Penafiel, I went to Porto all weekend and even watched the matches at Dragao. That’s when I started to identify with the club,” he said.
“We played against Porto and I switched shirts with Felipe. Mike had to be washed there at the club and she was always put in with us, but when I got back to training, she wasn’t there. They told me to go ask Diogo [Boa-Alma, à data diretor-desportivo do Santa Clara] who showed me the jersey, asked me if I liked it and said that I am 99 per cent playing at Porto. I replied: “Why not 100?”. I can’t explain how I felt that day,” he added.
Finally, Fernando Andrade admitted that he does not see himself in any other club than Porto and chose Zaida as the funniest of the entire Porto team.
“There is one character, Zaidu. He is very funny, speaks a little Portuguese, but in this innocence of his … Everything he does is funny, it’s a phenomenon, ”he concluded.
It is recalled that the 29-year-old player has a contract with the Blue and White until 2023.