Matheus Uribe leaves FC Porto. “Goes out and has a fantastic contract [à sua espera] in Saudi Arabia. We have known for a long time that there would be no possibility of keeping it, because these are numbers that Portuguese football does not support. I feel sorry. He’s a great player,” said Pinto da Costa, on the sidelines of winning the 19th Portuguese Cup against Sp. Braga (2-0).
The 32-year-old midfielder has scored 15 goals and six assists in 176 appearances for Porto over the past four seasons, winning two I Liga titles, three Portuguese Cups, two Cândido de Oliveira Super Cups and an FA Cup. Turns on.
Hired in the summer of 2019 from the Mexican side of America, in a deal worth 9.5 million euros, Uribe repeats the steps of the once influential Yacine Brahimi, Héctor Herrera, Vincent Aboubakar, Moussa Marega and Chancel Mbemba, who the national runners left -up at the end of the contract over the years without generating a profit.
Will he be the only one leaving? “Diogo Costa, Pepe, Otávio, Toni Martínez, Marcano… They are all being talked about. There is talk of 28 players leaving. It’s easy to leave someone who has a release clause, as long as they pay it. Let’s let’s see first find out who is leaving. If they have a clause, we cannot guarantee that this or that one will stay. After we see who is leaving, we will have to reassemble the squad,” the Porto president mocked in statements to RTP, still at the National Stadium, in Oeiras.
Asked about the possible departure of coach Sérgio Conceição, who has a contract until June 2024, Pinto da Costa assumed that “this is not even a topic”: “He will talk to me, as always. He can even talk to me today talk, but he already knows what future, just like me. I have a commitment to do another year at FC Porto and I will keep it, and so will he. What is the question? I know he will continue because he has a contract. There’s no point in asking someone with a contract to honor it. Sérgio Conceição is a good person and keeps his promises. Alleged interest from European nominated clubs? Sharks walk in the sea and Sérgio Conceição is not a sailor.”
FC Porto won the Portuguese Cup for the 19th time and second in a row by Sp. Braga, benefiting from an own goal from André Horta (53 minutes) and a goal from Otávio (81), in an acceptable result for the president of blue and white: “I still have not found anyone who said the opposite. We have many opportunities had. The goalkeeper of Sp. Braga [Matheus] did an excellent performance and our [Cláudio Ramos] he had no opportunity to show off his worth. This is the true spirit of the dragon. Even with 10 players it didn’t feel like we were one less. We scored one more goal and kept controlling the game.”
In a season that failed to extend the title of national champions, after finishing the I Liga in second place, with 85 points, two behind Benfica, FC Porto added the Portuguese Cup to the 23rd Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup and the unprecedented win the League Cup.
“It was a good time, but not brilliant. Winning three out of four titles… you can’t say it’s a bad season, but it’s not exceptional. Then we conquered everything. We always want to win everything and, not win everything, it is never exceptional. There are others who have not won anything and think they had a good season,” added Pinto da Costa.
Source: DN
