FC Porto held the annual Dragões de Ouro gala on Monday. President André Villas-Boas (pictured) spoke hopefully about the club’s future and said he was happy with the appointment of former Ajax coach Francesco Farioli.
It was no coincidence that André Villas-Boas was in such a positive mood when he addressed those present at the Dragões de Ouro gala.
The new FC Porto president used the stage not only to celebrate another edition of the club’s traditional awards night, but also to outline his vision for the future and to publicly reaffirm his confidence in coach Francesco Farioli and the current project at the Estádio do Dragão.
Villas-Boas reminded everyone that this season has already involved several difficult and courageous decisions at board level. One of the biggest was the choice to hand full technical responsibility to Francesco Farioli, a young coach in terms of age but already with a solid reputation in European football. By appointing him, Porto took a clear step toward a more modern and progressive football identity, while still insisting that the core values of the club would remain untouched.
In his speech, Villas-Boas underlined that Farioli embodies exactly what Porto want to be in the coming years. The Italian coach is seen internally as someone who deeply respects the club’s competitive DNA, built on intensity, ambition and a refusal to back down in decisive moments. At the same time, he brings a contemporary approach to training, methodology and match preparation, with a strong focus on structure, pressing, ball circulation and positional play. This combination of tradition and innovation is what the president believes can move Porto forward without losing what makes the club unique.
Another point that Villas-Boas highlighted was Farioli’s management of the dressing room. At a club like Porto, the atmosphere behind closed doors is often just as important as tactics on the pitch. The squad is made up of experienced internationals, ambitious youngsters and players at different stages of their careers, all of them under heavy pressure to deliver results every week. According to the president, Farioli has shown the personality and emotional intelligence needed to manage all of these profiles, keeping the group united and focused on the collective objective: putting Porto back where the fans feel the club belongs, both domestically and in Europe.
From an investment point of view, Villas-Boas did not hide the scale of the commitment that has been made. He recalled that Porto invested more than one hundred million euros in building a squad that blends experience, youth, talent and character. It is not simply about assembling good footballers. The board deliberately targeted players who understand that at Porto it is never enough just to play well in isolation. The demand is permanent: every player must be willing to fight, to suffer and to represent the club’s values in every duel, every sprint and every decision on the pitch.
The president described the early signals of the season as encouraging. Inside the dressing room there is a strong feeling that the foundations are in place for a team capable of competing until the very end of the season for the positions that Porto consider to be their natural habitat. The coaching staff feel it on the training ground, where the intensity and competitiveness of each session are seen as a reflection of the mentality that is being built. The board feel it in meetings, where short-term pressure has to be balanced with long-term planning. The players feel it in every match, in the way the supporters react and push the team.
For Villas-Boas, the dream of becoming champions is not a slogan used only on special occasions. He insisted that this ambition is present in every training session, every meeting and every strategic decision taken in recent months. It is a dream that only has real meaning because it is shared by everyone at the club: directors, staff, players and supporters. The goal is not simply to win a trophy, but to construct a structure and a culture that allow Porto to compete for titles year after year.
On a night dedicated to recognition and celebration, one name naturally stood out: Rodrigo Mora. The 18-year-old forward, already regarded as one of the brightest prospects of his generation, was named Player of the Year. For such a young player to receive this award in a club with Porto’s history says a lot about the impression he has made in a short space of time.
Mora has become the great symbol of Porto’s commitment to youth development. Last season he delivered ten goals and four assists in 23 matches, an output that would be impressive for a seasoned professional, let alone for a teenager still taking his first steps in senior football. His performances combined efficiency with personality. He showed not only quality in finishing and movement, but also the courage to take responsibility in important moments, something that quickly won over the Dragão crowd.
It is no surprise that his emergence has attracted interest from major European clubs. Paris Saint-Germain is just one of the giants who have closely monitored his performances, seeing in him a player with the potential to become a star at the highest level. For Porto, this interest is both a challenge and a compliment. On one hand, it forces the club to work hard to protect and develop the player within a competitive market. On the other hand, it confirms that the club’s strategy of trusting its academy and young talents is the right path.
In the context of the current project, Mora’s rise fits perfectly with Villas-Boas’s vision. The squad has been assembled to combine experienced leaders with emerging talents who can grow under the guidance of a coach like Farioli. The Italian’s modern ideas are especially suited to players with Mora’s profile, who benefit from structured attacking patterns, coordinated pressing and a clear understanding of their roles with and without the ball.
The Dragões de Ouro gala, therefore, was much more than a simple awards ceremony. It functioned as a snapshot of a club in transition, but a transition that is being managed with purpose and conviction. The presence of a young, forward-thinking coach, a president with a strong connection to Porto’s identity and ambitious young players like Rodrigo Mora offers a coherent narrative: Porto want to compete immediately, but without abandoning the long-term project.
As Villas-Boas spoke to the assembled guests, the message was unmistakable. FC Porto see themselves as a club that must always fight for the top places, play with ambition in European competitions and keep producing talents capable of attracting global attention. The decisions taken in recent months, from the appointment of Farioli to the heavy investment in the squad, are all aligned with that objective. The future will ultimately judge whether this path will bring the trophies that everyone at the Dragão desires, but on gala night the feeling was one of unity, belief and renewed ambition.
