Category Archives: Liga Sagres

Portugal’s Primeira Liga: 2014/15 Team of the Season

  By O-Posts Team | June 6, 2024 - 14:05 | , , , , , ,
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Over the course of the Portuguese football season you are guaranteed an abundance of sublime quality, along with the odd forgettable match and a considerable dose of controversy.

Here we dwell on the first of the three aspects from a 2014/15 season that provided no shortage of memorable moments. Portuguese football expert Tom Kundert picks his Primeira Liga team of the season.

 

Team of the Season Formation and Line-up (4-3-3)

 

GK: Matheus (Braga)

A newcomer to Portugal, the 22-year-old Brazilian wasted no time in making a positive impact. Big, strong, brave and with excellent reactions, Braga have a big talent on their hands.

 

RB: Maxi Pereira (Benfica)

The tireless Uruguayan right-back again proved a key component in Benfica’s defensive and attacking game. He was directly involved in 13 goals in 32 league matches (5 goals, 8 assists) for the champions – incredible stats for a right-back – even more so considering he also fulfilled his defensive duties with distinction.

 

LB: Tiago Pinto (Rio Ave)

Tiago Pinto began his career as a left-sided midfielder but it was upon being moved to left-back that he is finally making a name for himself as a high-quality player in his own right rather than being known as the son of ex Benfica, Sporting and Portugal striker João Pinto. Although 27 years old, his tenacious defending while providing solid support when venturing forward may yet earn him international caps.

 

CB: Luisão (Benfica)

The Benfica captain is like a fine bottle of red wine – he just gets better and better with age. The beanpole centre-back led his defence masterfully and upon winning his fourth Primeira Liga championship, Luisão became the non-Portuguese player with the most Liga titles ever won at Benfica. Richly deserved.

 

CB: João Afonso (Vitória Guimarães)

Cash-strapped Vitória Guimarães have done an incredible job putting together competitive teams in recent years despite having to rely on their youth ranks and scouring the lower leagues. João Afonso is an example of the latter.

Having been plucked from Portuguese third tier club Sport Benfica e Castelo Branco, the northerners seem to have hit gold again, Afonso seamlessly adapting to top-flight football with a series of classy and powerful displays at the heart of the defence.

 

MD: Danilo Pereira (Marítimo)

Rock solid defensive midfielder Danilo Pereira has been tipped for a big future ever since being part of the Portugal side that finished runners-up at the U20 World Cup held in Colombia in 2011.

Spells abroad in Italy, Greece and Holland followed, but it was this season that he truly “exploded” onto the scene, exuding strength, mobility and intelligence in the holding midfielder role, and earning his debut for the senior Portugal side. No wonder big clubs at home and abroad are said to be queuing up to sign him.

 

MD: Nicolas Gaitán (Benfica)

Quite simply the best creative midfielder in Portugal over the past three seasons at least. Nico Gaitán again spread his particular brand of Argentine magic and was often the key to finding a way past the many teams who inevitably chose to park the bus when facing Benfica.

 

MD: Óliver Torres (Porto)

The Spaniard interpreted Porto’s newly implemented possession game to perfection, showing remarkable ability to retain the ball even in the most congested of midfields and with time at a premium, always choosing the right moment to play a simple accurate pass or an incisive throughball, as well as being a potent goal threat.

Porto are desperate to try and extend his loan period from Atletico Madrid.

 

FW: Marco Matias (Nacional da Madeira)

The top Portuguese goalscorer in the Primeira Liga with 17 goals in 33 games, the 26-year-old enjoyed a wonderful season. Direct and single-minded, Matias was a terror on the loose for any defence to deal with – most couldn’t stop him.

 

FW: Jackson Martínez (Porto)

The Colombian striker finished top scorer in Portugal for the third straight season, and this year also thrived in Europe, netting 8 times in 10 Champions League games. The perfect combination of power, guile and efficient movement, Jackson is at the very top of his game and a move to a giant from one of Europe’s major leagues surely awaits him this summer.

 

FW: Jonas (Benfica)

Picked up on a free transfer after he was released by Valencia, the silky-skilled Brazilian striker exceeded all expectations. Scored goals galore (30 in 34 appearances), but his superb link-up play was just as important in propelling Benfica to their championship triumph.

 

Coach of the season: Jorge Jesus (Benfica)

Guided Benfica to their first back-to-back championships in 31 years despite having lost most of his starting line-up from the previous season in last summer’s transfer window.

Jorge Jesus has now led Benfica to three Primeira Liga triumphs, but this one is undoubtedly his greatest achievement.

 

Written by Tom Kundert

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Football Quiz: Can you name the football clubs with the most top division titles in each country?

  By O-Posts Team | May 27, 2024 - 19:03 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Created by Sporcle

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Football Tip: How to Avoid Being a Sports Widow

  By O-Posts Team | May 17, 2024 - 19:49 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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When you dread seeing the leaves fall from the trees because it signals the start of football season, or cringe when the first crocus pops its head out of the soils because it means baseball is just around the corner, you may be a sports widow.

Sports widows are women who feel that their life and their needs take a backseat to their husband’s interest in sporting events. Rather than mourning the loss of your husband’s company during the sports season, why not join him in his interest and share some special together time?

 

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em

While you’ve probably found ways to entertain yourself while your husband watched sports in the past, you may not have considered joining him in his enthusiasm. Even if you find sports mind-numbingly boring, there are ways to focus on other aspects of the festivities and draw your own enjoyment from the event.

This year, inform your husband that rather than complaining about his obsession with sports, you’d like to join him in his love of the game. Just stand back when you make your announcement in case he passes out from shock.

 

Dress the Part

Before the start of the season, go shopping. Buy yourself some new duds to wear while you watch the game. Team-oriented apparel is mandatory to put you in the proper frame of mind. If you’ve never worn a t-shirt with your team’s name emblazoned on it, you may be surprised how doing so can raise your enthusiasm level.

Check out the official team sites for apparel, or visit your local big box store. Grab a baseball cap and situate it atop a jaunty ponytail, or buy an oversized football jersey and wear it with a sexy pair of leggings or tights.

 

Block Out Your Schedule

In order to be able to enjoy game day, you may need to plan ahead. Clear your schedule, and ensure that there’s nothing else tugging at your attention while you settle in for quality time with your family. It’s hard to immerse yourself in the moment when the sink is full of dishes, you have laundry to do or you can’t quit thinking about how you need to balance your checkbook.

Get your work done ahead of time and free yourself to really watch the game with your attention on it.

 

Learn the Rules of the Game

While you don’t have to be an aficionado, you may want to gain a rudimentary understanding of the rules of the game. Visit a website, or pick up a book that breaks the game down into simple, understandable terms.

Better yet, ask your husband to explain the finer points of the action to you as the game goes along when he doesn’t mind.

 

Enjoy the Extras

Even if you find that you really can’t immerse yourself in the sports action, you can still enjoy a special day with your family and friends. Focus your attention on creating special dishes for the game. Make a cheese ball, spicy bean dip, a football-shaped meatloaf or any other recipe you choose for everyone to enjoy while the game is on. Women’s magazines and recipe websites abound with game-time treats.

Decorate the room where you’ll watch the game. Blow up balloons, and hang streamers in the team colors to surprise your family. They’ll be thrilled at your show of team spirit.

Even when sports aren’t your favorite activity, it’s still possible to turn any athletic event into valued family time, rather than isolating yourself from the action. Once you put forth the effort, you may be surprised at the results and actually find yourself looking forward to game day.

 

Written by Amie Taylor

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Ahmed Hassan Koka: Rio Ave’s Egyptian goal-getter primed to hit the big time

  By O-Posts Team | May 15, 2024 - 23:01 | , , , , ,
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Only close followers of Portuguese football are acquainted with him for now, but Egyptian striker Ahmed Hassan Mahgoub, known in Portugal by his middle name, has a decent shot at becoming a household name in the game in the coming years.

The tall Rio Ave marksman showed goal-scoring ability from the moment he was thrust into the first team when still a teenager, and has steadily improved over three seasons. Hassan’s goals go some way to explaining how one of Portugal’s more modest top-flight clubs has over-achieved throughout that period.

A wonderfully polished finisher, the Cairo-born centre-forward is a throwback to another era in that he is a striker who confines his whole game to the space in and around the attacking penalty area.

Hassan is neither fast nor particularly mobile, but his adeptness at losing his marker, ghosting into scoring positions and applying the lethal touch when the opportunity presents itself are qualities that will almost certainly lead to his signing for one of Portugal’s major clubs this summer.

 

Highly sought-after

Sporting have long been attempting to lure him to the Alvalade, but according to reports it is Lisbon rivals Benfica who have made the decisive move and Hassan is expected to check in for pre-season training ahead of 2015/16 as a Benfica player.

Asked to comment on a prospective move to the Estádio da Luz, veteran coach Manuel José, who managed Hassan as a youth player when in charge of Al Ahly, has few doubts he can make a big impact at the Portuguese champions elect.

“His characteristics as a player are much better suited to a big team that play near the opposition box than a smaller team. He’s improved greatly. He’s not the fastest but in the area he knows how to position himself very well and he’s a clinical finisher. He doesn’t just take a swing at the ball, he looks to use his technique to apply the finish,” said José.

“I’m convinced he has the scoring qualities to make it at Benfica. He played under me when he was just 18 in some friendly games in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and what impressed me most was the ease and calmness with which he aimed to score. Whether it was with his head or his foot he wouldn’t just whack the ball, he’d look to place it skilfully into the net. He recognises that in the box what you need is intelligence and technique - not force.”

One of Hassan’s most famous goals was an angled rocket shot angled into the top corner against Sporting this season (see below at 2:50), but the spectacular strike was the exception that proves the rule.

As Manuel José pointed out, Hassan’s ability to almost caress the ball into the net is evident in the following compilation of some of his best moments at Rio Ave:

 

‘Big club’ player

Every year the Big Three in the Primeira Liga (Benfica, Porto and Sporting) pluck the outstanding performers from Portugal’s smaller clubs. Most of them struggle to make an impact. José believes Hassan will buck that particular trend and make a smooth transition.

“Some players are big players for a small club, but when they go to a big club they turn into a small player. Hassan won’t have this problem. I don’t think he’ll wilt under the pressure of playing for Benfica. He played for a huge club in Egypt, Al Ahly, who have 60 million supporters – curiously it’s another team that plays in red and has an Eagle as its crest.

“He’s used to the pressure that goes with playing for a massive club. Compare that to [Benfica striker] Derley this season. Derley came from a small 2nd division club in Brazil, he was a beast for Marítimo, but at Benfica he completely vanished.”

Hassan’s build and style have been compared to Benfica legend Oscar Cardozo, the club’s all-time highest foreign scorer. Hassan will be hoping he can soar to similar heights with the Eagle on his chest.

 

Written by Tom Kundert

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Ricardo Pereira: Highly-regarded prospect groomed to be Danilo’s replacement at Porto

  By O-Posts Team | April 30, 2024 - 19:26 | , , ,
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Ricardo Pereira is one of a number of young prospects who were thrown in at the deep end at Vitória Guimarães – and grew up fast.

The northern club was in financial meltdown in 2011 when newly appointed coach, the aptly named Rui Vitória, decided to start from scratch, relying on largely unknown youth players. In truth he had no choice as any bankable assets in the squad were sold off, but the policy led to a spectacular change in fortunes

 

Forsaken by Sporting

As well as building a consistently competitive side, in 2013 Vitória Guimarães won their first piece of major silverware, lifting the Portuguese Cup. Ricardo Pereira played a key role in their success. It must have been particularly satisfying for the Lisbon-born 19-year-old, having had to head north to further his career after failing to make the grade at Sporting’s famed Alcochete academy.

Known simply as Ricardo in Portugal, he crowned an outstanding 2012/13 season with a late winner in the shock 2-1 win over Benfica in the cup final. He had also been decisive in the semi-final, notching a brace in the 2-0 victory over Belenenses, but it was on that sunny May afternoon that he first experienced true adulation after a mazy run saw him skip past a number of challenges before firing a deflected 20-yard shot low into the net to seal the cup triumph.

“It was without doubt the highest point of my career,” he told Portuguese website zerozero.pt. “Neno (the assistant coach) said we would only realise the enormity of what we had achieved a few days later, and it was true. It’s always great looking back on it, belonging to that team, winning that trophy for fans as passionate as the Guimarães supporters.”

 

Eye for goal

But it was not just Ricardo’s heroics that day that earned him a move to FC Porto. In his first full season in Portugal’s top flight his direct, skilful and productive wing play was allied to a lethal eye for goal as he scored 8 goals in all competitions.

He has also prospered at international level, hitting 6 goals in 13 appearances for Portugal’s U21 side, making himself a mainstay in the team despite fierce competition as one of what many pundits consider an emerging golden generation.

 

Adaptation

At Porto he has had to show patience with limited playing time in an expensively assembled squad. He has been adapted into an attacking right-back this season, with conspicuous success, even playing a Champions League quarter-final there.

His former coach Rui Vitória has no doubts he has what it takes to go far in the game: “He’s got enormous potential, an excellent capacity to learn, strong belief in what he does and he reacts very well to challenges.”

With Porto right-back Danilo sold to Real Madrid, Ricardo is gearing himself up for his next challenge: to establish himself as a first-team regular for the Blue and Whites. Don’t put it past him.

 

Written by Tom Kundert

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Benfica’s Andre Almeida: Time to stick or twist

  By O-Posts Team | April 26, 2024 - 15:07 | , , ,
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A series of star-studded Benfica sides have enjoyed considerable success domestically and abroad over recent seasons. In a club that employs a constant revolving door policy with regard to the playing squad, the unchanging pillars of the side, although few and far between, play a pivotal role.

Captain Luisão and right-back Maxi Pereira are the foremost examples, but utility player André Almeida has proven an equally crucial cog to keep Benfica’s engine purring smoothly amid the frenetic comings and goings.

He has never done anything other than a thoroughly competent job when called upon to play at right-back, left-back, or as a defensive midfielder. The fact he is asked to switch between all three roles has denied him the opportunity to excel in any one of them over a sustained period of time, when his flawless performances suggest it would not be beyond him.

Tactically astute, a good tackler, accurate passer and a tireless worker Almeida would be a certain starter in almost any other team in Portugal, and his relatively infrequent appearances have done no damage to his reputation as a dependable, albeit unspectacular, performer.

Coach Jorge Jesus likes his full-backs to bomb forward, something which does not come naturally to Almeida, although the two excellent assists in the recent 5-1 hammering of Académica de Coimbra shows he’s no slouch in the attacking third. But it’s his staunch defensive qualities that are most appreciated, and the Lisbon-born player has often been selected in the starting XI over the usual incumbent for crunch games when Benfica adopt a more circumspect approach.

As for international football, specialists in the positions he usually fills in for naturally get the nod ahead of a jack-of-all-trades, although in tournament play this very adaptability is an important trump card in his favour, and one which earned him a place in Portugal’s 2014 World Cup squad. He has 8 senior Portugal caps to his name.

Still only 24 years old, Almeida is edging towards 100 appearances in his four years at Benfica, and may feel the time has come to either stick or twist – to seek assurances of a more prominent role in the team or to further his career elsewhere.

 

Written by Tom Kundert

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Cédric Soares: Suitors lining up for the Sporting right-back

  By O-Posts Team | April 7, 2024 - 17:29 | , , , , , , , ,
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Cédric Soares is the latest of Sporting Lisbon’s highly promising crop of young players to be linked with a lucrative move, either abroad or domestically.

Contract talks with the Portugal right-back have stalled over several months amid rumours that both FC Porto and Benfica are keen on prising the 23-year-old away from their direct rivals, while Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen are also reported to be keeping close tabs on him. Premier league giants Arsenal have also been linked.

Cédric, as he is known in Portugal, has been a regular in Sporting’s back four over the last two seasons, his sparkling displays helping the club’s resurgence and also earning him his first Portugal caps.

Attacking inclination

The full-back loves to bomb forward, his intelligent combination play and outstanding crossing ability, even when space is at a premium, a potent attacking weapon, as is his long-range shooting.

Born in Germany to Portuguese emigrants, the Soares family returned to Portugal when Cédric was a toddler. His parents were keen to instil what they considered good German habits in their children, and enrolled Cédric and his brother in the Deutschen Schule Lissabon, which was located right next to one of Sporting’s training facilities. At just six years of age Cédric was taken to a kids’ scouting session and that was that.

He officially joined Sporting’s academy set-up when turning seven, and worked his way through the youth system all the way until he started training with the senior squad in 2010/11, making his debut in May 2011.

Glory at Académica

The following year he was loaned to Académica, along with midfielder Adrien, and the move proved hugely beneficial for both players as they matured rapidly.

An automatic starter throughout his time at the Coimbra club, Cédric had his first taste of real success at the end of the season as Académica sensationally won the Portuguese Cup for the first time since 1939, ironically beating Sporting in the final.

The defender duly returned to his parent club, became a regular and has continued to improve year-on-year. So much so that he earned his first Portugal caps under new coach Fernando Santos earlier this season and is fully expected to make the position in the national team his own.

 

Written by Tom Kundert

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Danilo: The good and the bad of Florentino Perez on show once again with Real Madrid’s latest signing

  By O-Posts Team | April 5, 2024 - 21:28 | , , , , , , ,
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In the quarter finals of the Champions League and still very much in the race for the La Liga title after they thumped Granada 9-1 on Sunday, Real Madrid’s season is far from over. Form has fluctuated nervously to leave the future of manager Carlo Ancelotti in doubt, but the prospect of becoming the first side in two decades to defend the European Cup and a first league title in four years looms large on the horizon.

Real could be looking at life after Ancelotti in the summer with Zinedine Zidane a possible candidate to takeover, but this uncertainty hasn’t prevented president Florentino Perez, never one to pass up on an opportunity to open the chequebook, heading into the market for a new player. Los Blancos have added 21 year old Lucas Silva and the 16 year old Martin Odegaard to the squad this term for a combined fee in excess of £11 million, but while those deals were geared towards the task of building a bright future, the £23 million signing of Danilo from Porto is for the here and now.

The deal makes the 23 year old Brazilian the fourth most expensive right-back ever, only bettered by Luke Shaw’s €37.5 million move to Manchester United, Lilian Thuram’s €36 million move to Juventus and Dani Alves’s €35.5 million switch to Barcelona. He becomes Real Madrid’s most expensive ever defender, if indication is needed to how determined Madrid were to take the right-back to the Bernabeu.

A marauding, full of energy Brazilian right-back, Danilo can be compared to the latter and Madrid will be hoping he can have the same effect in the Bernabeu as Alves, a 4-time La Liga winner and 2-time Champions League winner as an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s era of dominance, had in Catalonia after moving from Sevilla in 2008.

Danilo was seen by the hierarchy at the Nou Camp as the 31 year old Alves’s long-term replacement but hindered by the transfer ban that runs into 2016, Madrid seized the opportunity to land their man early. It can arguably be billed as another Galactico acquisition by Perez who has timed the deal to perfection, diverting attention away from a series of poor results on the pitch and reaffirming his own power in a period of disruption and media revolt.

It is undoubtedly a good signing but also an unnecessary one. If Danilo can be placed in the Galactico bracket if not for his talent then it certainly can be for a deal that is perhaps more about Madrid indulgently flexing their financial muscle to land a coveted player ahead of their rivals. A signing more about status than actual requirement. Dani Carvajal has been impressive since resigning from Bayer Leverkusen for a bargain €5 million in 2013, making the right-back slot his own as Madrid won last season’s La Decima, but Danilo’s arrival will harshly see him replaced.

The Spaniard undisputedly required better cover and competition for his place than the error-prone Alvaro Arbeloa but the money it has taken to land Danilo, partnered with the profile he arrives with from Porto, suggests he isn’t going to be a bench option. While Danilo doesn’t particularly represent an upgrade on Carvajal, both are strong defensively as well as dangerous going forward, the Brazilian possesses physical strength and a strong, vocal personality, similarly to Alves, which will be attractive to Ancelotti or any possible successor.

Playing with a robust physique and a dynamism that sees him charge down the right-flank, he is more in the mould of Maicon than Alves when it comes to comparing him to Brazilian right-backs. He is comfortable on the ball enough to use the ball wisely in all situations and it is why his pass-completion percentage for Porto this season stands in excess of 92%.

Both-footed and often one to cut-in and shoot on his left even though he is predominantly right-footed, he can slot into right-wing and central-midfield roles with ease like he did in Brazil with Santos, such is his understanding of the game. Madrid are getting a superb player for their money.

With Arbeloa due to exit the club and Carvajal finding himself second choice, the main point of contention with the Danilo signing will be a suspicion that Madrid’s Spanish element is beginning to be marginalised. Xabi Alonso departed for Bayern Munich last summer while Asier Illaramendi is out of favour and is likely to follow him out this coming transfer window.

Club captain Iker Casillas faces questions over his future as a series of high-profile errors have crept into his game at the age of 33, while Jese has struggled for opportunities since returning from injury.

Isco has performed impressively in midfield but faces stiff competition for his place from James Rodriguez and now Carvajal faces losing his place, it could be possible that Real will boast just one Spaniard, Sergio Ramos, in their first-choice starting XI next season. That will undermine Perez’s philosophy of creating a team that merges natives and international stalwarts.

“Real Madrid should have several of the best players in the world and several of the best from Spain, many of whom are in the national team, and players from the youth team”, said the president when he returned to the club in 2009.

With Carvajal, a product of the youth academy, about to be dropped not for form but for a more luxurious name, another failure to integrate home-grown talent will not go down well with the club’s most avid support who are already disillusioned with Perez’s running of the club. Aside from the politics however, Madrid have got themselves a supremely gifted footballer and they’ve stole a march on their rivals to land him.

In the short-term world of luxury that Perez lives in, where deals are done more for status than the balance of the team, that’s all that matters.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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Rafa Silva: Sporting Braga’s rising star and most wanted asset

  By O-Posts Team | March 28, 2024 - 18:00 | , , ,
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Out of a raft of exciting young Portuguese footballers coming through the ranks, Braga forward Rafael Silva is one who is considerably ahead of what can be considered a normal learning curve.

Still only 21 years old, Rafa, as he is known, has accumulated 64 appearances in Portugal’s top flight, earned himself three caps for the full national team and was the youngest member of the Seleção squad Paulo Bento took to Brazil last summer.

Possessor of quick feet, an inventive passing range and a clinical finisher, Rafa is equally comfortable playing on either flank or as an attacking midfielder. He averages around a goal every four games in his senior career, which is none too shabby considering his youth and the fact he does not take penalties or free kicks.

Unusually for a promising up-and-coming footballer in Portugal, Rafa did not come through the youth system of one of Portugal’s bigger clubs.

After playing for local teams Povoense and Alverca, both near his home town of Forte da Casa on the outskirts of Lisbon, Rafa took a trip north when he was signed by Second Division Feirense. One season in the youth team was enough to persuade the club’s coaching staff that Rafa was ready for senior football. His impact the following campaign was immediate and explosive.

The then 19-year-old missed just one league match all season, rattled up 11 goals, and was the club’s player of the season. So impressive were his performances that it was something of a coup for Braga when they won the race for his signature, beating off competition from Sporting Lisbon.

The following season witnessed Rafa make a smooth transition into the upper echelons of Portuguese football, scoring 9 goals in 32 matches in all competitions. Among those taking note of his incisive attacking play was the Portugal manager at the time, Paulo Bento, who handed Rafa his first cap in a friendly against Cameroon in March 2014 then selected him at the expense of the rejuvenated Ricardo Quaresma in Portugal’s World Cup squad.

Sporting a new heavily bearded look in 2014/15, Rafa took a while to get going, but a spectacular volleyed goal that helped knock fierce local rivals Vitória Guimarães out of the Portuguese Cup in November kick-started his season. He was named Young Player of the Month in Portugal’s Primeira Liga in December, and has retained his excellent form ever since, with incessant rumours linking him to a string of top European clubs.

His many suitors have not been short of opportunities to monitor his progress. Braga coach Sérgio Conceição, the former Portugal international who enjoyed a stellar career playing in a similar position to Rafa for FC Porto and Lazio, among others, certainly has not doubts.

Still just 21, Rafa is the only Braga player to have started all 26 of their Primeira Liga games so far this season.

Remember the name.

 

Written by Tom Kundert

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Juan Quintero: Jury still out on the Colombian Messi

  By O-Posts Team | March 18, 2024 - 15:45 | , , ,
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Bought by FC Porto in the summer of 2013, Juan Fernando Quintero’s performances in pre-season friendlies, notably in the prestigious Emirates Cup tournament in London, and then early in the 2013/14 campaign, appeared to indicate the northerners had struck gold again.

An exhilarating dribbler, powerful shooter – usually with his magical left foot – and an eye for a killer pass, the Colombian seemed set to spread the gold dust at the Estádio do Dragão as a direct replacement for his compatriot James Rodriguez, who left for Monaco in the same transfer window.

The two have been friends since their childhood days, and Rodriguez had no doubt that his international team-mate would prove a success at Porto, confidently predicting: “Quintero’s going to shine brightly. He’s a great player and can only grow at a club like FC Porto. It’s only a question of time before he makes his mark there.”

Few disagreed after Quintero’s first outings in a Porto shirt. Within a minute of coming on as a substitute in Porto’s first league match of the season against Vitória Setúbal he scored a thunderous long-distance left-footer, and his zippy and unshackled style of play quickly made him popular among the fans and critics alike, so much so that coach Paulo Fonseca was faced with a barrage of questions as to why he started so few matches. “Quintero’s quality means he’ll soon force me to make him a starter,” responded Fonseca.

But the early promise proved a false dawn. Quintero failed to hold down a place in the side and was powerless to invert a disastrous 2013/14 for Porto. The Dragons completely rebuilt their squad in the close season, but the diminutive forward avoided the clear-out and the club made it abundantly clear they continued to believe in him.

Unfortunately, this year Quintero has again found it difficult to impose himself, spending more time on the bench than on the pitch. He continues to show flashes of brilliance in his sporadic appearances, the clinically taken winner against Braga with that trusty left foot a good example. But Quintero’s growing frustration at lack of opportunities has gone hand in hand with Porto losing patience with his lack of development.

As is often the case, what is notionally an advantage for a player, flexibility, is actually part of the problem. Quintero has chopped and changed from a winger to a No10, showing undoubted ability but extreme inconsistency in both roles. He lacks positional discipline and his decision making is questionable, to put it kindly.

The fact little progress has been made to eradicate these failings in almost two seasons at Porto – under three different coaches – raises questions about his football brain, or lack thereof.

In Quintero’s defence, for one reason or another, occasional injury setbacks included, he has never been given a prolonged stint as a regular in the side. Having only recently turned 22, should a manager at Porto or elsewhere smoothen out the rough edges and fully harness his obvious talent, Quintero is still in time to enjoy a highly successful career.

 

Written by Tom Kundert

Follow Tom on Twitter @Portu_Goal

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