“I was forced, everything was directed” | Relief

Fabio Silva (Portugal, 2002) remembers this moment well because he never wanted this to happen. What for many would be a cause for celebration, a clear foretaste of the future, he forced it: Premier League team badge. Although almost four years have passed, he remembers the details, the pressure he had to endure and how the world of football was changing, but he could not control it, so he had to leave Porto at just 18 years old. star price: 42 million euros. “I knew now was not the time. I didn’t intend to go to Wolverhampton At that time I wanted to stay another year or two in Porto“, he tells Relevo from his home in Portugal, already on holiday after training with Roberto Martinez’s team ahead of Euro 2024.

“I was almost forced“, he continues to explain. “They told me that if I didn’t go they would force me to play for the reserve team, that if I didn’t go I wouldn’t be able to help the club because they didn’t have enough money… I had nowhere to escape“,” he adds, “I was 18 years old and I finished my first full season, but I didn’t play the whole season, I only played 15-20 minutes.” I wanted to stay in my clubPorto to have a greater impact.”

To understand what happened, we need to look at another figure – the figure Jorge Mendez, who brokered the operation of player agent Carlos Oliveira to satisfy the needs of his two favorite clubs with a transfer and commission amounting to many millions. “I had other interested parties, but everything was directed for me to sign a contract with Wolves. More people were involved in this transfer. They invested more money, but In football, things happen behind the scenes that you have no control over. Everyone did better than me.“.

‘I don’t want to stay in Wolverhampton’

After four seasons, in which he was on loan three times, Fabio Silva has already made up his mind: “It’s no secret that I don’t want to continue playing in Wolverhampton.. We both agree, now we need to try to find a better situation so we can both be happy,” he admits.

It was thanks to these three assignments that he grew as a footballer. In the 2022/23 season he went to Anderlechtwhere he scored 11 goals in 32 games… and switched teams mid-match to try another European league: PSV Eindhoven He scored five goals in 19 games, scoring the goal that won Van Nistelrooy’s side the Cup. Last Christmas he packed his bags to go to Rangers for five months: “It’s not good to keep changing countries,” he says after scoring four goals. “Rangers made me more whole, I played in a different position (as a left winger), I scored goals, I felt good… Before I only played as a nine, now I can play in all attacking positions, be it on the wing, in attack or as a midfielder.”

During all this time, he has grown personally. And he learned a key lesson: “Better manage your emotions. When I was 18, I was coming out of the game and wanted to see what people were saying about me on social media.. “Now I know when I’m doing something right or wrong, and I can be self-critical.”

“I would like to play in Spain”

Fabio Silva’s next move will come this summer, although he doesn’t know where it will be yet: “I already told my agent: I want to play in Spain.. I’m telling you honestly, this is the kind of place I would really like. I like the culture, the country, the football league… I think my style fits very well with Spanish,” he says.

You definitely won’t have any problems with the language. The entire interview is in Spanish, in which he talks about his years spent in Porto with South American footballers. “My best friends there were Marquezin, Uribe, Luis Diaz… The language remains better. I like a drink mate, sometimes I say idiot. My favorite singer is Anuel A.A., I watch films in Spanish. “Sometimes I think I’m more Spanish than Portuguese.” Last year, a celebratory video of Simons singing Anuel’s song went viral from PSV.

Shortly before the start of the EuroCup, Fabio Silva had not yet moved into the senior team. “It will happen naturally if I keep doing it well,” he says after scoring. 12 goals plus 14 assists in 22 games with under-21s. Lots of goals and performance, like the great representative of the country, Cristiano Ronaldo, one of his idols: “He has no comparison. Part of the reason I like football is because of him. He has broken many records and is still hungry to continue to do better.” Cristiano is crazy, I admire him a lot.“.