The Benfica president said on Monday that the future of striker Gonzalo Ramos and defender Otamendi will soon be known, given that the current moment is the celebration of the country’s 38th football title.
Ahead of a recent achievement dinner at Lisbon’s Convento do Beato, the Agias president was reluctant to discuss the future of the young striker, aged 21, who scored a total of 27 goals in 2022/23. season, nor the 35-year-old Argentine captain Otamendi, whose contract is coming to an end.
“[Os adeptos] You will know at the right time [se ficam ou vão embora]. You will know everything in due time. Soon, of course. Today we still have to celebrate the 38th anniversary,” Rui Costa told the journalists present.
By winning the national championship, Rui Costa, the first as the “embodied” President, showed a game in which he felt that the scepter would not slip away again, now aimed at the “most difficult”.
“If I had to pick a game where I really felt like the title didn’t run away anymore, it was a game with [Sporting de] Braga. Now the most difficult thing is to understand that you do not need to be president or play football for a long time: winning after victories is always more difficult than winning the first title,” he warned.
On Sunday, midfielder João Mario, one of the most influential in Roger Schmidt’s team, with 23 goals and 13 assists left Portugal, with whom he won Euro 2016 and the 2019 Nations League.
“As a Portuguese player, he is a lesser player in the national team and even if he was not my player, I respect João Mario’s decision. [João Mário e Rafa, que renunciou igualmente em setembro de 2022] which represented selection for years and years. You reach a point in your career when you think or may think that you can no longer give anything to the national team, that you can no longer put up with it, ”he commented.
On Saturday, Benfica became the Portuguese football champions for the 38th time, beating Santa Clara 3-0 at home in the 34th and final round of the Portuguese First League.
After a drought for three seasons, the incarnations returned to celebrate the national title by finishing League One with 87 points, two more than Porto.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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