Ferro: "Title shows that the bet on the home-grown talent is the right one"

One of the pearls nurtured at Caixa Futebol Campus, he was promoted to the first team in the middle of the 2018/19 season. The centre-back Ferro is one of the faces of the Reconquest.

A true Winter signing

"To be promoted to Benfica's first team was an achievement, the fulfillment of a dream I had been fighting for a long time. To reach this level was the culmination of all that I went through, all my efforts, all my pain, and all my joys."

The adaptation to the squad… and to Bruno Lage

"Who ended up having to adapt to the coach were them [the other players from the first team], because I had worked with him in the B team, I was used to the type of training, to the methodology and even to the game style."

Heart racing: the debut in derby

"At the moment [Benfica-Sporting, in the 1st leg of the Portuguese Cup semifinals] many things went through my mind, all that had happened before, but at the same time, I knew that I had to step onto the pitch and give a positive response. In the first two minutes, I didn’t know exactly what was happening, but it was a mixture of very strong emotions. After those first minutes, the team helped, spoke with me, it was all natural and it went well. What did the coach tell me in the debut? To be calm and do what I did in the B team."

The partnership with Rúben Dias

"It was very important, because he was a centre-back I'd known for a long time, had played with him several times and knew his movements. That made everything easier."

In the dressing room lives a family

"Our group is amazing! An amazing family! Of course, there are always the 'pranksters' who like to mess with each other, but that helps the adaptation, especially from someone new."

The bet of the President and the love for the club

"This title shows the home-grown talent isn’t a failed bet, it is the right bet and I think more and more the club is going to continue to bet on young players and academy football."

Without the fans nothing makes sense

"Without the fans, nothing would make sense. If we came to a 65 thousand-seat stadium and played in front of 500 fans, all this wouldn’t make sense. They filled the Stadium, they supported us... it’s indescribable."

The title is the responsibility of…

"The collective was the most important, but it's unthinkable not to mention the gaffer Bruno Lage. He ended up being the great builder of the team, but I think they were all determinant."

Text: Sónia Antunes

Pics: SL Benfica