Saturday 5th of September 2020 will remain forever etched in the memory of this young talent and great prospect of Portuguese football, Fábio Silva. Following his first and only season in Portuguese professional football to date, his performances were enough to convince Nuno Espírito Santo (formerly of FC Porto) and the directors of one of England’s most historic clubs and a founding member of the Football Association, Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.
After 33 matches (across all competitions in which he featured) and three official goals for Futebol Clube do Porto’s first team, Fábio Silva, aged just 18, joins a very select group of young players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, who left their home country at a very early age to move to what many consider to be the world’s most competitive football league: the Premier League.
For those who follow English football but are not so familiar with the history of the young Portuguese talent’s new club—beyond recent events—it is particularly noteworthy that it is one of the clubs in the world with the highest number of Portuguese players in its squad (including Portugal itself). This is a club that recently reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League and has maintained a degree of consistency in the English league table.
If we look back just a few years, many Portuguese people would not have known of this club, and others would surely have underestimated it. However, they could not be more wrong. This is one of England’s historic clubs and a founding member of the FA, with appearances in European finals and major titles in English football, including three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and four Charity Shields, amongst others.
If, for example, we look at Manchester City before its modern era following the club’s takeover, we can see that Wolves had even more titles than the Manchester side, which reflects the fact that this is a club with a long and distinguished history and a consistent track record both in English football and on the international stage. It is a team that currently provides the ideal environment for Fábio Silva’s development and could serve as a springboard for this future world-class star.
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