"It's a privilege to represent Benfica"

REPORT

As part of an adidas campaign, Florentino, a player from Benfica's professional football team, visited a training session for the club's Under-12 team at the Estádio Universitário de Lisboa and, while advising the younger players, shared the dream he still has of wearing the Manto Sagrado. An authentic return to his roots that you can watch on BPlay.

The midfielder brought joy to the young aspiring stars of the youth academy, who were overflowing with enthusiasm at being able to be close to a reference, who, between hugs and several requests for a chat or an exchange of balls, dedicated words of encouragement to the whole group.

"First, I just want to say that I'm proud to be here with you, who know what a privilege it is to represent Benfica. What I want to say is that if you give your all every day, if you give your best every day, you will certainly be closer to success," said Florentino, at the center of a circle formed by dozens of attentive listeners.

At the same event, the Benfica player spoke to journalists from Sport TV and Timeout about the path that led him to the first team and also about the importance of the emotional side in building a solid and successful career.

"It's a great pleasure to be here, knowing that this adidas campaign promotes support for the athlete. And, much more than that, it's a motivation for them to contemplate a player who's in the first team, which is their dream. It brings a certain motivation, it brings the vision that it's possible, because, like them, I've been on the other side too. When I was their age, I was playing here. I think that now they can have a different perspective and know that many players have come through these camps. And they too will be able to reach the highest level," said Florentino, before discussing various topics.

What memories do you have of that time [Youth Academy]? You were sitting in the stands just now, a little introspective. What do you remember about that time?

There are many things... Above all, the joy of representing Benfica. When I heard I was coming to Benfica, I was very happy, because it's the biggest club in Portugal. And seeing the boys at this age, I think sometimes they still don't understand what the club is all about, because they're still living in their own world, and they do well, because every age has its own process, every age has something to enjoy and learn. But it gives me that flashback, it gives me those memories from back then, and it also reminds me of when I was a boy, and that the dream is still inside me. Deep down, I'm still a bit of a child.

What's your best memory of the road to the [Benfica] first team?

I think every day was fantastic, because when I wore the Benfica shirt it was a source of pride to tell my schoolmates that I played for Benfica and to know that I could do what I loved most, and represent a great club. The memories are the victories, the titles and, above all, the friendship I had with my teammates. To this day, I still have a few colleagues I still talk to, and in the end that's what remains.

What was the main message you tried to convey during this time you had together?

In this short space of time, it was a joy for us to be there having fun. If you noticed, the kids just wanted to play, they just wanted to be with me, to be by my side and they didn't want anything else. That's what they have to do every day. They have to enjoy every minute and know that if they're happy, it's halfway to success.

The road to the top, to Benfica's first team, involves not just quality, not just talent, but often overcoming. A professional athlete has to be willing to do that...

Yes, there are many sacrifices an athlete has to make, and sometimes people on the outside don't notice. But as we go along, we also grow, because we not only grow on a professional level, but we also grow on a personal level, dealing with our emotions, being prepared at all times to make our best contribution. And that's what makes me happy, knowing that football has made me a better man and that today I can turn my profession into something I enjoy.

Looking back, who were the main people who inspired you along the way, not only on and off the pitch?

Above all, my motivation was my family, because that's who I lived with on a daily basis. They were the ones who watched me go from the time I was little. Also my brother, who also had the dream of being a footballer, but unfortunately didn't manage to reach the heights I did. More than just a dream of mine, it was also a dream of my family's, and I took a lot of inspiration from them, because I knew that if I made it to the highest level one day, it would be great. I was going to represent my family, I was going to represent the people who are by my side every day, and that was my greatest motivation, which, as I said before, was to enjoy myself and make those around me proud.

How do they celebrate your achievements?

With great joy, because they know it wasn't an easy road. But despite this, they can see that all the fruit was worth it, all the effort was worth it, and that the process is beautiful. That's what I came here today to show the kids.

What have you learned throughout your career about the importance of filtering what you hear until it's out of the way?

It's a very important factor, because along the way we realize that not all comments are meant to help and some are just meant to bring us down. Sometimes people may not mean it, but it's very important to know what to listen to and who to listen to it from. And then, I think, over time, you realize it, you gain maturity, and it only strengthens your emotional state.

How can pressure and negativity change the game?

It can change a lot, because sometimes we can have very high quality, but if we don't have the ability to withstand negative comments, our confidence can go down. We can change our game and not play lightly, not play with enjoyment. And we know how to filter these things, it's a very important point, and I think it's very central in football. When you start to learn that, I think you become stronger and more compact in what you do.

How does the energy of those in the stands, or even next to you on the pitch, help you deal with the more negative moments, with the pressure?

In a way, it helps a lot. Because, when things aren't going well, and it's noticeable, for example, when we're in the stadium, and we're going through a more negative moment, and we feel the support of the stands, our mood changes immediately, because we know we have people on our side, who are cooperating towards the same goal, and it makes us stronger. It makes us trust in the process, trust in the project, in what was mapped out from the start, and so, with our colleagues on our side, we can more easily achieve our goals.

What would you say to the kids you were with just now about the importance of letting go of these comments?

I would say that these comments are part of it, because it's impossible for them not to exist. But when they have the ability to filter them, everything becomes easier. Knowing that they have to rely on the positive, knowing that the positive moments are for us to learn something and that, above all, they have to enjoy what they have, which is the best thing for me in this case, which is playing football. If they continue with that perspective, the path becomes lighter.

What does it mean to you to be an example to the next generation?

It means they can believe. It also gives me the responsibility of knowing that the younger ones look up to the older ones. Just as, when I was younger, I looked up to my elders, today they can also look up to me, and that gives me the responsibility to always be at my best, because I know that there are people who look up to me, even more so these kids who come from a training background, which is the path I also took. I believe that if I continue the way I have come so far, many good things will come, and that if they continue the way they have come so far, enjoying football, many good things will also come into their lives, and they will grow as men and also professionally.

How has your city been present in your journey?

I was born in Angola, but I grew up in Massamá and I think Massamá, which is in Lisbon, was a very important town for me, because it was where I went to school, and nowadays, I still receive messages from people who went to school with me, people from my area. They're very proud of what I've achieved, because they know that, like them, I was someone who was unknown and that the fruits I'm experiencing today are also something they're proud of. They see this with great happiness, and I too am very grateful to have people who, at the beginning of my journey, also helped me at school, which is something very important, which gives principles. I see all these people who have been on my journey as important, some more, some less, but all of them have been very important in making me who I am today.

adidas carried out this study, which you heard about, focused on the Sideline Effect. How has this changed your career?

It changed a lot, because once I understood that what comes from outside is positive, it changes our perspective, and we know that we always have people who believe in us, even if there are people who don't, there are always others who do. It's these people that we have to hold on to, and when we hold on to that, we can transform reality.