The day FC Porto tried to “convert” Silvio

The former full-back retired in 2010

In 2010, when he signed for Braga, after two great seasons at Rio Ave, Silvio ruled out FC Porto. Now that his playing career is over, the former full-back recalls the day he was sealing the deal with Minho and faced an approach from the Dragons.

“The interest of FC Porto was real, because at that time I was meeting with President Salvador, and there was also my uncle, also Fernando Cotto, who was the sporting director, and a group of other people who had the papers, to sign the contract, and Paulo Barbosa called me. [empresário] Saying that Antero Henrique was going to call me,” Silvio began to say, in the 90+3 video broadcast by Fora.de.Jogo.

“I was 21 or 22, and I was in a room with sharks, and another shark was going to call me. And I was honest: “Look, Antero is going to call me. I don’t know what he’s going to say to me.” Salvador told me: “Listen, man, but you will stay here,” Silvio said.

The former full-back later explained that he had actually answered a phone call from Antero Henrique, then Porto manager: “I went out and Antero said to me: ‘What are you doing there? Get out of there, you will go to sign with FC Porto, and he will leave from there and return to Vila do Conde.”

Silvio then asked if the plan was to integrate him into the Porto squad, and heard that the intention was to leave him at Rio Ave for another year. “So, no, I won’t stay at Rio Ave anymore, I’ll go to SC Braga,” was the answer Silvio took back.

Silvio spent only one season at SC Braga. He then signed with Atletico Madrid, then spent some time at La Coruna before signing with Benfica, where he spent three years. He then played with Wolverhampton, and returned to Braga to play with the second team, and also represented Vitoria de Setubal, Vitoria de Guimarães and Villafranquense.