‘A player with exceptional talent’… Barcelona Director Deco praises Porto gem who won the Liga Portugal MVP this season | OneFootball

Keeping up with their traditions of putting a lot of emphasis on youth talent development, FC Barcelona are always on the lookout for promising young talents who have the potential to make their name in European football.

The Catalan club’s emphasis on youth is already apparent from the makeup of their current first team, in which Hansi Flick has not shied away from giving important roles to some very young players.

Deco praises Rodrigo Mora

Meanwhile, they are also keeping an eye on other emerging talents in Europe and elsewhere. This is clear from a report from SPORT, which reports how Deco spoke highly of Rodrigo Mora, the breakout star from the Liga Portugal who scored 10 goals for Porto and was the season MVP of the Portuguese top league at only 18 years of age.

Talking at the international congress of the National Association of Directors of Football, Futsal and Beach Soccer in Matosinhos, the Barcelona Sporting Director recognised the talents of Mora:

“Rodrigo Mora is a great player. I’m not going to talk about the transfer market, because it’s not even a relevant topic right now. It’s fantastic to see such a young boy like him take on this kind of leadership at FC Porto. I’m happy, because it’s my club, and he’s a player with exceptional talent. Our idea is to focus on the players we currently have at Barcelona.”

Porto open for a future sale

(Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

The young playmaker’s contract with Porto was automatically renewed when he reached 18 years of age. The Portuguese club wanted to take his release clause to €100 million, but ultimately had to settle for €75 million.

However, Porto are not looking to retain him, and they understand Rodrigo Mora will leave sooner or later, but they are naturally looking to maximize their profits from a future sale.

For now, it remains to be seen how the youngster’s next season will go and whether he will ever don the Barcelona jersey in his career.