PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: RODRIGO with a meMORAble debut | OneFootball

Mora is technically an anagram of ‘amor’ (love in Portuguese), and in reality, he’s aesthetically the equivalent when unleashed upon opposition defences.

The 17-year-old has written himself into the history books once again – the youngest debutant in Portuguese football history is now the youngest player to score and assist in the same game in the last 35 years.

Moreirense tasted the bitter flavours of defeat (0-3) in Moreira de Conégos for the first time in nine months thanks to the birth of the modernised ‘big man, little man’ duo formed between Samu Aghehowa and the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Rodrigo Mora.

Origins

Following the impressive victory over Moreirense, Porto’s head coach Vítor Bruno was pleased with Mora, although underlining that “he still has a long way to go and a lot to achieve.”

The footballing journey of Mora commenced at the Custóias Futebol Clube academy in Matosinhos, before being swiftly snipped up by Futebol Clube do Porto.

Rodrigo Mora has always been the talk of the town. At youth level, he not only demonstrated his abnormal technical ability, but also maturity, coupled with an extinguishing humility in modern football. The son of former professional footballer José Manuel was described in reports as ‘a very calm person, with a great desire to learn and work hard, as well as being a team player.’

According to Portuguese publication JN, Mora has been carefully nurtured with the intention to protect him. His talent has always stood out. However, the priority has been to avoid overplaying him early in his career in the most demanding era of football in terms of successive minutes played, and in this current period of turbulence surrounding Os Dragões.

This, despite the cries of enamoured Portistas, demanding for the inclusion of Mora in the midst of bipolar levels of productivity by Galeno and Pepê, general concerns revolving around Iván Jaime and Arsenal’s Fábio Vieira taking time to return to his previous form. (I may be guilty of this desire to see more of Mora on the pitch.)

Former Porto midfielder Chainho further emphasised reservations. “He seems to me to be a very mature young man, but it’s important to be calm. I think Vítor Bruno is being clever in the way he’s integrating Mora into the team. The fact that he’s a player who has always stood out at youth level and even in the national teams is a point in his favour.”

The UEFA Youth League 2023/24 joint top scorer equally cemented himself as the UEFA European Under-17 Championship best goalscorer, integrated into the Team of the Tournament for his performances for the runners-up.

After covering that competition in Cyprus for PortuGOAL, Matthew Marshall wrote the following about Mora: “Rodrigo Mora had an outstanding tournament and finished as top scorer with five goals. He is sure to take up most of the headlines, Porto and Portuguese football supporters sure to be paying close attention to his development in the coming years.”

Following in the footsteps of Deco

The idol has the makings of becoming Porto’s midfield maestro in similar fashion to a previous club icon, Deco. Two elegant, apparently subdued creators with characteristic diminutive statures, but who can completely dominate proceedings.

Rodrigo Mora is another born protagonist, reforming the traditional #10 into the modernised shadow forward as an elite and rounded creator. Mora is an intelligent playmaker with all the tools to decide matches with individual actions, with immaculate technique, mesmerising close control and delicacy in the final third.

An intentional, irreverent attacker who compensates for his frame with impressive balance and his low centre of gravity. His size can become problematic in defensive processes but will forever benefit an elite operator in unapparent pockets of space – an ameliorator in offensive processes to unlock within fine margins.

In 149 Liga Portugal minutes, Rodrigo Mora has contributed to four goals. There is little doubt left. Rodrigo Mora is capable of taking the phenomenal promise he showed at youth level (49 goals in 73 matches for Porto’s U17 and U15 teams) into his senior career.

Even if Rodrigo Mora’s progressive, conditional release clause (from 45 to 80 million euros) hits the upper echelons, it may be insufficient in following years. Mora is a generational talent, and Portistas will be pinning their hopes on the slow ascension of Vítor Bruno’s stabilising side as well as the rapid ascension of Olival’s new star boy.