William Carvalho

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ricardinho said:
BTW hers a pic of Arruda taken this morning while he was in line to receive his wellfare check.

Emplastro+Porto.jpg


Look at him displaying his The Corrupts associate card so proudly :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
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I'm not judgin ya man, but there's millions across Europe that have fallen on hard times & are deserving of financial assistance from their Governments. You shouldnt be using that as the stick to beat him with dude, because its the same stick for everyone in his position.

Try to calm down a bit & keep it football rivalries man - not personal shit like that. Its pretty nasty coming out with that line of slagging...
 
That's just a well known demented Porto fan, not even a wellfare situation. But I doubt ricardinho knows the difference.
 
sun_tzu said:
Anyway back to the player
what do people think he would actually cost (surely we wont pay the full buybout clause up front)
£25M + 5 mil in addons (couple of mil based on games played couple of mil on league titles and a mil on European title)
anything more would seem excessive given his lack of top level games
or are we going to end up in a fellaini situation where we pay over the buyout clause?
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I think that a reasonable estimative would be 25 to 30 million euros plus some addons with objectives. What will dictate the value is the ability to negotiate with Sporting (with a 5 year contract and Champions League financial leverage) and the interest from other clubs. If Monaco or City get involved i can see a possible deal with inflated values.
You won´t pay more than the buyout clause. Our President has already said if the buyout clause is met, there is nothing to discuss with the club, you just have to convince the player. But i don´t think it will reach those values unless he has an impressive World Cup campaign. Without it, the skepticism about a player with just one campaign of portuguese football is understandable.
 
Arruda said:
That's just a well known demented Porto fan, not even a wellfare situation. But I doubt ricardinho knows the difference.
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I doubt that clown knows his arse from his elbow. Lucky to just get a thread ban.
 
Sly said:
I think that a reasonable estimative would be 25 to 30 million euros plus some addons with objectives.
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so around the £25m Mark which as I said seemed about right to me
I am not sure we want to risk signing players post world cup as we have so many we need hence I suspect an early offer at the end of the season
 
Arruda said:
7 million Sportinguistas and Benfiquistas will say Porto is "corrupt", owes it's success to it and nothing more. 3 million Portistas will refute that.

7 milllion Benfiquistas and Portistas will say Sporting is constantly benefited by refereeing because of their crying demeanor. 3 million Sportinguistas will refute that.

6 million Sportinguistas and Portistas will say that Benfica only got to where it is out of being favored by a fascist regime, and having all the political power on their side, not to mention most of the media. 4 million Benfiquistas will refute that.

Numbers don't add coherence to opinions. But if too many people scream that something is true for a long time, others will pick up on it and assume it's true. That's why I believed in God when I was a child. All of the above are seen as true by some group of people or another. Yet all are assumptions with no solid evidence to sustain it, the little you may find will have counter-evidence that is conveniently ignored. None of them can even be constituted as a "yes or no" scenario, just shades of gray. What you present as fact, is just a stereotype.
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All that petty squabbling was worth it if it produced this absolute belter of a post.

Should be made a sticky for posterity, so anyone who ever gets in a row with rival fans about refereeing can copy and paste it with assorted English clubs in place of the Portugese.

Particularly liked the line about believing in God as a chlld. Bravo.
 
Thanks Pogue. And RedSky :)
 
The last years of intense rivalry between Porto and Benfica fans have resulted in alot of irrational hatred from behalf of both sets of supporters. Add the latin element in the equation and you have an explosive cocktail.
When discussing portuguese football there are special circunstancies that most of the users of other nationalities don´t know but i don´t think the Manchester United board is the appropriate place to discuss those matters. Even so there is freedom of speech if you respect the posters (which was not the case with Ricardinho). I prefer to stay out of it or else it will spoil my forum fun.
 
Arruda is a top poster and top bloke seemingly.
 
sun_tzu said:
so around the £25m Mark which as I said seemed about right to me
I am not sure we want to risk signing players post world cup as we have so many we need hence I suspect an early offer at the end of the season
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Yes i think you made a pretty resonable estimate. But negotiations aren´t as linear. Besides who knows, Carvalho is a firm favourite to start in the world cup but you never know what Paulo Bento is thinking. I agree that waiting till after the world cup might be risky, specially with the level of interest he is attracting.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
All that petty squabbling was worth it if it produced this absolute belter of a post.

Should be made a sticky for posterity, so anyone who ever gets in a row with rival fans about refereeing can copy and paste it with assorted English clubs in place of the Portugese.

Particularly liked the line about believing in God as a chlld. Bravo.
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Well I think it is a bit contradictory if we make the forum line that beleiving in God is nothing more than mere propaganda. Other than that, yea, I agree, that post can be adopted in several scenarios on here.
 
Rozay said:
Arruda is a top poster and top bloke seemingly.
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Yes, rivalry aside i think he represents well the portuguese football fans (i also agree with most of his CE views). I already exchanged some pm with him.
 
Sly said:
Yes i think you made a pretty resonable estimate. But negotiations aren´t as linear. Besides who knows, Carvalho is a firm favourite to start in the world cup but you never know what Paulo Bento is thinking. I agree that waiting till after the world cup might be risky, specially with the level of interest he is attracting.
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I think if Sporting have the intention of cashing in, waiting until after the World Cup could work against them too. It is not a given that he will have an impressive tournament. A poor one may put buyers off, given that after all, he still hasn't proven too much for too long or at a top level. I doubt anyone will pay north of £30m if he doesn't shine.
 
Damien said:
Arruda is great, while ricardinho is the perfect example of why the newbie system was brought in.
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Yea, posting a picture and saying it was Arruda getting his welfare cheque was pretty low.
 
Rozay said:
I think if Sporting have the intention of cashing in, waiting until after the World Cup could work against them too. It is not a given that he will have an impressive tournament. A poor one may put buyers off, given that after all, he still hasn't proven too much for too long or at a top level. I doubt anyone will pay north of £30m if he doesn't shine.
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That´s why i said negotiations aren´t as linear. Your reasoning (specially the world cup part) is correct but our President already said yesterday that we have no intention of selling. I don´t know if it´s just usual Presidential rhetoric or if it is the reality of a new Sporting´s restructured financial state. I prefer to have William stay for another year and help us with a potencial champions league campaign and domestic title fight rather than selling him for a lower price. I just don´t want the club to sell him for "peanuts" like the Ronaldo deal. We didn´t have a huge financial gain (like Porto usually has) and we didn´t exploit his footballing ability fully either.
 
Sly said:
That´s why i said negotiations aren´t as linear. Your reasoning (specially the world cup part) is correct but our President already said yesterday that we have no intention of selling. I don´t know if it´s just usual Presidential rhetoric or if it is the reality of a new Sporting´s restructured financial state. I prefer to have William stay for another year and help us with a potencial champions league campaign and domestic title fight rather than selling him for a lower price. I just don´t want the club to sell him for "peanuts" like the Ronaldo deal. We didn´t have a huge financial gain (like Porto usually has) and we didn´t exploit his footballing ability fully either.
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I reckon even if he proves himself further, on the basis that this 'proof' will be largely in the Portuguese Liga, his price is unlikely to ever go much higher than £30m. I mean, nobody will be paying any world record fees for a defensive midfielder from Portuguese League. If indeed you have no financial need or wish to sell, fair enough, but if you need the money, I reckon it is best to sell high. I think given the figures quoted now of around £30m, the price will only get worse from here if he fails to impress.
 
Sly said:
Ilori was a very good player at Sporting, who was improving on game basis and had potencial to evolve into an important first team player. But he choose not to renew and we had to sell him to Liverpool. His performances for Sporting were very encouraging and our previous board tried to convince him to stay but he had the objective of imediatly going to England. What impressed me about Ilori was his pace (holds the academy record for the 100 meters surpassing players like Ronaldo and Nani), man marking capability and technical ability. He also had a very decent passing range (saw his hollywood ball style assist for Granada the other days very impressive). His positioning was kinda suspect which is normal for an inexperienced young player but there was potencial for improvement under a good manager such as Rodgers.
I think he should have stayed at Sporting in order to improve or Liverpool should have loaned him instantly after purchasing Sakho. You can´t evolve if you don´t play or if you play at reserve team level competitions. Liverpool made the right move to loan him to Granada now but i haven´t been following his career there. Did Liverpool give a buying option to Granada?
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Nah there is not a buying option as far as i know, i think eventually Rodgers long term plan is to partner him alongside Sakho.
 
Just looked on one of the rumours sites and it says Monaco are interested, which reminded me of another defensive midfielder.

What I find odd is that we're talking about a £30m pricetag with basically a year in the Portuguese league to use as evidence. Last year, Monaco paid €20m (about £16m) for a young defensive midfielder from Sevilla called Kondogbia. I've not seen enough of Kondogbia for Monaco to know why they need another defensive midfielder - I'd assumed he was doing OK though, given he's been called up by France.

So Carvalho and Kondogbia are both 21, both big units 6 foot plus, both defensive midfielders. Is Carvalho really better now than Kondogbia was last year (hence the price difference)? Has Kondogbia failed at Monaco or is he moving on?

I remember Kondogbia from Sevilla, but haven't seen either of them in more than highlights and clips this year (not the best method for watching a defensive midfielder). Compare and contrast please.

And if anyone can throw Saul Niguez who's got a similar (but smaller) physique and is a more Spanish footballer into the mix that would be absolutely perfect! Look, I don't ask for much :lol: I'm just intrigued about how Carvalho got up to that valuation.
 
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jojojo said:
Just looked on one of the rumours sites and it says Monaco are interested.

So Carvalho and Kondogbia are both 21, both big units 6 foot plus, both defensive midfielders. Is Carvalho really better now than Kondogbia was last year (hence the price difference)? Has Kondogbia failed at Monaco or is he moving on?
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Just on the point about the price I think the £30 million pound fee is more to do with his release clause is set around that, and the feeling is they won't sell for less than that.
 
jojojo said:
Just looked on one of the rumours sites and it says Monaco are interested, which reminded me of another defensive midfielder.

What I find odd is that we're talking about a £30m pricetag with basically a year in the Portuguese league to use as evidence. Last year, Monaco paid €20m (about £16m) for a young defensive midfielder from Sevilla called Kondogbia. I've not seen enough of Kondogbia for Monaco to know why they need another defensive midfielder - I'd assumed he was doing OK though, given he's been called up by France.

So Carvalho and Kondogbia are both 21, both big units 6 foot plus, both defensive midfielders. Is Carvalho really better now than Kondogbia was last year (hence the price difference)? Has Kondogbia failed at Monaco or is he moving on?

I remember Kondogbia from Sevilla, but haven't seen either of them in more than highlights and clips this year (not the best method for watching a defensive midfielder). Compare and contrast please.

And if anyone can throw Saul Niguez who's got a similar (but smaller) physique and is a more Spanish footballer into the mix that would be absolutely perfect! Look, I don't ask for much :lol: I'm just intrigued about how Carvalho got up to that valuation.
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Two words about the Monaco link, "Jorge Mendes". I believe it´s his behind the scene work since he has a good relationship with Monaco´s russian owner. Sporting has been cleansing the influence of israeli agent Pini Zahavi over our players and Jorge Mendes is trying to recover some ground and influence.

Can´t say i know Kondogbia very well so i don´t know why they are interested in Carvalho if they are seemingly the same type of player. I don´t really know Monaco´s squad (haven´t been following Moutinho or James Rodriguez either) and their future needs.

The Carvalho valuation is simple. The 45 million euros release clause isn´t indicative of his value, it´s just a new policy from our current President to fend off the usual interest from big clubs in players from our academy. Most of the youth players that have renewed recently, have 45 to 60 million release clauses.

The high valuation is explained by the interest he has been attracting, the various and continuous scouting missions from european clubs and the fact that he has been a standout player in our league. Everyone knows how portuguese clubs are keen negotiators, who know how to value and sell their players (with exception of the Ronaldo deal). He has been showing great potencial and ability and has become a portuguese internacional with big probabilities of being a starter in the Brazil World cup. All these motives and his big potencial to evolve explain his inflated value. I´d prefer for him to stay another year and have another domestic full campaign and also prove himself in the Champions League but it appears that the top club interest is real and if he has a good World Cup clubs will probably go for him. But we are in no worry to sell (with the possible Champions League money) and the fact that he has 5 years on his contract
 
Sly said:
Mané is a different player in relation to Nani. I understand when you say that he reminds you of Nani from viewing some highlights but they are different. Mané is a winger like Nani was but our manager is trying to make a transition to the number 10 position putting him behind our striker. His performance in the last game was very encouraging and perhaps he will start playing there. But responding to your question, he is one of the latest gems (along with Carvalho) from our academy. He comes from our distinguished school of wingers ( "produced" players like Futre, Figo, Quaresma, Simão, Ronaldo and Nani) and is showing alot of potencial. He is very pacy, capable of beating his man with good dribbling and shooting ability. If i compare him to Nani i can say that Nani has a better shot and is a better crosser but Mané has better decision making and positioning. Mané although playing as a winger in some games, has the ability to appear in very good positions in the box and has scored some goals thanks to that. Nani has better raw potencial and ability but Mané is a more intelligent player in football terms with better end product (comparing their Sporting careers).

Even so it´s still too early for him to move abroad. He has about 15 game for the main team and hasn´t proved himself in european competitions like Nani did (Nani had a very good Champions League campaign before moving to United). But the potencial is there and i have the expectation that he will be a key player next year (considering Carvalho will probably leave in the summer)
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Interesting this. I remember Mane well because he was the stand out in both matches against us and Liverpool in the nexlions cup towards end of 2012. While whole Sporting team was impressive (specially the tactical maturity at that age) against us, Mane stood out as he was being a constant pain for our better built center backs with his movement, control and intelligence. He was relatively tiny but showed impressive upper body strength. He was also playing as a lone striker and if you had told me then that it's not his natural position then I wouldn't have believed you.
 
What do you make of this player? I just can't get excited because he doesn't look like someone who would add drive, power and pace to our midfield in the same way Toure does for City.
 
Tooni said:
Interesting this. I remember Mane well because he was the stand out in both matches against us and Liverpool in the nexlions cup towards end of 2012. While whole Sporting team was impressive (specially the tactical maturity at that age) against us, Mane stood out as he was being a constant pain for our better built center backs with his movement, control and intelligence. He was relatively tiny but showed impressive upper body strength. He was also playing as a lone striker and if you had told me then that it's not his natural position then I wouldn't have believed you.
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Another good performance by Mané yesterday in the number 10 position, one of the best players on the field. Very good description of Mané playing style Tooni. He did play some games as a lone striker in the next gen. This happened for two reasons. First, there were games where we didn´t have our strikers available for whatever reason (Injury or suspension), so he played there (he played reasonably well at that position but i think it limits his potencial and he doesn´t take full advantage of his ability). Second, it was tactical approach in away games against more respectful opposition. Mané is a very good player to use at counter attacks because of his speed and mobility.

About Carvalho, another solid performance yesterday, being the second best in the Sporting team behind Rojo. Sometimes he reminds me of Moutinho performance wise. Very regular player, always performing and bringing stability to the midfield.

Im also pleasantly surprised with Rojo´s performance this year. If he mantains this level and impresses in the World Cup for Argentina (since he is a starter) i can see big clubs moving for him. He can be very useful for a top team with a big campaign calendar. He is 23 years of age, physically very strong (6 ft 11⁄2 in), can play as center and left back. He has good pace and aerial ability but prone to the ocasional concentration lapses (has improved alot this year). He is too aggressive sometimes (argentinian blood) but under the guidance of a good manager he will be able to improve on that aspect also (Leonardo Jardim already did a good job on him).
 
Kill 'em all said:
What do you make of this player? I just can't get excited because he doesn't look like someone who would add drive, power and pace to our midfield in the same way Toure does for City.
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Why not? That´s exactly what he does in our midfield. He is the main reason our underperforming midfield from last year (worst sector of last year´s Sporting team that was 7th) is currently one of the best in the league. He brings defensive cohesion and stability along with the ability to pressure the opponent players to lose the ball. When it´s needed (and the manager gives him more tactical freedom) he also does pacy forward runs and has very reasonable numbers in terms of goals and chances for a very defensive role DM. He also has been proving that he can play in a midfield of two (yesterday night he did so and also whenever our Manager usually changes our tactics to a 4-4-2 in the second halfs).
 
Only bit of news about William this weekend. Real Madrid thinking about William or Pogba for next year.

http://www.dn.pt/desporto/sporting/interior.aspx?content_id=3785375

Basically saying that Real Madrid is just thinking of two names for the midfield, him and Pogba. Talking about the close links of Jorge Mendes with Florentino and Cristiano´s presence and influence in the club.

About Pogba, Italian press mentioning 50 million euros figures and player exchange with Fábio Coentrão, Di Maria or Benzema as possible options.
 
Sly said:
Why not? That´s exactly what he does in our midfield. He is the main reason our underperforming midfield from last year (worst sector of last year´s Sporting team that was 7th) is currently one of the best in the league. He brings defensive cohesion and stability along with the ability to pressure the opponent players to lose the ball. When it´s needed (and the manager gives him more tactical freedom) he also does pacy forward runs and has very reasonable numbers in terms of goals and chances for a very defensive role DM. He also has been proving that he can play in a midfield of two (yesterday night he did so and also whenever our Manager usually changes our tactics to a 4-4-2 in the second halfs).
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He does not have the same end product as Yaya Toure though and I do not believe he ever will. I do not understand this Yaya Toure comparison everyone keeps going on about, mainly because he is not proficient as Yaya Toure in the attacking part of his game. Of course he is capable of taking the ball forward, but I am not sure he does it consistent enough to take up the label or role as a box to box midfielder. From what I have seen, I can not envision a duel box to box midfield role with Carvalho in midfield in the same sense of Toure and Fernandinho. With Toure and Fernandinho, both are potent box to box midfielder. Whereas, Carvalho is a potent defensive midfielder, capable of influencing the game as a registas (deep lying playmaker). If anything, his playing style reminds me of Alexander Song if we are going to make any acute comparison.

Sly said:
Only bit of news about William this weekend. Real Madrid thinking about William or Pogba for next year.

http://www.dn.pt/desporto/sporting/interior.aspx?content_id=3785375

Basically saying that Real Madrid is just thinking of two names for the midfield, him and Pogba. Talking about the close links of Jorge Mendes with Florentino and Cristiano´s presence and influence in the club.

About Pogba, Italian press mentioning 50 million euros figures and player exchange with Fábio Coentrão, Di Maria or Benzema as possible options.
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I do not believe Real Madrid would go after him, but it is great to see such a big club are interested in this player. Madrid has many holding midfielders in Xabi, Irallamendhi, and Casemiro. It seems, Pogba whould be a better complement to all those holding midfielders than Carvalho. But, then again someimes Madrid does not think about squad balance when buying players, so he may end up their if they put in a enticing offer.
 
Amadaeus said:
He does not have the same end product as Yaya Toure though and I do not believe he ever will. I do not understand this Yaya Toure comparison everyone keeps going on about, mainly because he is not proficient as Yaya Toure in the attacking part of his game. Of course he is capable of taking the ball forward, but I am not sure he does it consistent enough to take up the label or role as a box to box midfielder. From what I have seen, I can not envision a duel box to box midfield role with Carvalho in midfield in the same sense of Toure and Fernandinho. With Toure and Fernandinho, both are potent box to box midfielder. Whereas, Carvalho is a potent defensive midfielder, capable of influencing the game as a registas (deep lying playmaker). If anything, his playing style reminds me of Alexander Song if we are going to make any acute comparison.



I do not believe Real Madrid would go after him, but it is great to see such a big club are interested in this player. Madrid has many holding midfielders in Xabi, Irallamendhi, and Casemiro. It seems, Pogba whould be a better complement to all those holding midfielders than Carvalho. But, then again someimes Madrid does not think about squad balance when buying players, so he may end up their if they put in a enticing offer.
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Yes, he doesn´t have the same end product of Yaya Touré but that was not the point i was adressing when replying to the post. I was talking about drive, power and pace. I never did the Toure/Carvalho comparisons as i think he reminds me of Patrick Vieira instead (Boa Morte has expressed the same opinion). Why don´t you envision? How many times have you seen him? He has played in that role when we play a more attacking 4-4-2 at the second half of the games, as in national team youth ranks. He has provided decent performances in that position. Just because we have a tactically strict manager who is compensating an unbalanced midfield, doesn´t mean he can´t performe as a box to box midfielder. I think he could evolve in that role in a better team with more quality. By the way, how do you come up with the conclusion of him of playing as regista? Because it´s Adrien who usually plays that role in our team.

He could be of use to Real Madrid. Of the players you mention, Xavi is getting old and Carvalho could be a good option for the future. About Illaramendi, with what he has been showing this year, Carvalho can clearly compete with him. Casemiro doesn´t have the same ability or potencial as Carvalho. You forgot Khedira but i don´t know if he has a future with Real with all the speculation. I think that Real Madrid could do with both but i agree that Pogba, at the moment, would suit Madrid better.
 
Sly said:
Yes, he doesn´t have the same end product of Yaya Touré but that was not the point i was adressing when replying to the post. I was talking about drive, power and pace. I never did the Toure/Carvalho comparisons as i think he reminds me of Patrick Vieira instead (Boa Morte has expressed the same opinion). Why don´t you envision? How many times have you seen him? He has played in that role when we play a more attacking 4-4-2 at the second half of the games, as in national team youth ranks. He has provided decent performances in that position. Just because we have a tactically strict manager who is compensating an unbalanced midfield, doesn´t mean he can´t performe as a box to box midfielder. I think he could evolve in that role in a better team with more quality. By the way, how do you come up with the conclusion of him of playing as regista? Because it´s Adrien who usually plays that role in our team.

He could be of use to Real Madrid. Of the players you mention, Xavi is getting old and Carvalho could be a good option for the future. About Illaramendi, with what he has been showing this year, Carvalho can clearly compete with him. Casemiro doesn´t have the same ability or potencial as Carvalho. You forgot Khedira but i don´t know if he has a future with Real with all the speculation. I think that Real Madrid could do with both but i agree that Pogba, at the moment, would suit Madrid better.
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I came up with that conclusion, because Carvalho is great at spraying the ball around from deep within the midfield. He has great passing range in finding players, good positional sense/spaitial awareness and does well in anchoring the back four much better than most most modern day deep lying playmakers. I can not envision, him(Carvalho) becoming a box to box midfielder over a holding one because he is so much more potent playing in the latter position. Dicating the play from deep within the midfield and sparingly breaking forward when the opportunity present itself seems like the best way to utilize his ability. His end product is arguable one of his weakest part of his game, which would limit his ability in this box to box role. Especially if partnered with a player like Kroos or Gündogan who would be much more proficient option.

I certainely have not seen him as much as you, but from the last 6 months or so that I managed to watch him play, that some of the things I gathered. Patrick Viera is another good comparison from the little I have remembered of his performances.

Yea, I did forget Khedira :lol:. Real Madrid has an abundant number of holding midfielders. Even though he has greater potential than Illaramendi(?) and Casemiro, what would be the point of bringing in another holding midfielder into that equation? Just to offload players they bought last season? Even though that sounds like something I would not put past Real Madrid to do, it does not look like a reasonable scenario considering those two players afforementioned are still developing and could become noteworthy replacement for Xabi. I believe the need for a midfielder that plays Modric role at Madrid, is much more needed than another holding midfielder.
 
Amadaeus said:
I came up with that conclusion, because Carvalho is great at spraying the ball around from deep within the midfield. He has great passing range in finding players, good positional sense/spaitial awareness and does well in anchoring the back four much better than most most modern day deep lying playmakers. I can not envision, him(Carvalho) becoming a box to box midfielder over a holding one because he is so much more potent playing in the latter position. Dicating the play from deep within the midfield and sparingly breaking forward when the opportunity present itself seems like the best way to utilize his ability. His end product is arguable one of his weakest part of his game, which would limit his ability in this box to box role. Especially if partnered with a player like Kroos or Gündogan who would be much more proficient option.

I certainely have not seen him as much as you, but from the last 6 months or so that I managed to watch him play, that some of the things I gathered. Patrick Viera is another good comparison from the little I have remembered of his performances.

Yea, I did forget Khedira :lol:. Real Madrid has an abundant number of holding midfielders. Even though he has greater potential than Illaramendi(?) and Casemiro, what would be the point of bringing in another holding midfielder into that equation? Just to offload players they bought last season? Even though that sounds like something I would not put past Real Madrid to do, it does not look like a reasonable scenario considering those two players afforementioned are still developing and could become noteworthy replacement for Xabi. I believe the need for a midfielder that plays Modric role at Madrid, is much more needed than another holding midfielder.
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Fair enough. I agree with what you wrote but i´m still very curious to see Carvalho in a better team and with more tactical freedom. I think he can play reasonably as a box to box midfielder (like i said he has proved that when playing in a more attacking 4-4-2 when are chasing results) but his best position is DM.

Patrick Vieira has been the most recurrent playing style comparison with all the portuguese pundits and former players and i think that it´s the more appropriate comparison.

For the record, i don´t really believe the Real Madrid link but when Jorge Mendes is involved and with Ronaldo´s influence you never know.
 
The usual weekly Carvalho gif routine (yesterday´s game):

Sir.William.Guimar%C3%A3es.gif
 
Sporting really have served us well. Weren't they some level of feeder club for us at one stage, or did I dream that?
 
KiD MoYeS said:
Sporting really have served us well. Weren't they some level of feeder club for us at one stage, or did I dream that?
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No. We had a protocol where we exchanged knowledge in what concerns youth ranks work (there were alot of United coaches doing internships in our Academy) and you had first dibs on some of the talents. We were never a feeder club. We are a respected, traditional european club with reasonable dimension, so we obviously don´t act as feeder club.
 
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