Former coach André Villas-Boas was proclaimed the winner this Saturday in the Porto elections to elect its president, dethroning the historic Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, who has been at the helm of the ‘dragons’ for more than four decades.
In the absence of the final result of the election being known, Villas-Boas, 46 years old and former coach of Porto, Chelsea and Marseille, declared himself the winner in a speech at his campaign headquarters.
“Based on the latest news this could be a resounding victory,” said Villas-Boas, who dedicated his victory to all the club’s fans.
According to the media, Villas-Boas would have won with around 70% of the votes over Pinto da Costa, whose candidacy admitted his defeat on his X account, where he expressed “best wishes for the next cycle and the next team, which “continue to make this FC Porto the pride of all of us.”
The winner has competed in these elections with the Spanish Andoni Zubizarreta as his running mate, who will become the next sports director of the blue and white.
More than 26,000 members came to the Dragão Stadium this Saturday to vote, a record number for the club, on a day in which access to the venue was under a strong security device, after the altercations during the team’s General Assembly in November, which led to 12 arrests.
Among the objectives of the newly elected president are balancing the club’s finances, returning it to the path of victory – it is third in the Portuguese League – and promoting women’s football.
Villas-Boas (Porto, 1977) began his career as a member of José Mourinho’s technical team at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, and later became head coach.
He only spent one season on the Dragons’ bench, 2010/2011, but in that time he won the Portuguese League, Cup and Super Cup, as well as the Europa League, with a team led on the field by the Colombian Radamel. Falcao.
The former coach has won what have been the closest elections of the 42 years of presidency of Pinto da Costa, 86 years old.
The big loser of the day took the reins of Porto on April 23, 1982 and since then has won some 2,500 trophies in different disciplines, including two football Champions Leagues in 1987 and 2004.
During all these years he has not only been the president of one of the most successful clubs in the world, but also the one who has been in office the longest.
