The opponent of FC Barcelona in tonight’s match, Porto, have been turning out highly competitive footballers in large number in the last few seasons. The club has produced a number of players who went on to play for some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Radamel Falcao, Eder Militao, Vitinha, Otavio, Luis Diaz, and Andre Silva are all examples of the players developed at Porto who went on to shine with other clubs. However, one particular player at Porto has his story completely against this trend.
Rising to the scene with Rio Ave
Mehdi Taremi, who is the main attacking reference in Sergio Conceicao’s Porto team, is different from these players as he joined the club at a more mature age and has stayed with Porto despite the interest of other top European clubs.
Taremi was already 27 years old when he came to Europe, and had only a modest resume boasting Iranian and Qatari clubs when he joined Rio Ave in 2019. However, he needed only one season in Portugal to showcase his talents in the final third, as he scored twenty-one goals and gave five assists in thirty-seven appearances with his first European club.
Commendable record with Porto
This performance made Porto spend €10 million on him in the summer of 2020, and his numbers in the three ensuing seasons have been spectacular. As SPORT has mentioned, he played 147 games with Porto, in which he scored 80 goals while creating another 49.
Taremi turned 31 years of age last July and is a subject of interest from various European sides, particularly from the Italian Serie A. Both the Milan clubs were interested but were unable to meet the demands of Porto. Even though Taremi’s contract is going to run out in 2024, Porto have not budged from their €20-25 million valuation of the striker.
For now, Taremi remains with Porto and will be one of the biggest threats facing FC Barcelona as the two sides face off in the Champions League clash on Wednesday. Keeping him in control will be essential for Xavi if his team is to get the three points, especially as Barcelona have seen their defense leaking some goals in the last few matches.
