Salvador: “I have grown a lot as team captain, but I won’t stop here”

“I have wanted to play in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League for a long time. It is the pinnacle of handball at the club level. All handball players dream of the EHF Champions League and I am no exception. I can’t wait for it to start,” says Sporting left back and captain Salvador Salvador. Sporting CP’s first game in this competition will be on Wednesday September 11, in Lisbon, against Orlen Wisla Plock.

When asked which opponents in group A he would highlight in terms of competitive demands, the Sporting CP team captain is very clear.

“The teams on this stage are the best in Europe and there is still a lot of quality left out for the other European competitions. Veszprém and Paris Saint-Germain stand out in our group, but all teams have lots of qualities and they will all cause us a lot of problems. We have to be well prepared for each of the different challenges,” says Salvador.

The Portuguese champions excelled in the last two editions of the EHF European League, where they reached the quarter-finals consecutively. In Salvador's view, this accumulated experience will be absolutely fundamental in the Champions League 2024/25.

“The last few seasons have given us a lot of experience; a lot of stamina to be able to compete against the best teams in Europe. This year has everything to be a great challenge. We have been looking for it for a long time. The games will be very competitive and I am confident that we will continue to take sure and firm steps at the European level,” says the 23-year-old.

Salvador joined Sporting CP when he was still a kid, at 13 years old. A decade later, the results are extremely positive, especially after coach Ricardo Costa's arrival at the green and white club. “I know that I have been growing a lot in recent years, both mentally, where I have developed a lot in recent years, and tactically and technically. This is also the result of a lot of training and a lot of help from coach Ricardo Costa,” says Salvador.

“I was still a project player when Ricardo arrived at Sporting CP and now I am completely different and I have grown a lot as team captain. But I will not stop here. I really want to continue helping Sporting CP and grow as an athlete and as a person.”

And what exactly is Sporting CP’s main goal in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2024/25? Salvador has a lot of respect for the elite opponents in group A, but his reverence for and confidence in the team he leads set the bar high and he looks for the win against all opponents.

“The main goal is to play very well in every game. We want to get through the group stage and after that, we will go game by game — always with a lot of ambition and going as far as possible,” concludes Salvador. 

Photos © Sporting CP