The winger joins through to 2026

Rochinha has become Sporting Clube de Portugal's latest signing for 2022/2023. The 27-year-old winger, who has spent the last four seasons at Vitória SC, signed a contract through to 2026 with a buyout clause of 45 million euros.

“Signing for Sporting CP brings me great joy. This was the right step to take in my career and I am very happy to belong to this team and this family. Now it's up to me to give everything I have on a day-to-day basis to help the group to the fullest,” he began by saying in his presentation on Wednesday.

“When they told me about the possibility of coming here, I was immediately very excited and I'm glad that it happened. I hope that in time the Sportinguistas will say it was good for them too. Sporting CP are the club with the highest level among those I've represented and I hope to live up to expectations. I want to help the squad to achieve their goals."

Before moving to Guimarães, where he rose to the role of captain, the forward also had experiences at Boavista FC, Standard de Liège in Belgium, and at Bolton Wanderers in England, which makes him feel prepared to face the responsibilities of playing at a big club.

“At Vitória SC, the demand from the fans was very high, but here it is even greater because there are no excuses; You have to win, win and win. I think that's the requirement I needed at this point in my career and I'm focused on doing my best", he stressed, also expressing his excitement about the idea of playing in the UEFA Champions League and working under Rúben Amorim.

“The image I had of the coach from the outside was already very good, and my first contact with him was also very good. He's a coach you want to work with and now I want to seize this opportunity."

Rochinha is one of the many Portuguese players at the club, and he praised the coach's commitment to homegrown products.

“There is a lot of talent in Portugal, and even the young teams have gone a long way in big competitions. This proves the quality that exists in our country and it is important that the coach tries to make the most of it. It has been bringing results and that is very good for the club."

Rochinha also highlighted the fact that he has been reunited with Nuno Santos and Marcus Edwards, two players with whom he had already played and who will facilitate his integration into the squad.

“Knowing Marcus and Nuno will help me a lot in this early stage of my time here. Also, I've come across many of the other players before, and that's important because they'll be able to help me as much as possible with adapting. Even the players I didn't know have been impeccable in their welcome, and helped me with everything on this first day, so I have to thank them for that too."

In closing, the new signing gave a message to Sporting CP's partners and supporters.

“You can expect a lot of work, dedication and demand from me on a daily basis. I will always be focused as much as possible on making Sportinguistas happy, as that's what I'm here for."