Portugal has become a regular destination for Colombian players, from the most famous to the least known, with Porto taking on a benchmark role among the top-ranked over the years, helping to create a tradition of success and several golden pages in the club’s history. Guarin jokingly admits that he misses his compatriots with dragons on their chests, although he emphasizes the presence of two of them among the capital’s rivals.
“I hope that this brand will come back, there is a mutual identification. All Colombians really want Porto. Seeing Rios at Benfica, who is an ace, and Luis Suarez at Sporting, who had an outstanding season, we feel that we are missing our representative at Porto. A Colombian there is a must every year. Colombia is a big fan of Porto because of our history, it is one of the most talked about in Europe clubs here,” he admitted in an interview with O. JOGO.
With his eyes on the World Cup and confidence in the excellent performance of the Colombians, Guarin is looking forward to the meeting between Miami and Portugal. “It will be a special game, I’m preparing for it. It will be crazy all over Colombia. For me, Portugal has a special brand, I have a Portuguese daughter. She will be beautiful and it will probably be the last World Cup for Ronaldo and James. They are two very strong teams, but Portugal have impressive personalities. I really like the Paris SG youth team. Colombia has achieved important successes and has players performing at a great level. They will go far at the World Cup,” he predicts, also highlighting James’ likely influence. “He will look good, he hasn’t had much continuity, but mentally he is strong and is preparing to perform at his best level,” he assesses.