FC Stumbras defender from Portugal Andre Almeida is one of the “oldest” players in the club. This year he started his 3rd season with the club and definitely has something to tell.

As one of the most “oldest” players in FC Stumbras, what can you tell about the team of this year? Could you compare it to the previous seasons teams?

The team is ready to make history again. We are super motivated for this season because last year we did a fantastic job and our goal is, at least, to do the same like last year. Of course we lost important players like Marcos and Floro but our team is always about collective, not individual quality. The most important is to retain the coach’s idea and, with our collective quality and fighting spirit, we are hoping to achieve great things for this year.

How did you prepare for the season? Did you train individually and how fit and ready you feel at the moment?

Everyone knows that we started later comparing with the other teams and maybe some people would think that we would feel that in the game but in these 3 weeks we trained super hard and we were confident that we would be ready for the match and the truth is that no one noticed that we started after. During all the match we managed to control the opponent and the game and the result came in a natural way.

At first match of season you were fighting for each others and fans saw how much effort you guys gave. Can we expect such an attitude towards every match?

One of our biggest qualities is our fighting spirit. All the teams that face us knows that. We are a family and family always look for each other’s back. Maybe some games we’ll not be able to play like we want but one thing that we can assure to the fans is that we will fight every second for the victory.

How was crucial to win the first match of the season?

It’s always important to win the first match but that’s it, just one match. Of course it’s positive because it shows that our pre season was good and we were prepared. But it’s just one match. The season is a marathon and we have to be ready for that. We won, we celebrate but the day after we were already preparing the next game because that victory is already in the past. What’s important now is to prepare the next game because we always want the 3 points.

What is your expectations and goals for this season?

My expectations for this season is to help Stumbras to achieve the goals. Last year was really good in a collective and individual way but there’s no individual success without the collective one. The most important is always Stumbras and the team and then I can think about myself. This year we hope to do a fantastic job, like last season. We know it will be hard but we are more than ready!

Thank You!