Anyone arriving at that training camp, covered in a strange morning fog that is rare in these parts, would easily be surprised by the amalgamation of languages. You hear English, Spanish, Polish, but also (a lot of) Portuguese. Coexistence is peaceful and doesn't seem to confuse anyone: the players follow orders, position themselves at the coach's command, run, kick, laugh, play among themselves. There is room for everything, in the midst of the fog that may not promise any D. Sebastião, but announces one certainty: this is the most Portuguese club in Poland. António Ribeiro cannot hide his astonishment at the assurance that, even so, this could be the sunniest day in the Algarve since the beginning of the year. “Do you swear?” he asks the journalist in disbelief. The affirmative answer makes her eyes widen once again. «Still, you have no idea how cold it is in Poland», says António, who is one of the main characters in this story that can scare away the most inattentive reader. What will a Polish club do in the Algarve? Strictly speaking, the question should actually be the opposite: what do so many Portuguese people do in a Polish club? The answer is much easier and let's take it from football: they spread magic. Much of the blame - in a good way - really lies with António Ribeiro, son of a former professional (José João who played for Académico de Viseu and for Benfica), uncle of another former player, cousin of a (still) footballer. How to escape your destiny? «There has always been a very strong connection», he says, to begin with. Let's place the reader: we are at the Colina Verde Resort, in Moncarapacho (Olhão), currently the headquarters of a training camp for Radomiak, a Polish First Division club that has been making waves (they are two points behind Europe and four away from 1st place, even though they have one of the lowest budgets in the championship). The talent for football, says António, was “little”. His passion for sport was immense: he had no use for the ball, he trained as a coach, he was also in the world of scouting and that was when his connection to Radomiak began, with the intermediation of a player: Filipe Nascimento, trained at Benfica. From that season - 2020/2021 - until November 2024, a lot has happened, but the António-Radomiak connection has never been lost. And it gained new flights. «That month, I received an invitation to be sports director and I accepted. It was a new challenge and I didn't even think twice about it», he says, without hiding his pride - especially because the path has always been growing. The focus on Portuguese players became increasingly clear; the objectives that, when António arrived as head of football, included maintenance, also became different. Whose ride? From another Portuguese, of course. The most Polish of the Portuguese We left the hotel reception and accompanied António on a light walk, with the final destination set - the Colina Verde Resort training ground. On the way, which lasts no more than 5 minutes, the conversation never stops revolving around football: we talk about Portuguese who played in Poland, we throw names "on the table", we remember the qualifiers between Portuguese teams against Polish teams in European competitions. “Look, we already have someone waiting for us there,” says the sporting director. Jacket on, boots on, smile on his face, full beard, Gonçalo Feio appears with tactical board in hand, ready to start another training session. It doesn't last more than 1h30, but you can clearly see what this Portuguese coach represents for that group of players. And vice versa. Watching him guide the training - forgive the journalist's opinion - is a delight. Don't stop for a second. «The center-back here!». «Adrian, aboveAdrian!». «Very well, Captain! Closes from the inside». The manager's comment, made between laughs, is symptomatic: «I usually say that, every day, I use four or five languages almost automatically». Namely: Polish, English, Spanish and - in recent times - (a lot of) Portuguese. Let's look at the numbers - in Radomiak's current squad, there are almost 10 players who are either Portuguese or played in Portuguese football. Romário Baró (ex-FC Porto), Elves Baldé (ex-Sporting and Farense), Capita (ex-Estrela), Ouattara (ex-Vitória SC, Portimonense and U. Leiria), Maurides (ex-Arouca and B-SAD), Ibrahima Camará (ex-Boavista and Moreirense), Vasco Lopes (ex-AVS and Farense), João Pedro (ex-Rio Ave) and Luquinha (ex-Santa Clara) make up the group of this Portuguese "mini-armada" that has dazzled the coach. «The fact that it is a squad with many Portuguese or players who spent time in Portugal makes it easier for us to understand the concepts. Because of the tactical culture they have. Having worked in Portugal, some in the big leagues, they are players with pedigree who have a great understanding of the game», says Gonçalo Feio. The manager, who has already coached other clubs in Poland (last year, he won the Cup with Legia), does not, however, like speaking in groups. “I don’t even feel it. It's a very close-knit team and they have an incredible spirit. It's very easy to train them because they believe in their potential, they always want more and I identify with that», he considers. Praise for the squad, which was entirely assembled by António Ribeiro, is constant: «you saw the quality, didn't you? There are a lot of very high-level people here». There is no room for counterarguments. Training demonstrates this; Among the group of players, there are those who stand out the most and Vasco Lopes, a well-known winger from his AVS and Farense days, is one of them. Vasco and company We found him at the end of training, without hiding his apparent nervousness. «I'm not usually very good at these things», he warns. The conversation completely disproves it. This is Vasco Lopes' second experience abroad, after a spell at Akritas (Cyprus), in 2022/2023. The differences, he says, are abysmal. «It's very different. The Polish championship has more quality and I'm really enjoying it. The conditions are also different», he guarantees. Before choosing Radomiak, Vasco Lopes knew he would meet many Portuguese people. «That helped him come, of course. Almost more Portuguese is spoken than Polish in the locker room. Any Portuguese person who arrives adapts easily,” he says. Those who were already there - at the head, the 10 Poles who make up the squad - naturally accepted so much "Portuguese blood". «I was even hoping that maybe it would be different [risos]but they were very good to us», says Vasco Lopes. So far, the winger, who continues to follow all AVS matches, has played 17 games, almost always starting, with three assists. «I haven't scored yet, but I'll get there. I'm working well and I feel better and better", believes the winger. One of his teammates at Radomiak is Romário Baró, one of the players with the best record in the entire squad. His speech seems like a copy of what his friend has: the Polish League is different from Switzerland (where he was champion, last season, with Basel), the Portuguese are a blessing and the choice for Poland was the right one. «It's been very good. Challenging, but good. We get along very well with everyone and that, even for the group, is good», he says, with very few words. The internship in the Algarve – at this time, the championship stops in Poland due to the temperatures – is serving everyone (players, coach and staff) as preparation for the main objective of the season. That no one hides. «This team has been doing well in terms of consistency and I believe it will continue. I want to spend my life playing in European competitions and I think many players here do too», says Gonçalo Feio. «I have never played in European competitions and that is definitely a goal. I want to fight for that», according to Vasco Lopes. «We want to be in European competition places. I imagine the future of this club in top positions», adds António Ribeiro. And there is also Emanuel Ribeiro, who remains to be introduced, who guarantees that, there, everyone “gives their lives for Radomiak”. Emanuel is one of Gonçalo Feio's assistant coaches. It is also Portuguese; It also feels like home, even if thousands of kilometers away from our country. «We are the most Portuguese team in Poland, which, for me, also gives us added responsibility. It's one more reason to take our football beyond borders», he says. The moment that followed was not even necessary to understand the family atmosphere that exists at Radomiak. «Didn't you notice my nickname? I'm António's brother, our sports director, which also makes everything easier», he confesses, laughing, with the microphone turned off. We are really at home. Final proof of this was that exchange of words between manager Gonçalo Feio and Capita, Angolan and Radomiak winger, at the end of training, followed by a greeting. «Capita, when I have a son, I want him to be like you».