Chelsea star Dario Essugo says he has a huge debt of gratitude to Ruben Amorim, crediting the Manchester United manager with giving his career an incredible boost back when they were at Sporting Lisbon, catapulting him into one of Europe’s most coveted youngsters.
The erstwhile Sporting boss handed Essugo his maiden Champions League appearance at just 16 years and 268 days old, etching his name in history as the youngest player to debut for the Lisbon club in the storied competition.
Essugo, who signed on with Chelsea this summer for a handsome £18.5m, expressed profound appreciation for Amorim for fast-tracking him to the first team after merely a single training session.
Portugal’s under-21 sensation Essugo shared: “He brought me to the first team so he helped me a lot, to understand the game, to reach the level I am here now. I am grateful.
“He is so demanding. He is a demanding person. He likes to win every time so he has helped me a lot.
“I made one training session with the first team and the coach Ruben Amorim likes what he saw and he called me to play.
“I didn’t expect to play because at this time there was Covid and I wasn’t playing anything because the Champions League had stopped.
“We had good players like Manuel Ugarte, João Palhinha and now Morten Hjulmand. They are three big players. I had the opportunity to learn with one of them and of course this for me was a big opportunity.”
Essugo has expressed his desire to carve out a unique identity in the football world, despite being likened to legends such as Claude Makelele, Michael Essien, and N’Golo Kante due to certain resemblances in their playing styles.
He remarked: “To be honest, I never saw Makelele on TV but the people told me a lot about Makelele and say I have some similar parts of his game.
“They are big players. I want to make my own way but also like to see Makelele, Essien and Kante, to follow their steps.
“I always play as a midfielder but also I am a defensive midfielder but I also like to go forward with the ball, box to box.
“Of course it is good when they compare you with a very big player but it is a mix of both because I want to try to have my way, to achieve the top.”
When Chelsea showed interest this summer, Essugo had no hesitation about his next move. His father, who left a career in construction, now oversees his son’s burgeoning football journey, while his mother continues her work in a kitchen.
Essugo is eager to whip up something extraordinary at Stamford Bridge and acknowledges that Enzo Maresca‘s arrival has been incredibly influential.
He continued: “Chelsea helped my parents so many times. I feel very good. When my father said Chelsea want me to come here, of course I can’t say no.
“I am learning with the coach, the players, the midfielders here. Enzo has a different idea of football like all the managers. But I always to try catch what he wants. Romeo Lavia is so calm I learn so much from him.
“It is a different level. The players are amazing. Before, when I was at Las Palmas and Sporting, they had very big players but for me it is an amazing feeling to be here.”