Rui Patricio was officially presented to the media on Friday afternoon at Trigoria, as he answered questions from the waiting journalists.
The club’s General Manager, Tiago Pinto, began by welcoming his compatriot to the Italian capital.
“It’s a pleasure to be here today,” Pinto said.
“We are here to present Rui Patricio – I don’t think I need to say much more by way of introductions. All of you know him well from the career he has had to date. Everything he has done so far speaks for itself.
“He was a great player for Sporting, which was an annoyance for me when I was working at [their rivals] Benfica, but now luckily we are at least on the same side.
“I want to thank him for choosing to be here.”
Here is everything the Portuguese goalkeeper, our first signing of the summer, then had to say about the challenge that awaits him.
Everyone knows you well and knows what you have achieved in the game; European champion with Portugal, the best goalkeeper at that tournament in France. What made you decide that Roma was the right challenge for you?
“I am very proud to have got the call from Roma, everyone knows what a great club this is. It’s a real honour to represent the club. I am here to do my best and help the side to achieve all its targets.”
When a goalkeeper comes to a club that has had problems with the position in the past, as Roma have, what does that mean for you specifically? Does it give you extra motivation, or is it a cause for concern?
“All players, not just the goalkeepers, go to a new club with expectations and a desire to make sure they live up to those expectations. I come here with the same mindset I had when I joined Wolves; I want to work hard and make sure I improve each day in training.
“Beyond that, I’ve only just joined up with the rest of the squad but I’m settling in well, I getting to grips with the way of working here. I feel good physically and I can’t wait to help the team.”
Are you able to help the team playing out from the back?
“For a goalkeeper every aspect of the game is important. Playing with the ball at your feet is part of that, but not the only part. Distributing from your hands, the positioning … the key thing is to work on it all every day. Then it is important that you understand exactly what the coach wants. The quicker you understand those instructions the better it is for the team.”
(Photo Twitter AS Roma)