da winzada777： The right-back speaks to GOAL about his role in Erik ten Hag's side's stunning revival and his desire to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford

da apostaganha： Diogo Dalot grew up supporting Porto, so naturally Jose Mourinho always held a special place in his heart. The Manchester United right-back was only five years old when Mourinho led his boyhood club to win the Champions League, just two months on from his iconic knee slide celebration at Old Trafford after knocking the Red Devils out.

Fourteen years after that unforgettable triumph and having just broken into the Porto team himself, Dalot got the call to go and play for 'The Special One' at United in the summer of 2018. And despite the fact he had only made seven senior appearances, Mourinho gave the then-19-year-old the mother of all endorsements by calling him "the best full-back in Europe in his age group".

"It brought me more responsibility," Dalot tells GOAL in an exclusive interview. "Coming from Mourinho, a legend of the game, makes it even more special. The relationship that we had was something good for me, to have a manager that supported me like he did. Those words brought me more responsibility and I'm trying to fulfil that in my career."

It might not have been the smoothest of rides, but Dalot is now well on his way to fulfilling Mourinho's prophecy. Mourinho was sacked by United just six months after Dalot's arrival and the full-back went out on loan to AC Milan two years later. When he returned, United had signed Aaron Wan-Bissaka for £50 million ($63m), putting another obstacle in between Dalot and a regular starting berth.

But now the Portugal international is demonstrating the potential Mourinhho saw in him, locking down his place as Ten Hag's first choice right-back and playing a key role in the club's resurgence during the second half of the season.

Getty ImagesCrunching tackles

Dalot has been at the forefront of United's revival in 2024, with the Red Devils winning six out of seven matches in all competitions while remaining unbeaten. He has started in every match since the turn of the year, scoring a magnificent curler against Wigan in the FA Cup and providing assists against Newport and Aston Villa. His sumptuous first-time cross at Villa Park allowed Scott McTominay to head home an 86th-minute winner which galvanised United's hopes of finishing in the top four and returning to the Champions League next season.

He has also honed the defensive side of his game, delighting United fans with his thunderous slide tackles, such as when he chased down Jarrod Bowen in the recent 3-0 win over West Ham.

“It was really quick, I just tried to reach him as fast as I could because I knew he was in a good position to score. I was fortunate enough to win the tackle and get the ball,” Dalot recalls, smiling at the enthusiasm in England for full-blooded slide tackles.

“Yes, more than in other countries. The grass helps, it's good for sliding tackles and for moves like that. Obviously the fans loved it, they always get a little bit more excited when you do something like that.”

AdvertisementGetty Need for speed

The tackle on Bowen and the thrilling sprint back that made it possible also exhibited Dalot’s searing pace. According to he has recorded the fastest top speed of any United player in the Premier League this season.

That is why he is excited to have signed with PUMA this week and to wear the ULTRA, described as the world’s fastest football boot. “Speed is massively important in the modern game, especially in my position, where everything is high intensity, really high speed over distances, so I'm happy that the Ultra will help me to get even more speed,” he says.

Dalot joins a legendary line of players to have worn PUMA boots in the past, including Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Portugal icon Eusebio. The current crop of Puma players includes Antoine Griezmann, Neymar, Jack Grealish and Dalot’s United team-mate Antony.

“That's one of the reasons why I joined them, the amount of players that they represented in the past and in the present. It's a brand that's growing even more, so I'm really excited to make this partnership with them," he adds.

Getty Step forward

Dalot readily admits he is in the form of his life, but he will not be truly satisfied until United are back where their fans believe they should be. It has been a testing season for the Red Devils, who lost nine of their first 18 matches and suffered a surprise early exit from the Champions League.

"Probably it's my best time individually, but it doesn't fulfil that spot on my goals because collectively I want to be good and I want the team to be successful. So when we combine that, I think I'll be even happier," he says.

United are definitely on the way back to the top and the arrival of minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team has helped lift the mood around the club, their arrival coinciding with the upturn in results. Dalot, however, knows there is still a long way to go.

And he does not mean to get back to the standards United set under Ten Hag last season, when they finished third, reached the FA Cup final and won the Carabao Cup. He means United getting their hands back on the Premier League title, which they used to win routinely when Dalot was growing up.

"Last season we had a good year, we finished well with the trophy, fighting for the FA Cup and being in the Champions League spots. It's not an aim for the club, but it's a step forward," he says. "This season, hopefully we can finish with one trophy and be in the Champions League, that would be also a step forward in my opinion when we didn't start the way we wanted."

Getty'Mentality we need'

"The standard will always be fighting for the Premier League, the Champions League and all the trophies that we are in. So I think we can be in the right direction to go there. The club hasn't won the Premier League in a lot of years. Eleven years. So the fans have been waiting a long time.

"This is now, we have to win now. For them it doesn't matter if we won the Carabao Cup last season, in the next one we just have to win two trophies, win the Premier League. Every year you start the Premier League with expectations that you can win it.

"This is the type of mentality that we need in the club. It's the normal standard for the club. It's up to us as players, as a club, as staff to show it and to do it on the pitch."