Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Matheus Fernandes spoke to the media at "Tottenham Hotspur House" in Sydney, expressing his excitement to start his Tottenham Hotspur career and hoping to further improve his level on the pitch in the upcoming Premier League season.

Matheus, Tottenham Hotspur is clearly a very great club with such a large fan base. I believe you have already deeply experienced this through the tour in Australia and New Zealand. Now, as a Tottenham Hotspur player, how does it feel to finally wear this jersey? What kind of experience is it?

It's incredible, as I said, this is a great club. When you come here, you'll find that it's not just about England, but it affects the whole world. So, the pressure is indeed great. The pressure now is different from before, and we all know that. But we are prepared for it. We are playing for a big club. This is a huge motivation for us, and I'm very happy to be here.

For you personally, I believe you must have been very attracted and received a lot of attention at that time. What made you feel that North London and Tottenham Hotspur were the best choices for you? What was that moment like?

Yes, regarding Tottenham Hotspur, I think I know almost everything. My Champions League debut (during my Sporting CP days) was against them. So, at that time, I felt the atmosphere in the stadium, it was absolutely crazy. Therefore, I knew this was a big club. The stadium is great, the training ground is great, and the people working here are also great. So, everything here provides top conditions for me to work. My teammates are also excellent. So, yes, I am very happy to be here and to play for Mr. De Zerbi and his coaching staff, and I hope we can achieve good results.

You perfectly led into my next question. If you already get along well with your teammates, that's fantastic. My next question is, who are you looking forward to building chemistry with in the Tottenham Hotspur midfield? What will that scene be like? What do you think you can bring to the Tottenham Hotspur midfield?

I think the most important thing is to try to improve the team. We already have many excellent players in midfield, not just those who joined last season. Their performance in midfield is very, very good, and they are very strong. Therefore, as new players, we just want to come here and try to improve the team, and also learn from them, understand the club and everything. Our job is to try to make the team better.

You don't have to make this decision alone. You have a friend you can call to introduce you to this club. I'm referring to Pedro Porro. What did he tell you when you called him?

Yes, he actually called me, but I was sleeping at the time, so I didn't answer. Then he sent me a text message, saying in Portuguese: "Come on, Matheus, come to Tottenham Hotspur. I've already recommended you to the coach and told him to bring you over."

After that, when everything settled down, we talked a lot about the club, the mentality, and the cohesion within the team, because last season was a difficult one for them. So, for everyone to have a happier season this year, some things needed to change. So, yes, it was mainly about these details, not just about the game or Mr. De Zerbi's tactical style. It was more about the people around the club, the club itself, the stadium, and the training ground. It was a very good conversation.

"Agent" Pedro.

Yes, indeed.

I also want to ask you, let's go back in time a bit further. Your career has developed very smoothly so far, even at an incredible speed. But many people in Portugal said they could tell when you were very young, right? They could tell you would become a star, reach the heights you are at now, and that you possess a competitive spirit they had never seen before. They knew you were destined to do it. Was there a moment in your youth that made you realize football was the path you wanted to pursue, and that you knew you had the ability?

Yes, when we were children, almost every child wanted to be a football player. So, you dream about it almost every day. You go to school, you want to play football, you want to play with your friends. I think things became more serious after I moved to Lisbon and left home. To be honest, for the two years after that, I didn't really play much. At 13 or 14, I was still very small. But after the COVID-19 lockdown, I became stronger. I trained very hard at home, and I think the end of the lockdown was the key turning point. After that, I joined Sporting CP's B team, performed well, and then was promoted to the new first team. After that, I came to England and did my part. But I think the most important thing is to try to stay happy, not to forget where you came from, always be yourself, work hard, and believe until the end.

Indeed. You are no stranger to creating memorable moments in the Premier League. You scored the Premier League's fastest goal last season

. Tell us about that moment. How did it feel? Was it a "what just happened?" feeling? 29 seconds.

I didn't know at the time until my teammates told me after the game. But during the game, I was just focused on playing, trying to win the game, trying to score goals. Yes, that goal came too early, hopefully...

A goal is never too early.

Yes, 30 seconds, it's incredible. So it was a bit difficult too. In the end, I was very happy, so, yes, it was good, it felt great.

Wishing you many more beautiful moments in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt. All the best for this season. Thank you, Matheus.

Thank you very much.

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