Luis Miguel Henrique detailed the breakdown in trust between Roma and Porto and explained how the stalled agreement was revived.
Rodrigo Mora is officially a Roma player after the Giallorossi eventually reached an agreement with Porto following several days of uncertainty.
The 19-year-old was able to travel to the Italian capital and begin his new adventure after negotiations, which had appeared close to collapsing, were revived.
Speaking in an interview with Record, Mora’s lawyer, Luis Miguel Henrique, revealed several behind-the-scenes details about the complicated operation.
“Some businesses die of natural causes. Others are murdered in cold blood. Then there are those that come back to life because someone, through a calculated act of imprudence—or prudence—decides to intervene on the strength of a promise that was made,” Henrique said.
“Roma did not trust Porto”
Henrique explained that distrust between the parties had made a rational agreement appear almost impossible.
“Roma did not trust Porto. The player and his family were anxious, and even Jorge Mendes could not fully understand what had happened during the previous 48 hours.
“Three sources of distrust, with one point of collision: the impossibility of reaching an agreement which, when viewed through the lens of game theory, was rationally unattainable.
“After a conversation with the player and his parents, several telephone calls and a meeting the following morning with someone to whom I owe respect and loyalty—and who, to this day, has never lied to me—I understood what could bring the parties together and, above all, what was separating them at that moment.
“I believed in the promise that had been made. My role was simply to build bridges, with the explicit assurance that I had not travelled to Porto to create conflict or begin legal proceedings—at least not at that stage.”
Roma and Gasperini needed a signal
Work to revive the operation began on Friday, with Henrique personally guaranteeing that the agreement would proceed if Porto’s conditions were fulfilled.
“I put myself behind the promise I had received. I assured everyone that if Porto’s conditions were satisfied, there would be no further withdrawal.
“On Friday, it was necessary to send a signal to Roma’s American owners and to Gasperini: the operation had not failed.
“In the final act, someone had to absorb the blows because every soap opera needs an identifiable villain.
“That way, nobody pointed the finger at Jorge Mendes—who, despite saving clubs from deficits and the risk of bankruptcy every year, continues to be the preferred scapegoat—and even less at Rodrigo Mora, who was the most affected and vulnerable person throughout this entire affair.”
“Mora could not remain with this coach”
Henrique also delivered a striking assessment of Mora’s situation at Porto, insisting that remaining for another season was not a viable outcome for the player.
“The only unthinkable possibility was for Rodrigo to remain at Porto for another year under this coach, slowly being ‘killed’ without ever playing. Everything else was a matter of negotiation.
“Now that the operation has been completed, all I can say to André Villas-Boas and Porto is: ‘You’re welcome. There is no need to thank me. It was a pleasure to help.’
“In practical terms, Porto ultimately secured the agreement they needed under the conditions they had imposed upon me. The player obtained what he wanted, as did his agent, Roma and their coach. Even Farioli killed two birds with one stone.
“In other words, I know it will sound like self-congratulation—and it is—but a better outcome was impossible.”
“There is still room for someone’s word”
Henrique concluded by arguing that the restoration of trust was more important than the financial structure of the transfer.
“Ultimately, what matters is not the transfer fee, the bonuses or the percentages attached to a future sale.
“What remains is the certainty that, even in a world where everyone distrusts everyone else, there is still room for someone’s word to mean something.
“That, dear readers, is rarer than a 19-year-old ‘substitute’ whom, in this world, only Jorge Mendes could sell for €50 million.”
Source: Record
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