The January awards have been announced by Liga Portugal. As usual, there are seven awards, Player of the Month, Manager of the Month, Goal of the Month and then the four positional awards, goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and attacker of the month.
January was a very good month for FC Porto, but they couldn’t quite make it a clean sweep! Check out the winners below:
Player of the Month – Vitinha (FC Porto) – 19.74% of the votes
For the second consecutive month, midfield maestro Vitinha has picked up the award for the best player in the Liga. He started in all four of Porto’s league games in the month, winning all four matches. After showing glimpses of his promise, Vitinha returned to Porto from his loan move with Wolves with a point to prove. So far this season, he has been simply magnificent and if he continues on this trajectory, don’t be surprised if he scoops the Player of the Year award at the end of the season.
Manager of the Month – Ricardo Soares (Gil Vicente FC) – 39.47% of the votes
The Gil Vicente coach has scooped the Vítor Oliveira Manager of the Month award after a string of impressive performances. Gil Vicente kicked off the month with a dramatic 3-2 victory against Vitória SC, a match with added significance considering both sides are gunning for a European place. A 1-1 draw with Boavista followed before Gil returned to winning ways with a 1-0 win against Portimonense. The Barcelos club are currently fifth in the table, just four points off SC Braga in fourth and are on course for their greatest ever Primeira Liga season.
Attacker of the Month – Evanilson (FC Porto) – 28.10% of the votes
The 22-year-old Brazilian had a brilliant January, scoring five goals across all competitions, including a hat-trick against Belenenses SAD. Porto will be hoping Evanilson can step up even further in terms of productivity, especially with Luís Diaz’s departure. With seven goals in his last seven games in all comps, Evanilson is doing exactly that.
Goal of the Month – Evanilson (FC Porto)
Midfielder of the Month – Vitinha (FC Porto) – 26.80% of the votes
Defender of the Month – Chancel Mbemba (FC Porto) – 13.91% of the votes
The DR Congo defender narrowly beat off competition from Gil Vicente’s Rúben Fernandes (13.25%) to pick up this award. He helped Porto to record victories in all of their games throughout January, assuming the role of the senior central defender in Pepe’s absence and bringing a strong presence to the Dragões backline.
Goalkeeper of the Month – Diogo Costa (FC Porto) – 38.82% of the votes
What a year Diogo Costa is having! The Porto number 99 picks up the award for Goalkeeper of the Month for the third time, after previously scooping the award in September and December. His talent and maturity have seen him establish himself as Porto’s undisputed number 1, usurping the veteran Agustín Marchesín. Any goalkeeper who is bold enough to wear Vítor Baía’s number 99 shirt, has to have the talent and confidence to go with it, so far this season, Costa has proved he has.
