Porto's Otavio joins Al-Nassr for record fee: Decoding his stats
Portuguese versatile midfielder Otavio has joined Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr. The club triggered his release clause of €60m to snap up the 28-year-old. As per reports, Al-Nassr will pay the total amount in different installments. Notably, this has been FC Porto's record transfer sale. Otavio ends his nine-year stay in FC Porto as he gets united with his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Al-Nassr have been subject to criticism as they lost their first two matches of the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League. Therefore, the club feels the requirement of bringing in more attacking reinforcements to support Ronaldo and Sadio Mane. Otavio is someone who will create chances and can also score goals himself. He also can slot in various attacking positions in midfield and also out wide.
A look at Otavio's career stats
Otavio started his career in Brazil's top-tier team Internacional. He played in various age-group teams before making his senior team debut. He played 61 matches for Internacional, scoring seven times. He joined Porto in 2014 and was loaned to Vitoria Guimaraes, playing 38 matches and scoring seven goals. He returned to Porto and featured in 283 matches while netting 31 goals.
Breaking down Otavio's numbers in 2022-23 Liga Portugal season
Otavio featured in 27 matches in the 2022-23 Liga Portugal as he netted five goals and provided seven assists. He created 54 chances. As per Opta, he completed 1,200 out of 1,475 attempted passes, clocking 81.52% passing accuracy. Out of his 26 shots (excluding blocks), 12 were on target as he struck the woodwork twice. He won 193 ground duels and 29 aerial duels.
A look at his stats for FC Porto
The 28-year-old midfielder played 183 Liga Portugal matches for Porto, scoring 19 goals. Otavio made 23 Taca de Portugal appearances, netting eight goals. He featured in 13 Allianz Cup matches but returned without scoring. He scored four times in 38 Champions League outings while going blank in 10 Europa League fixtures. Otavio featured in FC Porto's 2023-24 Liga Portugal opener against Moreirense.
Otavio has tasted a lot of success with Porto
Otavio started with the Liga Portugal title in the 2017-18 season. He won the league title twice more (2019-20, 2021-22) with the Dragons. He won three Taca de Portugal titles (2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23) and a Taca de Liga honor in the 2022-23 season. He won the Portuguese Supercup twice in 2018 and 2020. Otavio won the Player of the Year in Liga Portugal (2022-23).
Otavio has featured 14 times for Portugal
The 28-year-old versatile midfielder has made 14 appearances for the Portugal senior men's team while scoring three goals. Notably, Otavio represented his country of birth, Brazil in various age-group levels before making the switch to Portugal in 2021. He made his debut for Portugal against Qatar in an international friendly in August 2021 and surprisingly he scored on his international debut.
