Artur Futre taking it one step at a time

Nephew of former great making his own mark in Portugal

Living on reputation can both be beneficial and a hindrance. For instance, it may allow one to go into a busy restaurant and get a table without waiting, or to make a purchase at a considerable discount.

But there can also be drawbacks as the name that has been inherited or the family that one was born into often leads to a tremendous amount of expectation. Such is the case with Desportivo das Aves player, Artur Futre.

Upon seeing the player’s name listed on the goalscoring charts this weekend many would have asked themselves if he had any connection to former Portuguese football great, Paulo Futre. The answer is yes. Artur Future is the nephew of former dazzling winger who enjoyed his best days at Porto and Atletico Madrid but also represented both Sporting and Benfica.

It has not been easy for Artur to build his career as he has had to endure constant comparisons to his famous uncle. “People have always compared me to my uncle, and still do today, but that is impossible,” the player exclaimed.

“My uncle at 23 years old was already a world-class player and a household name. I am his nephew and I am my own man. But it’s tough to deal with because if I have a good game I am the best and when I have a bad game I am the worst.”

“I would like to be Artur Futre and not the nephew of Paulo Futre, but I know that I will not manage to free myself of that label. I am used to living with this and I have prepared myself mentally for it.”

At the moment the player is more concerned about doing well for his club than anything else. It has taken Futre some time to become a regular starter in the Portuguese top flight – he had a brief stint with Alverca – but feels that everything happened for a reason.

“When I was at Alverca I made my debut in the Liga. I played four or five games, but at that time I was still young. Now I am more mature. Perhaps because of this I have reappeared. My foremost aim is to hold onto the opportunity and to play more often,” said Futre.

“I would like to do the best I possibly can in every game and help Aves stay in the top flight. I prefer to think about things like this, one step at a time.”

Futre has developed into his own man and his own player, culminating in his brilliant two-goal display this past weekend which gave Aves their first win of the season.

Should he maintain that performance level Artur will have few worries as to what name he is carrying.