Futre on futsal finals in Lisbon

Paulo Futre is a rare phenomenon as a player having represented all of Portugal's 'big three' football clubs – but it is the small-sided game he is focusing on this week as UEFA Futsal Cup finals ambassador in Lisbon.

Sporting Clube de Portugal are attempting to follow in the footsteps of another of Futre's old teams SL Benfica by lifting the trophy at the Meo Arena, just as the Eagles did in 2010. Futre, 49, spoke to UEFA.com ahead of Friday's sell-out semi-finals about his love for futsal and the "total craziness" he expects in the stands.

UEFA.com: How much are you looking forward to the UEFA Futsal Cup finals in Lisbon?

Paulo Futre: It's a huge moment for Portugal, for Lisbon, for Sporting, for Portuguese futsal. I think it will be a marvellous event. It's really important that these big events happen in Portugal, without a doubt.

UEFA.com: What kind of atmosphere can we expect in the Meo Arena?

Futre: With a full house, it will be crazy, total craziness. It will be a great occasion for Portuguese futsal and especially for all the Sporting fans.

UEFA.com: Do you follow futsal closely?

Futre: Yes, I have followed it quite a bit. There's always a huge battle in Portugal between Sporting and Benfica. It's sad that Porto aren't involved, but I hope that will happen soon because it would be excellent for Portuguese futsal.

UEFA.com: What do you enjoy most about futsal? What makes it such an exciting sport to watch and play?

Futre: In futsal terms, we Portuguese have a good reference point which is Ricardinho, who for all of us – and in my opinion – is the best player in the world. So our reference point is a massive one. Thanks to him, top-quality futsal came to Portugal.

UEFA.com: Did you play futsal when you were growing up?

Futre: I loved playing futsal. All footballers have gone through that phase and loved it. And I was a good player as well, I was a good futsal player. There were different rules at that time ... you had the boards [around the pitch] and you could play off the boarding – it was different.