For a boy who grew up playing futsal on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, playing in a major final at England's iconic national stadium must have been a distant dream. However, the Brazilian will be part of the Chelsea squad lining up at Wembley tomorrow against Manchester City.

The game represents a chance for the Blues to lift the famous old trophy for the first time since 2018 and, in doing so, end a challenging campaign with silverware.

For Santos, brought into the Chelsea first-team squad this season following a successful stint on loan at Strasbourg, the excitement at achieving such a feat is at the forefront of his mind.

‘We are so excited for this moment,’ the central midfielder said ahead of the final against Pep Guardiola’s side.

‘It’s my second game at Wembley but my first final. I’m so happy [to be in this position], and I hope we can win. We have worked hard every day to do just that.

‘When I was young, it was a dream for me to play in stadiums like Wembley, like the Maracana. I’m very happy to have the chance to play and to hopefully lift the trophy.’

While Chelsea have been no strangers to success in the past, adding a domestic title to our Club World Cup and Conference League successes of last season would be most welcome.

Our No.17 knows all too well how important success is to the club, and insists that hasn’t been lost on the squad as we look to topple City and lift the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.

He stated: ‘Every competition here is important because when we talk about Chelsea, you talk about winning trophies and winning as many games as possible.

‘We know Manchester City are a top-level side, but we know what we have to do to win this game. It’s a final and anything can happen, so we have to focus on ourselves.’

Santos, or the rest of the squad for that matter, aren’t looking beyond the 90 minutes – or more – that lie ahead. They know there is a job to focus on first. But has he dreamt about what lifting the cup could feel like?

A smile etches across his face. That tells us all we need to know, despite his brief pause of silence!

‘Of course,’ explains the Brazilian. ‘It’s a dream not only for me but for everyone in the squad. ‘We have already won the Club World Cup, and some players in the squad won the Conference League as well. We know how important it is to win with Chelsea.

‘It’s been a difficult moment for us but we have this final and this final is so important for the club and us, because you have to work hard and win trophies at Chelsea.’