'I feel the passion' - Swansea's Franco relishes derby

Goncalo Franco has scored twice in 23 appearances since joining Swansea last July

Goncalo Franco wears his heart on his sleeve, roaring when he scores and sobbing when he is injured.

The midfielder's passion is matched by his quality, hence he has very quickly become a popular figure at Swansea City.

The Championship club have made their share of questionable moves in the transfer market in recent years.

But in Franco, who arrived from Portuguese top-flight side Moreirense last summer, they look to have found a gem.

As a result, there is already a nagging feeling at Swansea that Franco's spell in Wales may be short-lived, for his contribution this season will not have gone unnoticed elsewhere.

But for the moment Franco is very much a Swansea player, which means the only thing on his mind right now is Cardiff City.

Swansea go to Cardiff on Saturday (12:30 GMT) to play the fixture which matters most to supporters of both clubs.

Franco had only been at Swansea for a matter of weeks when he got his first taste of the south Wales derby, a 1-1 home draw last August.

Almost five months on, the Portuguese is in no doubt about the significance of a meeting with the neighbours.

A game like Porto against Benfica

"I have played in derbies in Portugal, but small derbies," he tells BBC Sport Wales.

"They were special games, but not like this one. This game is bigger. It's similar to Benfica-Sporting, Porto-Benfica. It's very big."

Swansea players who live in the city – as most do – are told fairly frequently by the locals about the importance of any meeting with Cardiff.

Franco's latest reminder came earlier this week, as he left a Portuguese restaurant on the Kingsway, a main road through the city centre.

"One guy stopped the car in the middle of the road. He said: 'Franco, on Saturday we need to win'," Franco says.

"He stopped the traffic so we could have a photo. He told me: 'I have a ticket for the game, but it's not in the Swansea section'. I said good luck to him."

Goncalo Franco was consoled as he came off during the Luton Town game by Ronald, who has become a close friend since his move Swansea

Franco grins as he tells the story, the smile having returned after the tears shed during Swansea's festive victory over Luton Town.

Having scored for the second time in as many matches, Franco was left in a heap after Mark McGuinness' arm connected with his face.

He briefly attempted to play on, then sobbed as he was helped from the field.

"I had a fracture in one part of my jaw, I had three teeth which I could feel had moved up," the 24-year-old explains.

"I tried to play on but I could not - I was dizzy and there was pain. But now I am good."

And the tears?

"Because I want to play," Franco adds. "I want to play every game, but I can't because the pain was too much."

The damage done meant Franco was unable to eat solid food for 10 days.

"Only soup and scrambled egg and protein shakes," he says.

"Then I bought in the supermarket some baby's cereal - Cerelac. We have that in Portugal. When I was a baby I ate that. Very good."

Surprisingly, Franco missed only one game as a result of the facial injuries, returning to action in Swansea's draw with West Brom just six days after Luton.

He has played in 23 of Swansea's 29 matches so far this season, having been rested occasionally by Luke Williams.

If Franco had his way, he would never be left out.

"At the beginning of the season I spoke with Ryan [Harley], the assistant coach, and I said I came here because I want to play every minute in every game," he says.

"He said maybe it's because we have a lot of games and you need to rest sometimes. But he said 'OK, I like this mentality'."

The only time Franco's smile fades, it seems, is when he is not playing football.

"I feel the game. I feel the passion," he says. "I love to be on the pitch."

And so to Cardiff, where Michael Duff's Swansea produced a turgid display last season as they suffered their only defeat in the past seven meetings of south Wales' two heavyweight clubs.

The Swans are a different proposition under Williams, even if they have lacked the consistency thus far to suggest they are serious play-off contenders this season.

Franco insists a top-six finish remains the target, though for this weekend only, the Championship table is of little significance.

"Every morning when we come in [to training], the [club] chef has a sign saying how many days to go until the Cardiff game," Franco says.

"We know we need to win.

"We say about derbies in Portugal... you don't play these games, you win them."