In his speech at the ceremony held at the Portuguese Embassy in Paris, broadcast live by SIC, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa described it as a "tribute to the Portuguese community in France", through "a symbol" and "a great member of the community", but who "is present in Portuguese communities around the world".

"Tony Carreira has his life, his work, his career – he has his career, even his name is well chosen – and he inspires, wherever there are Portuguese people, an affection, a closeness, in some way an empathy that naturally goes beyond his ties to this community", he stated.

Tony Carreira thanked the President of the Republic for the decoration, his friends, his audience, and "the Portuguese people in general, wherever they are, both in Portugal and outside Portugal".

"With each passing day of my life, I feel that the Portuguese, whether they like my songs or not, have a very, very special affection for me and my family, an affection for which I am grateful. Thank you very much once again for this award", he declared.

The singer agreed that it "makes perfect sense" to receive this award in France, where he lived "for 30 years", and that his actions are more important than his music: "On a day when I am not here physically, I want to believe that the actions and things I have done here are more important than my own music".

Tony Carreira, the stage name of António Manuel Mateus Antunes, was born in 1963 in the municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra, in the district of Coimbra, and celebrated 30 years of his career in 2018.

He began singing in France, for the Portuguese community, in a band formed with his brothers, Irmãos 5.

His appearance on stage at the Casino Peninsular in Figueira da Foz, on March 5, 1988, is considered the beginning of his musical career.

That year, after participating in the Figueira da Foz Song Festival, he released his first single, this time as a solo artist.

The singer's first album, "Não vou Deixar de Te Amar", was released in 1991.

Throughout his career, he recorded 28 albums, 20 of which were originals, and four DVDs, which included concerts at the Olympia in Paris and the Altice Arena in Lisbon, among others.

In 2016 he was distinguished in France with the rank of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.