Portugal goes into the European Championships as one of the strongest teams, at least on paper. They have some truly outstanding footballers in their squad. However, they have often flattered to deceive in the past.
Portugal often failed to qualify or perform well in major international competitions in the 1990s, their reaching the quarterfinal in the European Championships in 1996 notwithstanding. However, its golden generation and subsequent ones from 2000 onwards ensured participation in all the tournaments and also won the Euro 2016 in France.
Portugal Is One of the Strongest Sides of the Tournament
Portugal is littered with talent and greatness all around their squad. They have great players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Pepe, Rafael Leão, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota, Rúben Dias and João Cancelo, each of whom have enough experience at the topmost level to guide their team towards glory at the Euro 2024 in Germany.
Ronaldo, the 39-year-old superstar, will probably be playing in his last international tournament in 2024. He scored a brace against Republic of Ireland in his team’s 3-0 win in a recent friendly. However, his chances of participating in the 2026 World Cup seem to be unlikely. He will be 41 then, which is not the kind of age at which any forward is selected for a major tournament.
However, the onus will be on younger players like Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Dias to transform their club-form into the national side. Bernardo has one of the most lethal left foots in the business and has made it a habit of winning trophies with Manchester City.
The same goes for Dias, who has proven himself to be a defensive lynchpin for the Cityzens over the last few years. Cancelo has also been one of the best full-backs in world football during the past few seasons.
Bruno Fernandes has endured a pretty ordinary season for Manchester United, but his own performance was pretty good in it. At times, he played a lone hand to revive United’s fortunes in a match. With creative players like Fernandes and Silva in the team, there should be no dearth of chances of scoring goals for the likes of Ronaldo and Jota upfront.
However, the experienced William Carvalho, who has earned 80 international caps for Portugal, has been left out of the squad this time around. Carvalho is already 32 and might struggle to play for the Portuguese in any major international tournament in the future.
The Portuguese Has Been Drawn a Favourable Group
Portugal should have little to worry in their group, which also includes Czechia, Turkey and Georgia. The Czechs beat Portugal in the quarterfinal of Euro 1996, but the Portuguese avenged their defeat by winning 1-0 in the quarterfinal of Euro 2012.
Both Turkey and Georgia have proved their worth in the qualifiers, but should not be able to trouble Portugal much. The Portuguese should not have much trouble reaching the quarterfinal, given the obvious quality in their line-up. However, it remains to be seen whether Ronaldo’s teammates are able to give him a fitting farewell by going really deep into the tournament. Even winning the whole thing is not beyond their ability.