11 July 2006

Crowd-pleasing Portugal lauded by the world’s football fans

Scolari’s men voted most entertaining team

Portugal may have missed out on a podium finish at the 2006 Germany World Cup, but the team’s performances left a lasting impression on supporters all around the world.

As expected, the squad was given a rapturous welcome by thousands of fans when returning to home soil on Sunday afternoon.

But the team’s exciting brand of attacking football also won friends all over the globe.

In a poll run on the FIFA website Portugal was elected the most entertaining team at the tournament. Around 47% voted for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team, while winners Italy were second with 41% of the votes, and Germany third with 4%.

The result would appear to dispel accusations from some quarters, most notably from the British press, of excessive diving, as an exciting front line of Figo, Ronaldo, Pauleta and Simao, backed up by Maniche and Deco, turned on a crowd-pleasing style of play.

The vote caps a World Cup that was undoubtedly a resounding success for Portugal, whose fourth-place finish was the best result achieved in forty years.