Winners of Euro 2016, despite the injured Cristiano Ronaldo sitting on the side-lines for most of the final against France, Portugal’s delegation this time round is actually more well-furnished in terms of star quality and depth throughout the team.
Although several of the title-winning players remain in the Seleção setup, the majority of the Portuguese squad is made up of bright new members who have excelled for their club sides all around Europe.
Enviable firepower
Among those is Diogo Jota, who has lit up the Premier League for Liverpool since arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2020 for £45 million. The 24-year-old, scorer of 6 goals in his first 12 international games, will be a vital component of Fernando Santos’ squad against the so-called ‘Group of Death’.
João Félix is on the cusp of winning the La Liga title, helping Atlético overcome Spanish behemoths Barcelona and Real Madrid. Bernardo Silva has been back to his magnificent best for Manchester City, and in the red half of the city Bruno Fernandes has surpassed all expectations by becoming the best performer in England over the last 18 months. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo keeps doing Cristiano Ronaldo things.
In short, you can make a good argument that Portugal has the most devastating set of attacking midfield and forward options in the whole competition.
For comparison, Xherdan Shaqiri - the man Jota replaced in the rotation at Liverpool - also faces a tough task to get his Swiss side out of Group A, although they’re fancied to win their opener, per the Wales v Switzerland odds. Portugal, beginning their campaign against Hungary in Budapest on June 15, can also be bullish on their chances of starting with a win.
Yet Portugal sit sixth favourites to win the tournament at 15/2, despite making two European Championship finals and winning the inaugural Nations League this century. Notwithstanding, in the early betting bookies have shown favouritism to teams playing group games at their home stadiums, among them England, Germany and recent two-time winners Spain. World champions France and FIFA top-ranked side Belgium are also more highly fancied than the Seleção to go deep into this summer’s tournament.
Santos spoiled for choice
Rarely in recent memory has a Portugal manager had such a rich vein of talent to choose from, especially in midfield. In the World Cup qualifiers in March, Santos largely used a 4-3-3 formation, with Rúben Neves, João Moutinho, Danilo, Sérgio Oliveira and Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes all seeing time in the central three. Santos was also able to call on Fernandes’ cross-city rival Bernardo Silva, whose flexibility allows him to be deployed either in the midfield or further up to play off the striker.
Although losing young Wolves winger Pedro Neto to a long-term injury is a blow, the Seleção can call on a number of players having outstanding seasons. Jota has been a revelation for Liverpool despite missing time. Likewise, João Félix has 12 goal contributions (7 goals, 5 assists) as part of Atletico Madrid’s rotation in their hunt for the La Liga title. He’s still only 21 years old and will be a factor at future tournaments.
100 - Cristiano #Ronaldo has just become the first player in the history of Juventus to have scored 100+ goals in all competitions in his first three campaigns for the Bianconeri. Legend.#SassuoloJuve #SerieA pic.twitter.com/1U2QK0YJO8
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 12, 2021
And then there’s Cristiano Ronaldo. In a season to forget for Juventus under Andrea Pirlo, Ronaldo has continued to write himself into the history books with another stellar campaign. Blowing the competition out of the water on his way to winning the Golden Boot, even at 36, Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down. He remains the captain of the national side, one of the best players to ever play the game, and a leader to this young Portugal squad. He will have a chip on his shoulder after missing that crucial 2016 final.
If Ronaldo and his young teammates play half as well at the Euros as they have for their clubs this season, the Seleção are sure to outplay their odds this summer.
