Portugal announced the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The World Cup craze has already started. As a result, thousands of football fans were waiting for the announcement of one of the biggest stars of football, Cristiano Ronaldo’s team. The wait is over, and Portuguese coach Fernando Santos announced the World Cup squad on November 10. Almost all experienced and regular faces have been called into the team.
Portugal Squad Announced for FIFA Qatar World Cup
Table: 26-member Portugal Team
| Role | Players |
| Goalkeepers | Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton), Rui Patricio (AS Roma) |
| Defenders | Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (PSG), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund) |
| Midfielders | Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Mario (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton), Otavio Monteiro (Porto), Vitinha (PSG), William Carvalho (Real Betis) |
| Forwards | Andre Silva (RB Leipzig), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Goncalo Ramos (Benfica), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Ricardo Horta (Braga). |
Source: CBS Sports
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All the well-known stars of the team, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandez, and Joao Felix, are expected to get a place in the 26-member team for the World Cup. Captain Ronaldo is going to play in the World Cup for the fifth time.
Fernando Santos announced a very balanced team in defense, midfield, and attack. Each position has multiple top players. 19-year-old Antonio Silva got a place on the team. In addition, 39-year-old defender Pepe has also been called up to the World Cup squad.
However, Liverpool’s forward Diego Jota has been ruled out of the tournament due to an injury while playing for Liverpool against Manchester City. Renato Sanchez, the young midfielder who had an excellent performance in the last World Cup, did not get a chance in the team. He could not shine in PSG this season.
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Analysis of Portugal Squad for FIFA World Cup 2022
Goalkeepers
Portugal is in Group H, along with Uruguay, Ghana, and South Korea. At least in Qatar, Santos will have to worry about the team’s goalkeeping. Portugal has three goalkeeper options, Roma’s Rui Patricio, Wolves’ Jose Sa, and Porto’s Diego Costa.
Diego Costa has no experience playing on a big stage like the World Cup. Jose is yet to make his debut in the national team; therefore, senior player Rui Patricio leads the trio. Despite having an experienced goalkeeper, Santos will have concerns.
Defenders
This time Portugal contains a solid defense led by Man City’s Ruben Dian. In addition to that, Dian might get support from experienced Pepe. For the right-back position, Joao Cancelo will be the top choice. But, might face difficulties playing in the starting lineup as Santos has a better option Diogo Dalot.
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Diogo has been very consistent for Manchester United. Nuno Mendes might be added to the starting squad for the left position. However, there are some other options, too, such as Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro.
Midfielders
Portugal also has balanced options at the center of the field. But Bernardo Silva, Ruben Neves, and Bruno Fernandes should start the games. Other options are Matheus Nunes, Vitinha and William Carvalho. While Carvalho has in-depth experience in midfield, Vitinha and Matheus Nunes are energetic and young.
Attackers
You know the must-include names for the attacking position of Portugal. The man with the most international goals in men’s football, Cristiano Ronaldo, will lead the forward position as well as the squad. He will get support from Joao Felix and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao.
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Other options are Andre Silva, Goncalo Ramos, and Ricardo Horta. However, the ruling out of Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto might put the team into difficulties. Also, Rafa Silva’s retirement from international football in September may put pressure on CR7’s shoulder.
Key Players
Team Portugal has full of young, energetic, and experienced players. Hence, they have a few key players who can make a difference.
Cristiano Ronaldo
He is the football superstar of the present time, with countless fans around the world. Ronaldo made his debut in the national team against Kazakhstan in 2003. In 2006, Ronaldo played the first World Cup in Portugal’s jersey. Played in 4 World Cups.
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He also holds the record for most goals in international football, with 117 goals in 191matches for the national team, 36 of which came in World Cup qualifiers. He played 17 matches in the World Cup and scored 7 goals. Ronaldo will be playing on the World Cup stage for the 5th time in his career in Qatar.
However, Ronaldo has never won the World Cup. He is 37 now. By the time of the next World Cup, he will be 41. So, it is very likely that this is going to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup. However, has maintained his fitness so far, and fans can be hopeful for another World Cup appearance.
CR7 has been having a hard time this year in league matches. He scored only 3 goals in all completion in 16 matches The top goal scorer in international football was in the starting XI in just four matches in the Premier League.
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Even though he did not score any goals in the last three World Cups, his coach trusts Ronaldo. But Portugal won the Euro in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019 under his leadership.
Joao Cancelo
Ranked 5 in Premier League, Defender Cancelo is another key player for Portugal. He appeared in 14 matches in the 2022/23 Premier League and helped keep 4 clean sheets, and has 28 tackles with a 71% success rate.
However, whenever he gets a chance, Cancelo can also play well in an attacking position. He already scored 2 goals for Man City this season. This 28-year-old defender will be a great wall for Portugal.
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Conclusion
So far, we have analyzed the Portugal Squad for FIFA Football World Cup in 2022. Portugal is going to start their World Cup campaign against Ghana on November 24. The team will play against Uruguay on the 28th after this match. Portugal will end their group stage campaign against South Korea on December 2. However, some of the experienced players are not in great form ahead of the World Cup. It is expected that they will come back at the right time.