It was ironic that the most important goal in Portugal’s football history was scored on Sunday night in Paris by a traditional No9, something that the Seleção have been desperately missing for many a year.
In the wake of Éder’s brilliant Euro 2016 winning-goal, it’s hard to believe that a nation, who has given us some of the most brilliant attacking talents over the last few decades, can struggle so badly to find a striker but that’s exactly the situation Portugal have found themselves in.
The lack of a world class centre forward hasn’t hindered them too badly, as the national side have usually performed well in big tournaments, but it’s arguably the main reason why the nation had to wait until this summer to win a major trophy.
When times have got tough, they have always had someone like Nuno Gomes, Pauleta or Helder Postiga to turn to, who could do a decent job of leading the line, or come off the bench and grab a goal or two. This current squad however, is a totally different story.
The only out-and-out striker named in their 23-man squad for Euro 2016 was Éder, who failed to make any sort of impact in the English Premier League, before moving on loan to Lille for the second half of last season.
This has meant that Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani had to be deployed in central striking roles, instead of their usual wide-forward positions. Both scored through goals during the tournament, but playing in such advanced roles takes away many of the skills and attributes that have carried them to such success during their careers. Ronaldo has suffered the most, often looking uncomfortable and isolated as a striker, although he may evolve into that more static role as the years catch up with him.
So, what does the future hold for Portugal? Young stars like João Mario, William Carvalho, André Gomes and Raphael Guerreiro have looked very comfortable performing at the highest level, while 18 year old Renato Sanches really caught the eye during his man-of-the-match display against Poland, showing everyone why Bayern Munich paid an astronomical figure to secure his services.
However, when the euphoria of Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph dies down, the big question of who the next Portuguese number nine will be still remains a valid question and there are several possible answers. Éder, Ronaldo and Nani may be short-term solutions but what about further down the line?
Nélson Oliveira has long been touted as a potential key player, but he has struggled for form during his many loan spells, scoring just nine goals in the English Championship for Nottingham Forest last season. Sheffield Wednesday’s Lucas João made his International debut in a friendly against Russia in 2015, but he hasn’t been able to force his way into Wednesday’s starting eleven.
Looking to the Portuguese Primeira Liga for inspiration doesn’t make for pretty reading either. The goal scoring standings are dominated by foreign players, with only three Portuguese strikers taking their goal tally into double figures, Vitória Setúbal’s Andre Claro is the youngest of the three at 25.
Is André Silva the answer?
If you look at the top three clubs in Portugal; Benfica, Porto and Sporting, there is a clear lack of young, Portuguese strikers being given first team chances. 20 year old André Silva looks like the most promising striking talent around at the moment. He has scored prolifically for FC Porto at youth and B-team level, but rarely featured for Porto last season, scoring just one goal in the Liga. He did however finish the season on a high, scoring an impressive brace in the Portuguese Cup final, although ending on the losing side. If he is to make a claim for a place in the Seleção side, he needs regular playing time in the Liga Nós, whether that be at Porto or elsewhere on loan.
Another striker who many have high hopes for is José Gomes, who was so impressive in Portugal’s European Championship triumph at U17 level earlier this summer. But having only turned 17 three months ago, there is a long way to go for the Guinea-Bissau born marksman.
If the Portuguese national team is going to continue to prosper, a top quality centre-forward will be incredibly important. Not simply in terms of scoring goals, but giving their creative talents a focal point in which to build attacks around and enabling key attacking players to play in their natural positions.
Portugal broke their duck in terms of international trophies in memorable fashion this summer. But they can find the missing piece of their footballing jigsaw, then it could just herald an era in which the Seleção become one of the most feared and dominant sides in international football.
