Roberto Martínez has announced a one-off 32-man squad for next week’s friendlies against Sweden and Slovenia as he intends to look at all his options ahead of Euro 2024.

He explained that he also made the decision to select an expanded squad because he does not want to overload players with excess minutes at a hectic time of the season.

Francisco Conceição and Jota Silva have been rewarded for their excellent form in recent months with their maiden call-ups to the senior Portugal team. 

Wenderson Galeno is having a season to remember. He has especially shone in the Champions League (5 goals, 3 assists) and his form has not gone unnoticed.

Brazil coach Dorival Júnior yesterday gave the 26-year-old his debut call-up as a replacement for Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, who had to drop out of the squad through injury.

However, Galeno is also eligible to play for Portugal. Seleção coach Roberto Martínez has intimated he is in his plans and was expected to include the Porto player when announcing the squad on Friday for the upcoming friendly matches against Sweden and Slovenia. 

Today marks exactly 100 days before Euro 2024 kicks off. Portugal will be playing in their eighth consecutive European Championship tournament and as usual, they will be seen as one of the realistic winners of the competition.

The 2024 tournament will be hosted by Germany and Portugal will take an array of world-class talent across the continent to compete.

England and France have long been touted as the most likely teams to win EURO 2024 due to the depth of their rosters. However, there are several reasons why Portugal’s tournament-winning potential should be recognised too. 

Every build-up to a major tournament has its own unique emotional swells. From the rigors of qualification to the group stage draw to the fate of players at club level, there’s a distinct flavor or complexion to the ordeal.

Many Portugal supporters might rather forget the process and the not insignificant degree of cardiovascular and mental health abnormalities they induce. World Cup 2010 qualification anyone? Or World Cup 2014 when Ronaldo was injured and you could see disaster coming in slow motion?

While other nations flattened their opponents, Portugal’s qualification dumpster fire normally concluded with an assignment to the Group of Death. Ah these were simpler times, weren’t they? 

Even Euro 2016 qualifying was more toilsome than Portugal’s eventual 7-0-1 record might suggest, costing Paulo Bento his job. It is our lineage, a unifying element of Portugal’s football culture, this unsavory drama.