After the state of near-euphoria caused by Portugal’s powerful displays against Croatia and Sweden last month, it is no surprise that Seleção coach Fernando Santos has selected a similar squad for the upcoming matches against Spain, France and Sweden.  

Four new faces make the cut compared to the previous squad in Rafa Silva, Daniel Podence, Rúben Semedo and William Carvalho, while Domingos Duarte, André Gomes and Gonçalo Guedes drop out to make way for the recalled quartet. 

The rest of the squad remains the same, and given the calibre of the opposition, it will be interesting to see if in a couple of weeks we are talking about “a reality check” or “confirmation Portugal are contenders to win big”. 

• Cristiano Ronaldo

“I’ve never made it a secret I aim to be the best.” It is one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s most famous quotes. When it comes to the Seleção, at least, mission accomplished. The Madeira-born phenomenon has obliterated all records for Portugal’s national team, long ago rendering redundant comparisons with the forever revered Eusébio as regards the country’s greatest ever footballer.

PortuGOAL charts the international timeline of a living Seleção legend, the relationships with coaches that shaped his output in a Portugal shirt and the numerous occasions when Ronaldo has taken it upon himself to beat the opposition single-handedly. 

Sweden 0-2 Portugal

Portugal made it a perfect start to the defence of their Nations League crown with a second win in four days thanks to two goals from returning captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

After a hard-fought first half, the game turned on the stroke of the interval after a red card issued to Svensson, with Ronaldo scoring a sublime goal direct from the subsequent free kick.

It was Ronaldo's 100th goal for Portugal and he made it 101 in the second half with another superb strike from range.

Portugal 4-1 Croatia

The Seleção put to bed whatever uncertainty there may have been about their potential without Ronaldo after a resounding victory over Croatia tonight at the Estádio do Dragão.

Portugal tirelessly pressured the visitors and were unlucky in the end not to turn a comprehensive victory into a full-on rout with only Petkovic's late goal in reply. 

João Félix and Diogo Jota both scored their first-ever goals for the Seleção while Francisco Trincão made his senior side debut.