It’s been quite a week for Raphael Guerreiro.

The 20-year-old defender, who plays for modest French club Lorient, was largely unknown among Portuguese fans until last Friday.

That changed after the left-back’s sparkling debut for the Seleção against Armenia. Things got even better in Manchester on Tuesday night as Guerreiro scored a spectacular winning goal against World Cup runners-up Argentina at Old Trafford.

 

Portugal over France

Guerreiro, born in Blanc-Mesnil in north-western France to a Portuguese father and a French mother has lived in France all his life, yet the decision about which country to play for was never in doubt.

“I want to make something clear: it was me who chose Portugal. It’s my choice and nobody from my family or my agent tried to influence me,” he told Eurosport in September last year.

After throwing in his lot with the Seleção he made seven appearances for the U21 side, with coach Rui Jorge giving glowing reports to the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) coaching staff, so much so that he got the call-up to the senior side from Fernando Santos.

Given what has happened this week, Guerreiro must be happier than ever with his decision. He made no attempt to hide his delight when speaking to fpf.pt after the match in Manchester.

“I work every day to improve and it’s not this goal or this game that’s going to stop me doing that. I know that to return to the Seleção I have to keep working very hard, starting from tomorrow.

“This is a joyful day for me. Scoring in this stadium, against Argentina, is obviously a very happy moment. I feel I’m growing as a player and coming to the Seleção will help me in this evolution. The squad has treated me fantastically all week. It’s with enormous pride that I wear the Portugal shirt, and I hope to wear it for many years.”

 

Clairefontaine background

Guerreiro may have come out of the blue for many, but for the more attentive he showed excellent potential from a young age. He passed through France’s famous Clairefontaine football academy, and began his career at local team Caen, where he soon stood out and was considered the best left-back in Ligue2.

Rumours began swirling that big clubs were after his signature, but Guerreiro made the wise move of signing for Lorient, where he had a good chance of nailing down a first-team place, the Ligue1 side paying €2.5 million for his services.

The full-back soon established himself as an automatic starter. A tenacious and aggressive defender, his speed, accurate passing and good crossing make him a useful attacking weapon.

 

Real Madrid ambition

His game has drawn comparisons with Real Madrid’s Portuguese left-back Fábio Coentrão. Guerreiro may soon be competing with Coentrão for a starting spot in the Seleção, and if his career continues on an upward trajectory and pans out as he desires, even at club level.

“My father is a Benfica fan and me too, and I’d love to play for them. But my dream is to play for Real Madrid,” he said in the Eurosport interview. “When you’re a footballer you can’t be indifferent to the history of that club.”

One month shy of his 21st birthday, Guerreiro still has a lot to learn to reach such heights. For now, Seleção coach Fernando Santos must be delighted that in an ageing Portugal squad, at least in one position he has two high-quality alternatives to wage a healthy battle for the starting berth.


Fact file:

Name: Raphael Adelino José Guerreiro

Date of birth: 22 December 1993 (20 years old)

Place of birth: Le Blanc-Mesnil, France

Height: 1.70 m

Weight: 67 kg

Current club: Lorient (France)

Position: Left-back

Portugal caps: 2 (1 goal)

 

by Tom Kundert

Comments (5)

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Can we be frank for a minute: How many youngsters do we think can realistically develop in time for Euro 2016? I mean, the team as currently constituted is not going to win this tournament. They just don't have the talent. But what about over the...

Can we be frank for a minute: How many youngsters do we think can realistically develop in time for Euro 2016? I mean, the team as currently constituted is not going to win this tournament. They just don't have the talent. But what about over the next season and a half, is anybody going to step up and pry a spot away from these old folks? Or is 2016 going to be another case of Ronaldo towing the truck for the rest of the squad?

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DL
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

DL,

There are actually quite a few U-23 players who could definitely work their way into the senior national side by the Euros.

In my opinion, the following youngsters have the best chance of finding themselves in the 23-man squad in France.

...

DL,

There are actually quite a few U-23 players who could definitely work their way into the senior national side by the Euros.

In my opinion, the following youngsters have the best chance of finding themselves in the 23-man squad in France.

Defenders:

Paulo Oliveira (CB) - Sporting
Ruben Vezo (CB)- Valencia
Tiago Ilori (CB) - Liverpool (On loan at Bordeaux)
Raphael Guerreiro (LB) - Lorient
Cedric (RB) - Sporting

Midfielders:

William Carvalho (DM) - Sporting
Andre Gomes (CM) - Valencia
Joao Mario (CM) - Sporting
Bernardo Silva (AM) - Monaco
Bruno Fernandes (AM) - Udinese
Rony Lopes (AM) - Manchester City (On loan at Lille)
Ruben Neves (DM) - Porto

Forwards/Wingers:

Bruma (W) - Galatasaray
Carlos Mane (W) - Sporting
Ivan Cavaleiro (W) - Benfica (On loan at Deportivo)
Ricardo Horta (W) - Malaga

Fabio Coentrao isn't going to lose his spot any time soon, but Guerreiro could potentially prove to be a fantastic back-up, especially considering that Coentrao is constantly injured. Vitorino Antunes is a more experienced, defensively sound alternative, but he lacks Guerreiro's pace, energy, and fantastic link-up play.

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jon/usa
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Excited to see this kid, and the other young stars, get some playing time with the national team.

saintlennon
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Raphael seems like a typical attacking fullback in modern football these days. Reminds me of Jordi alba more than coentrao actually. Anyways here's my idea...play them both. Raphael at left back and coentrao at left midfield behind Ronaldo....

Raphael seems like a typical attacking fullback in modern football these days. Reminds me of Jordi alba more than coentrao actually. Anyways here's my idea...play them both. Raphael at left back and coentrao at left midfield behind Ronaldo. Coentrao and Ronaldo play so well together as it is and with coentrao having the stamina he has, he can cover back in defense too.

I also like coentrao for his speed and energy which is something our midfield certainly doesn't have. So bare with me on this formation for a second.

Patricio
Cedric.....?.....pepe......Raphael
...........tiago/William...........
Joao mou/Joao mar.......coentrao
Nani/Bruma/Rq....?......Ronaldo

The question marks are exactly that, they are questionable spots. I personally like the way bosingwa has looked going forward but I think cedric is the future. Perhaps the center back next to pepe should be Fonte. The false 9 whoever takes that position needs to have speed going forward and the ability to link possession with our attacking wingers. Right now I can't honestly tell you who should be there because i don't have all day like santos does to find it. I like rony lopes and cavaliero a lot for that position. The only problem is their lack of height and physicality for that position. When we play against big physical teams like Germany and France or whoever, they might get pushed around out of position.

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Justin/rochester
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I just noticed how the formation looked once I submitted my comment. All I'm saying is have Raphael play left back and coentrao play left midfield. The number 9 spot is up for grabs. I do know that eder, postiga and Danny are not the answer....

I just noticed how the formation looked once I submitted my comment. All I'm saying is have Raphael play left back and coentrao play left midfield. The number 9 spot is up for grabs. I do know that eder, postiga and Danny are not the answer. Danny has his moments and looks like the logical starter but I believe without a doubt that Portugal has a better option than him. Against Argentina he was slow on and off the ball. The only thing eder does offer is his length but he has no technical ability. Eder is the kid in gym class that can play every sport but doesn't play one sport great. That's my eder analogy haha.

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Justin/rochester
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