Portuguese Football in English
One bright shaft of light has punctuated the darkness of a desperately disappointing season for FC Porto. It goes by the name of Rodrigo Mora, the attacking midfielder scoring another wonder goal last night as the Dragons beat city rivals Boavista to all but secure a third-place finish.
Mora turned 18 just one week ago but increasingly loud calls are being made for his inclusion in the full Portugal squad for the upcoming Nations League final four matches at the start of June.
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the all-time records for most international matches played and the most international goals scored. But today, it is another member of the Ronaldo clan who is making the headlines in Portugal – and around the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Júnior has received his first call-up for the Seleção. The 14-year-old is in Portugal’s U15 squad that will play the Vlatko Markovic International Tournament, in Croatia.
Portugal will head into their 2026 World Cup qualifiers as the favourites to finish top of the group and secure automatic progression to the tournament.
After being drawn in Group F alongside Hungary, Republic of Ireland and Armenia, Portugal are bidding to secure a seventh consecutive appearance at the World Cup.
While the runners-up in the group will have the chance to qualify via the play-off route, Portugal will be eager to avoid navigating their way through that process.
With that in mind, read on as we look at their upcoming qualification fixtures and potential World Cup squad, before assessing Cristiano Ronaldo’s hotly disputed role.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s role with Portugal in the lead-up to next summer’s World Cup is likely to be the subject of much debate over the next year.
Currently the first-choice striker for Roberto Martínez, Ronaldo has been clear in his aim to represent his country in the United States, by which time he will be 41 years old.
Portugal, as a nation in general, has taken great pride in its ability to compete on a level far beyond what one would reasonably expect of it given its population and (lack of) wealth. Much of the world identifies modern Portugal with its football, with the country producing some of the game’s most famous names in Eusébio, Luís Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Eusébio’s exploits at the 1966 World Cup in England showcased a nation that was on the verge of breaking free of the shackles of dictatorship, while the original Golden Generation that emerged at the beginning of the 21st century revealed an increasingly confident country from the footballing point of view.
