The wait is over. Fernando Santos announced Portugal’s 26-man squad who will defend their European Championship crown at FPF headquarters in Cidade do Futebol on the outskirts of Lisbon tonight.

There were no big surprises. William Carvalho is recalled, Pedro Gonçalves makes the cut – his debut callup to the senior Seleção – after his sensational season for Sporting, and Gonçalo Guedes is rewarded for his recent resurgence in form.

Players who may feel unlucky to miss out include defenders Ricardo Pereira and Domingos Duarte. 

Winners of Euro 2016, despite the injured Cristiano Ronaldo sitting on the side-lines for most of the final against France, Portugal’s delegation this time round is actually more well-furnished in terms of star quality and depth throughout the team.

Although several of the title-winning players remain in the Seleção setup, the majority of the Portuguese squad is made up of bright new members who have excelled for their club sides all around Europe. 

The sporting highlight of the summer, Euro2020, is less than four weeks away. The tournament was postponed a year due to the worldwide pandemic and will now run from 12 June to 12 July. The event will retain its name even though it is now being played a year later than was initially planned.

Even as reigning champions, most pundits consider Portugal as an outsider. The talking heads on TV seem to have more faith in the likes of England, France, Belgium, Spain and Germany. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed earlier reports from Portugal that Pedro Neto has suffered a serious knee injury which will keep him out for the rest of the season.

According to Portuguese outlet Jornal de Notícias, Neto’s knee problem will see him miss six months of action and therefore rule him out of this summer’s European Championships. While Wolves have not confirmed the length the winger is expected to be on the sidelines, the club stated Neto will not play again this season due to the injury suffered to his knee cap.