Luckily, Portugal is one of the world’s top producers of football talents and one of the nations that is more deeply connected to the sport itself. With hundreds of talents plying their trade abroad, the national team coaches have plenty to pick from when coming up with a squad to take on a competition of such high importance as the European Championship, for example.
But let’s imagine that that’s not true. For a few minutes let’s forget all of those who play in the biggest competitions on the planet, let’s forget the best player on Earth, and let’s focus on our own league. What would this national team look like if it consisted of players who decided to stay in their home country? Probably just a simple mix of the “Big Three”, right?
Well then, in an attempt to give the limelight to some of the smaller clubs and less well known players, let’s make it a bit more difficult to pick a line-up and forbid the entrance to those who play for Porto, Benfica or Sporting as well. Here’s what our national team to approach Euro 2016 would look like if it could only be composed of footballers who play within their country of origin and who aren’t part of any of the big three’s rosters.
Wasteful finishing and an outstanding display by Bulgarian goalkeeper Stoyanov combined to condemn Portugal to defeat in Leiria tonight.
Fernando Santos has announced a 24-man squad for Portugal’s upcoming friendly internationals against Bulgaria and Belgium. 
Three things Portugal must accomplish in its tournament warm-up matches
The Portuguese national team aren’t going to be the favourites to win Euro 2016, and that makes for a good chance for a nice value bet on them being the champions.