Portugal made it to the 2022 World Cup the hard way, finishing second in their group and needing to beat Turkey and North Macedonia in the playoffs. The Seleção will return to the biggest stage in world football with a squad likely to contain a mix of older, more experienced players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, as well as plenty of younger and emerging talents.
As the record scorer in men’s international football with 115 goals, Ronaldo will be a crucial part of the team. This will be his 10th straight major international tournament, and while he’s older and past his peak, he’s still an important player for Portugal. However, to thrive in Qatar the team will have to make sure they are not so heavily reliant on Ronaldo as in the past decade and a half.
As far as odds of winning go, Portugal is not one of the favourites. You can find full World Cup 2022 odds at William Hill, and there’s information on how to use William Hill promo code if you want to make the most of the bonus. This bonus includes a 40 pounds free bets when betting 10 pounds on many sports. Free Bets gives you the chance to bet on the sports you love without losing money.
If you ask most football fans outside of Portugal who could fire the Seleção to glory, they will likely respond Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva or Bruno Fernandes, three high-profile players who have enjoyed fabulous individual success at their respective clubs in recent years. While there are plenty of established Portuguese star players, several huge talents are waiting in the wings who have not quite hit the heights when wearing a Portugal shirt.
The 2022 World Cup could be the tournament that immortalises one of the following three rising stars.
João Félix
At 22 years old, Félix is still incredibly young, even if he might already be an established part of the Portugal squad. In the 2018/19 season, he was the most coveted teenager in football, scoring twenty goals for Benfica and winning the Golden Boy award before being signed by Atletico Madrid for more than 120 million euros. Unfortunately, he has struggled to put together consistent performances since joining Atletico, his style of play not really working that well for the La Liga side and numerous injuries setting him back.
This season though, he started to find more consistent form, scoring ten goals and registering six assists, and was this week named Atletico Madrid’s Player of the Season. In the World Cup, he could be a major factor for Portugal, consecrating many forecasts that he is the heir apparent to Ronaldo as Portugal’s number one attacking weapon during the next decade.
Diogo Jota
Despite fierce competition for places in the Liverpool XI, Diogo Jota has become a key player for the Premier League team, helping his side finish second in the league and reach the Champions League final. He registered twenty-one goals and eight assists for Liverpool this season across 54 appearances. Despite sharing the pitch with the likes of Mohammed Salah, Sádio Mané and Luis Díaz, Jota is clearly seen by Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp as a vitally important asset to the club who can make a big difference in big games.
For Portugal, Jota has nine goals in twenty-four caps for the national team, blowing somewhat hot and cold. He put in man-of-the-match displays to destroy Croatia and Sweden in the previous edition of the Nations League, but was disappointing at Euro 2020. After a strong season in 2021/22, it is likely that he’ll be a starter for the World Cup. Jota is livewire player whose zippy energy and constant movement could dovetail well with the less mobile Ronaldo and more cerebral talents like Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes. He will turn 26 years old during the tournament, the sort of age considered the peak years for a footballer.
Rafael Leão
Rafael Leão played a key role for AC Milan’s title-winning team this season, helping them win the Scudetto for the first time in eleven years. While only 22 years old, he played 42 matches, scoring fourteen goals and registering twelve assists. It is rumoured that Real Madrid are preparing to make a move for the left winger after missing out on Kylian Mbappé, which shows just how highly rated he now is.
While he only has five caps so far for the senior squad, Leão could very well be one of the first names on the team-sheet by the time the World Cup comes around if he continues his spectacular upward trajectory. His club form will surely force manager Fernando Santos to give him more minutes in the Nations League during the summer, and hopes are high that he can become a key asset for Portugal ahead of Qatar.
