Portugal’s World Cup campaign was once again a bitter disappointment. Despite having arguably one of the best squads at the entire tournament, on paper, Roberto Martínez’s side slumped to a Round of 16 exit, losing 1-0 to eventual champions Spain after failing to top Group H behind Colombia. The underachievement ultimately cost Martínez his job, with Benfica icon Jorge Jesus since taking over in his place and immediately being asked one singular question by the Portuguese press: Where does Cristiano Ronaldo fit into his plans?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal future
CR7 is without question Portugal’s greatest player of all time. Indeed, he is right up there with the likes of Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Pele as one of the best the beautiful game has ever produced. But in recent years, the question has been asked as to whether the national team is better off without its leading goalscorer than it is with him leading the line.
At the World Cup, those questions reared their head once more. Ronaldo helped himself to three goals in what was surely his final foray onto the global stage, taking his all-time tally to 11 while becoming the only player in history to score at a record six different World Cups. He has already confirmed he won’t be at the 2030 edition of football’s biggest party, but he may well harbour hopes of leading Portugal out one final time at the next European Championships at the age of 43.
When it comes to selecting Ronaldo in his team, new manager Jorge Jesus has said: “I will pick him, within certain limits and under the conditions that I consider best for the national team.” That certainly suggests that CR7 will be involved with the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Wales, Norway and Denmark. Whether he remains in two years’ time, however, remains to be seen.
The next European Championship is a relative million miles away in football terms. But two years out from the tournament getting underway, what do online betting sites think of Portugal’s hopes, and do they think that the Seleção das Quinas can contend for glory under Jorge Jesus? Here is what the way-too-early betting odds currently say.
Portugal - 7/1
The early odds from Sportaza online sportsbook currently list Portugal as an 8/1 fourth favourite, clear of fellow heavyweights such as Germany (8/1), the Netherlands (14/1) and Italy (20/1), but a short distance back from the three frontrunners. Those odds may come as quite the surprise considering the 2016 champions’ performances at the World Cup this summer, where a number of disjointed displays saw Ronaldo and Co. stutter their way to a Round of 16 exit.
Captain and long-time talisman CR7 is well and truly into the twilight of his career, and he isn’t the only one. The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and João Cancelo will all be 33 or older by the time Euro 2028 rolls around. But that isn’t to say that there aren’t hot young talents coming through the Portuguese ranks.
Teenage winger Geovany Quenda moved to Chelsea this summer for €50m, while fellow 19-year-old Rodrigo Mora joined Roma for €25m. Then there’s the 21-year-old Mateus Fernandes, who swapped West Ham United for Tottenham Hotspur in an eye-watering €99m deal. None of them have made a senior appearance for the Portuguese national team just yet. Could they have a part to play in leading Portugal to glory at Euro 2028?
England - 9/2
It seems like England’s conveyor belt of heartbreak at international tournaments will never end. Portugal have dished out their fair share on the Three Lions, beating the English on penalties in the quarter-finals at both Euro 2004 and the World Cup in Germany two years later. Since then, England have come closer to glory, but the closer they get to the promised land, the more it hurts when they ultimately fall short.
This summer, it was arch-rivals Argentina that inflicted the latest bitter blow. England led Lionel Messi’s side by a solitary goal to nil with just five minutes of their semi-final clash remaining. Then, late strikes from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez handed Argentina the win and a spot in the final, while the Three Lions were left dreaming of what might have been once again.
England have reached each of the last two European Championship finals, losing both of them, firstly to Italy in 2021 and then again to Spain three years later. There’s a feeling around this England squad that 2028 might represent the last chance for the current crop to finally secure some silverware as captain Harry Kane heads into the later stages of his career. They will be hosting the tournament, alongside neighbours Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, and the bookies make them a 9/2 favourite to lift the trophy at Wembley on July 9th 2028.
France - 4/1
France looked imperious at this summer’s World Cup, with the menacing strike force of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise causing carnage all summer long. Then, they ran into a possession-hungry Spain side in the semi-finals, and Les Bleus’ cutting edge deserted them at the moment they needed it the most.
Long-serving manager Didier Deschamps has now departed after 14 years at the helm. Throughout his tenure, he never managed to win the European Championships, famously losing on home turf to Portugal in 2016. Now, the iconic Zinedine Zidane takes over, and the first task at hand is delivering what his predecessor could not. The bookies make his side a 4/1 joint favourite to do exactly that.
Spain - 4/1
The only surprise about Spain being priced as a 4/1 joint favourite is that the word “joint” is attached to it as opposed to “outright”. La Roja have swept all before them under current boss Luis de la Fuente, winning the most recent European Championships in the summer of 2024 with a 2-1 victory against England in Berlin before then going on to become world champions this summer with a 1-0 triumph against Argentina at MetLife Stadium.
Teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal is still just 19 years of age, and he will have developed into the planet’s finest player by the summer of 2028, if he hasn’t already. His Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí is also 19, and he was named the young player of the tournament at the World Cup, while Pedri, Gavi and Nico Williams are all 23 years of age or younger. They will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come, and Euro 2028 will certainly be no different.
