Despite the absence of certain regulars from the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo will compete in his fifth World Cup with a Portugal lineup full of excellent players.
Cristiano Ronaldo will captain Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar
Joo Félix, Renato Sanches, and Joo Moutinho were among those left off of Fernando Santos’ list of 26 players chosen on Thursday, but they will play alongside Ronaldo alongside Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and Joo Félix. Liverpool’s Diogo Jota will also not be travelling to Qatar due to an injury.
Joo Cancelo, Rben Dias, and Pepe, a 39-year-old centre back, are other members of the squad. Also travelling to Qatar is 19-year-old defender António Silva, who just earned his first call-up.
For the first time in his career, the 37-year-old Ronaldo has been exhibiting indications of decline, but he will nonetheless serve as the captain of a Portugal team that is vying for its first World Cup victory.
Portugal added the championship of the first Nations League at home in 2019 after finally winning a significant international trophy at the European Championship in 2016. But neither at the 2018 World Cup nor the 2020 Euros did it go past the round of 16.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), José Sá (Roma), and Rui Patricio (Wolverhampton)
Defenders include Diogo Dalot of Manchester United, Nuno Mendes of PSG, Joo Cancelo of Manchester City, António Silva of Benfica, Pepe of Porto, Danilo Pereira of PSG, and Raphael Guerreiro of PSG (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: Joo Mário of Benfica, William Carvalho of Real Betis, Rben Neves of Wolverhampton, Otavio Monteiro of Porto, Bernardo Silva of Manchester City, Matheus Nunes of Wolverhampton, Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, Joo Palhinha of Fulham, and Vitinha.
Forwards include Rafael Leo (AC Milan), André Silva (Leipzig), Ricardo Horta (Braga), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Joo Félix (Atlético Madrid), and Gonçalo Ramos.