Why Ronaldo's last World Cup chance with Portugal could be his best
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Portugal's 2026 World Cup squad features four PSG starters — Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes and Goncalo Ramos — alongside Premier League player of the year Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, captained by 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in his last 30 Portugal appearances, played the full 120 minutes in back-to-back Euro 2024 knockout games, but was substituted during last year's Nations League Finals run to the title.
- Carlos Carvalhal told Sky Sports that Roberto Martinez "can manage better" Ronaldo's minutes — ideally 60-70 minutes in some games — though he predicted Ronaldo will still want to start every World Cup match.
- Roberto Martinez has moved Portugal away from Fernando Santos's Euro 2016-winning pragmatism to a more progressive style, with Carvalhal calling the Vitinha–Joao Neves–Bruno Fernandes midfield trio of "university-level" understanding.
- Portugal were drawn into a group with Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia, with their best prior World Cup finish still the Eusebio-led third place in 1966.
- Diogo Jota, whose final match was the Nations League triumph before his death, will be honoured as a "+1" in spirit after the squad announcement paid tribute to him.
- Carvalhal flagged defensive transition pace as a vulnerability, warning that "teams at the World Cup with fast players can damage us" if Portugal are unbalanced after losing possession.
Why it matters: Ronaldo, 41, has 25 goals in his last 30 Portugal appearances, yet Carvalhal warned Martinez must cap his minutes rather than play him 90 minutes across five knockout games in 14 days. Portugal's 1966 third-place finish remains their World Cup high, and this squad — four PSG starters plus Fernandes and Bernardo Silva — is built to surpass it.
Ask SkimNews
