Portugal World Cup 2022 squad: Fernando Santos’ players face Morocco in the quarter-finals
Portugal reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup with a sensational 6-1 victory over European rivals Switzerland in the last 16.
It was a bold statement from Fernando Santos’ team, who started the tournament with big question marks. As always, it was the country’s talisman leader, Cristiano Ronaldo, at the center of the storm. After an explosive interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, in which Ronaldo complained about his treatment at Manchester United, rumors circulated about the negative impact this could have had on the Portugal squad in Qatar.
Reports claimed that Ronaldo had argued with club-mate Bruno Fernandes and Man City star Joao Cancelo during training, only for the man himself to dismiss these claims. Ronaldo was subsequently sacked by United, sparking a second wave of publicity as the World Cup got underway.
Still, the results contradict any murmur of dissatisfaction. Ghana and Uruguay were sent off in the group stage – albeit before a shock defeat to South Korea in the final first round match – before Switzerland were thrashed.
In the latter, however, Ronaldo fell out of the starting line-up, after some acting up after his substitution during the confrontation with Korea. Santos has been accused of being too soft on Ronaldo in the past, although his tough decision to dump the team captain paid off.
Indeed, it would be a bold statement for Ronaldo to be overlooked for the quarter-final against Morocco, especially given the African country’s willingness to go deep and defend. Perhaps it is time for Portugal to look to the future, rather than clinging to the former glory of their out-of-work striker.
Squad Portugal 2022 World Cup
Squad Portugal 2022 World Cup
- GK: Diogo Costa (Porto)
- GK: Rui Patricio (Roma)
- GK: Jose Sa (Wolves)
- DF: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
- DF: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)
- DF: Nuno Mendes (PSG)
- DF: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
- DF: Antonio Silva (Benfica)
- DF: Pepe (Porto)
- DF: Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)
- DF: Danilo Pereira (PSG)
- MF: Joao Palhinha (Fulham)
- MF: Matheus Nunes (Wolves)
- MF: William Carvalho (Real Betis)
- MF: Ruben Neves (Wolves)
- MF: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
- MF: Joao Mario (Benfica)
- MF: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
- MF: Vitinha (PSG)
- MF: Otavio (Porto)
- FW: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)
- FW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
- FW: Goncalo Ramos (Benfica)
- FW: Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
- FW: Ricardo Horta (Braga)
- FW: Andre Silva (RB Leipzig)
Portugal results
Group stage:
Portugal 3-2Ghana
Portugal 2-0Uruguay
South Korea 2-1 Portugal
Last-16:
Portugal 6-1 Switzerland
Portugal top scorers
3 goals: Goncalo Ramos
2 goals: Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao
1. goal: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro
Portuguese yellow cards
All yellow cards from the 2022 World Cup were erased after the last 16, so Portugal currently has no players suspended.
Portuguese manager
Who is the Portuguese national coach for the World Cup?
If Fernando Santos’ face could absorb even more wrinkles, a few dozen more would have been added during a tough qualifying campaign that saw Portugal make a mess of a fairly easy group. Fans and the press have called for change, but the 68-year-old retains the full support of the players and the FA.
Portugal’s star player
Who is Portugal’s star player for the World Cup?
Bernard Silva. He is almost unique in combining penetrating intelligence on the field, superior technical prowess, stunning vision and unwavering industry. No wonder the 28-year-old, blessed with a left foot as good as anyone in history, is regularly the object of high praise from Pep Guardiola and has been courted by Barcelona this summer.
How many players can Portugal bring to the 2022 World Cup?
National managers were allowed to bring 26 players to last summer’s European Championship at a major tournament for the first time as a special measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now it has been announced that teams of 26 players will return for the World Cup in Qatar, an expansion of the usual 23-man squads.
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