Last chance for Cristiano Ronaldo, but a dream central midfield shines in Portugal

Portugal - Group K RD Congo (June 17, Houston), Uzbekistan (June 23, Houston), Colombia (June 27, Miami).

Drawn in Group K alongside Colombia, RD Congo and Uzbekistan, Portugal are currently 5th in the FIFA rankings. This is their ninth participation in the World Cup, marking the seventh consecutive time that a national team has emerged from the top tier of world football and has never lost a tournament in the 21st century. Portugal will be coached by Roberto Martínez, who takes over from Fernando Santos in 2023. The Spanish coach, who guided Belgium's "golden generation", will now also try to lead the Sélection das Kinés – with whom he has already won the Nations League – which has so far failed to reach the semi-finals (reached in 1966 and 2006).

Road to the World CupAlthough some ups and downs and a few mistakes – a draw against Hungary and a defeat against Ireland – saw Portugal achieve only a pass on the final day, qualification for the World Cup was never really in doubt and it came with an impressive 9–1 win over Armenia.

TeamIn an obviously attacking 4-3-3 system, Portugal are seen as a potential surprise. This time Cristiano Ronaldo will captain the team. At 41, the Funchal legend is set for his sixth World Cup – possibly his last – and he is looking to set a new record alongside Messi and Ochoa. Supporting him will be Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes, who combined for 21 assists in a stellar season with Manchester United, breaking the record previously shared by De Bruyne and Henry. To complete a high-class central midfield, PSG will have talents Vitinha and Joao Neves as well as Nuno Mendes. Further ahead, Martínez will also have the opportunity to rely on the talents of Italians Rafael Liao and Francisco Conceição, who are keen to recover from their poor seasons with Milan and Juventus respectively.

select Player****Goalkeepers - Diego Costa (Porto), José Sá (Wolverhampton), Rui Silva (Sporting), Ricardo Valho (Gençlerbirligue).
Defenders - Diego Dallot (Manchester United), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Nelson Semedo (Fenerbache), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting), Renato Vega (Villarreal), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Tomás Araújo (Benfica).
Central midfielders - Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Samuel Costa (Mayorca), Joao Neves (PSG), Vitinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).
Forwards - Joao Felix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Liao (Milan), Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Goncalo Ramos (PSG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr).Portugal's probable team (4-3-3): Diego Costa; Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Goncalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes; Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Neves; Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Liao.
Coach: Roberto Martínez.