Team profile: Portugal

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo currently holds the title of best player in the world, and the Portuguese attacker is in many ways the consummate footballer – lightning fast, incredibly skilled, strong as an ox and with remarkable close control, as well as a deadly way with a free kick. But he doesn’t always show up for his country in the way that he has at Real or Manchester United. However, his stellar display in the play-off against Sweden indicates he is ready to shine for his country, although he does have nagging injury concerns. There’s plenty of other talent on view, though, with raiding right back Fábio Coentrão and play maker João Moutinho also likely to catch the eye. And pundits are talking up 22-year-old Angola-born holding midfielder William Carvalho, whose ability to protect his defense could be key to Portugal’s prospects.

The 1966 World Cup saw Portugal, driven by the sublime talents of the Mozambique-born striker Eusébio, drive all the way to the semifinal, where they were unfortunate to lose to hosts and eventual champions England. The most spectacular moment of that campaign was undoubtedly the quarter final against surprise contenders North Korea, who had taken a 3-0 lead before Eusébio scored four times in a 5-3 victory.

Portugal will have little trouble qualifying behind Germany in their group, but much will depend on which Ronaldo shows up. If it’s the petulant sulk, they won’t get past Belgium in the Round of 16; if he’s out to prove a point, pencil them in for at least a quarterfinal.  

Ronaldo’s ego gets the better of him, the team fails to gel and fails either in the group stage as Ghana makes an unexpected star showing, or to the Belgians in the round of 16.

The Portuguese FA likes to evoke the history of Portugal’s 15^th century mariners and their symbolic Order of Christ sigil on its shirt, but there’s a certain irony in the fact that Portuguese football has always depended heavily on players from Brazil and the Lusophone African countries colonized by those Portuguese mariners. Let’s just say that for the ancestors of Eusébio – or stars of today such as Pepe, Nani, Carvalho and Varela – that banner didn’t always represent good news.