Portugal’s Euro 2024 Squad: Who is Roberto Martinez taking to Germany?

Portugal has a great opportunity to taste continental glory this summer if they play to their full potential. While England and France are considered strong contenders, placing Portugal among the teams most likely to lift the Euro 2024 trophy in Germany this summer will not be easy.

After a disastrous performance three years ago, where they were eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16, and the shock of being knocked out of the World Cup quarterfinals by Morocco in Qatar, Selecao will have the motivation to put on a better performance this time around.

Fernando Santos stepped down from his position after that defeat against the North African team, and Roberto Martinez stepped into the hot seat in his place. The former Belgian coach was not a popular choice, but so far, he has done an impressive job with his team winning all 10 opening matches under his management.

Martinez is fortunate to have a talented squad at his disposal and they need to be motivated to play for Cristiano Ronaldo, in what could be his last international tournament. But who has made up the 25-man Euro squad for Portugal?

Goalkeepers:

Portugal is fortunate to have a strong set of goalkeepers for the tournament. Young Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa – recently linked with several Premier League teams – has emerged as the number one choice, but if he is unavailable, both Rui Patricio of Roma and Jose Sa of Wolves are more than capable replacements.

The 3 goalkeepers include: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Patricio (Roma), Jose Sa (Wolves)

Defenders:

Portugal’s defensive options are also strong. Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo are regulars in the defense, while Manchester United star Diogo Dalot has proven to be a popular choice on the left of the defense.

The question of who will partner Dias in the center-back position is more open. Martinez has switched between a 4-defender and 3-defender setup since taking over, with young players Goncalo Inacio and Antonio Silva both getting regular starts, although ageless Pepe is still an option.

The 8 defenders include: Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Pepe (Porto), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Antonio Silva (Benfica)

Midfielders:

Bruno Fernandes is the only player to have featured in all of Martinez’s first 10 matches in charge, but the other midfield positions are more open. Ruben Neves and Otavio’s move to the Saudi Pro League has not affected their international prospects, while retaining midfielders Danilo Pereira and Joao Palhinha will provide some much-needed steel.

The 7 midfielders include: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Otavio (Al-Nassr), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)

Forwards:

When Martinez took over, the immediate question he faced was whether to continue relying on Ronaldo as the central striker. He chose to stick with the legendary forward, and Ronaldo has thanked him for his faith by scoring 10 goals in his first 9 matches.

Bernardo Silva is another mainstay of Martinez’s attack, with Joao Felix and Rafael Leao also regularly featuring. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos provide important depth.

The 7 forwards include: Francisco Conceicao (Porto) with 7 goals 5 assists in 37 matches, João Felix (Barcelona) with 10 goals 4 assists in 39 matches, Diogo Jota (Liverpool) with 14 goals 3 assists in 30 matches, Rafael Leao (AC Milan) with 15 goals 12 assists in 47 matches, Pedro Lomba Neto (Wolves) with 2 goals 9 assists in 20 matches, Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain) with 14 goals 1 assist in 33 matches, Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) with 41 goals 13 assists in 40 matches.

Expected lineup with formation (4-3-3):

Costa seems to have solidified his position as goalkeeper, with Dias, Dalot, and Cancelo definite choices in defense. It’s a toss-up for the remaining center-back position, but Inacio is probably in the lead at the time of writing.

Palhinha should play in the defensive midfield position, supported by Fernandes and one of either Otavio or Vitinha. There are no prizes for guessing who will lead the line, with Bernardo playing on the right. That leaves the left forward position open, and it’s a tough berth, with Felix and Leao not enjoying classic seasons this time around and Jota having to contend with injury issues throughout the season.

Portugal’s expected lineup (4-3-3): Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Inacio, Dalot; Palhinha, Otavio, Fernandes; Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo, Felix.

Portugal’s Euro 2024 group F schedule:

June 19: Portugal vs Czech Republic (02:00 at Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig)

June 22: Turkey vs Portugal (23:00 at BVB Stadion Dortmund, Dortmund)

June 27: Georgia vs Portugal (02:00 at Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen)

⚽️ UEFA Euro 1960 to 2021 with 16 tournaments and 10 national champions

⏩ Germany won the Euro 3 times (1972 – 1980 – 1996)

⏩ Spain won the Euro 3 times (1964 – 2008 – 2012)

⏩ France won the Euro 2 times (1984 – 2000)

⏩ Italy won the Euro 2 times (1968 – 2020)

⏩ Soviet Union won the Euro once in 1960

⏩ Czechoslovakia won the Euro once in 1976

⏩ Netherlands won the Euro once in 1988

⏩ Denmark won the Euro once in 1992

⏩ Greece won the Euro once in 2004

⏩ Portugal won the Euro once in 2016

With the participation of the strongest European teams according to the FIFA ranking on February 15, 2024 such as France (2nd) – England (3rd) – Belgium (4th) – Netherlands (6th) – Portugal (7th) – Spain (8th) – Italy (9th) – Croatia (10th) and bright stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku to promising young talents, Euro 2024 promises to deliver top-level and dramatic matches.

EURO 2024 will take place in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024 in 10 cities in Germany with 24 participating teams. The teams are divided into 6 groups to select the first and second teams in each group, and the 4 third-placed teams with the best performance to get a ticket to the knock-out round. The opening match is scheduled for June 14 between host Germany and Scotland.

⚽️ Detailed EURO 2024 match groups:

⚽️ Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland

⚽️ Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania

⚽️ Group C: England, Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia

⚽️ Group D: Poland, France, Netherlands, Austria

⚽️ Group E: Slovakia, Romania, Belgium, Ukraine

⚽️ Group F: Portugal, Turkey, Czech Republic, Georgia