Portugal’s final squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been announced. National coach Fernando Santos may have selected the most striking name with António Silva. The nineteen-year-old center defender has only been with Benfica’s first team since last transfer summer and has so far only played one international match on behalf of Young Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo is the intended captain of the Portuguese at the World Cup.
Silva broke through in recent months under the leadership of Roger Schmidt and now sees his impressive performances being rewarded with a place in the World Cup selection. In the current football season, the central defender has already made seventeen appearances in the first. Furthermore, Ronaldo is present for the fifth time in his career at a global final tournament, while João Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix, Rafael Leão and Bernardo Silva have also been added as big names to the roster.
??????? ???????????? ????????. ????? Senhoras e senhores, estes são os nossos eleitos que vão marcar presença no @FIFAWorldCup ! ?? #VesteABandeiraIt’s ????????????????: this is our squad for the @FIFAWorldCup ! ?? #WearTheFlag pic.twitter.com/2LwDfWrVVG
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) Nov 10, 2022
Also striking is the lack of 36-year-old João Moutinho, who already has 146 international matches to his name. National coach Santos had already warned in advance that some experienced players would not survive the selection. In addition, Renato Sanches is also not present and Gonçalo Guedes has to tolerate Ricardo Horta in the pecking order. No player from Sporting Portugal has been selected.
Final squad Portugal
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Patrício (AS Roma)
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint Germain), Pepe (FC Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), António Silva (Benfica), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint Germain) , Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: João Palhinha (Fulham), Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Mário (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Otávio Monteiro (FC Porto), Vitinha (Paris Saint Germain), William Carvalho (Real Betis)
Attackers: André Silva (RB Leipzig), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Goncalo Ramos (Benfica), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Ricardo Horta (SC Braga)