LONDON (Kashmir English): Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be making a record sixth appearance at the FIFA World Cup, will lead the charge with an eye on glory for the first time on the global stage.
Roberto Martinez’s side are strong favourites to advance from Group K where they meet DR Congo and tournament debutants Uzbekistan before the tricky test of Colombia.
Portugal’s best finish in the men’s tournament is third place, which they achieved on their debut at the 1966 World Cup in England.
Their next best was reaching the semi-finals at the 2006 tournament (Ronaldo’s debut) in Germany where they finished fourth and then in Qatar at the 2022 event where they could reach quarter-finals only.
Portugal’s Ronaldo and long-term rival Lionel Messi of Argentina are set to make more history by becoming the first players to feature in six World Cups.
Now 41, Ronaldo’s presence has been seen as a major factor in Portugal sides not maximising their potential in recent tournaments.
The Al-Nassr forward has failed to score in his last nine matches at the World Cup and Euros combined.
The striker was even dropped by Fernando Santos in favour of Goncalo Ramos during the 2022 global event.
But Martinez, a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of the Portugal national team, has remained fiercely loyal to Ronaldo and with some justification.
He scored in the quarter-final, semi-final and final as Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win the Nations League last year.
Ronaldo also plundered five goals in as many qualifiers before a red card against the Republic of Ireland.
Portugal’s strength
The team’s true strength lies with arguably the best collection of midfielders at the World Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain pair Vitinha and Joao Neves line up alongside Premier League player of the year Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
