Portugal national football team
Encyclopedia
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal
in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation
, the governing body for football in Portugal
. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras
, and their head coach is Paulo Bento
. Their first appearance in the 1966 FIFA World Cup
saw them reach the semi-final, losing 2–1 at Wembley to the eventual world champions England
. The next two times Portugal qualified for the World Cup were 1986
and 2002
, with Portugal going out in the first round both times. In the 1986 tournament, players went on strike
over prize-money and refused to train between their first and second games.
In 2003, the Portuguese Football Federation hired Luiz Felipe Scolari
, the Brazil
ian head coach who had led the Brazil national football team
to win the 2002 FIFA World Cup
. Scolari led Portugal to the final of UEFA Euro 2004, where they lost to Greece
, and to their second World Cup semi-final in the 2006 World Cup
. Scolari left after the UEFA Euro 2008 and was replaced by Carlos Queiroz
. He led Portugal to the second round of the 2010 World Cup
before they were defeated by the eventual champions Spain
.
, the dream was not made possible for the next seven years.
Portugal’s first game was on 18 December 1921 against Spain
. The game ended in a defeat for the national team, 3–1. The following year, the inaugural edition of the Campeonato de Portugal
(a knock-out tournament, precursor of the Taça de Portugal
) was contested, the winner was defined as the "Portuguese Champion".
, which was, at that time, contested by the best national "A" teams in the world and, therefore, considered to be the best international footballing tournament until the FIFA World Cup
started, two years later, in 1930.
The Portuguese team was drawn in the preliminary round against Chile
for a place in the first round. After falling 2–0 behind, Portugal scored four goals, winning the game 4–2. After their win against Chile, they faced off Yugoslavia
and won 2–1 thanks to a late goal in the 90th minute.
Egypt was the team that followed in the quarter-finals. Here the Portuguese adventure ended after a 2–1 defeat. In the following games, the Egyptians lost against Argentina
(6–0) in the semi-final and Italy
(11–3) for the bronze medal match, which bittered the players. Nevertheless, it was a bright start in international tournaments for the team.
, which only featured a final stage and no qualification round
. The team took part in the 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification
, but failed to eliminate their Spanish opponents, aggregating two defeats in the two-legged round, with a 9–0 loss in Madrid
and 2–1 loss in Lisbon
for an aggregate score of 11–1.
In the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
, the Selecção played one game against Switzerland
in a neutral ground, held in Milan
, losing 2–1 against the Swiss, ending qualification prospects. Because of the international conflict due to the World War II
, there was no World Cup held until the 1950 competition
and subsequently, the national team made very few games against other teams. A 10–0 away friendly defeat against England
, two years after the war, was the proof of how the irregularity of the games had taken its effects on the squad; this result still stands as their biggest ever defeat.
For the qualification of the 1954 World Cup, the team would play Austria
. The Austrians won the first game with a humiliating 9–1 result. The best the national team could do was hold the team to a goalless draw in Lisbon, and the round ended with a 9–1 defeat.
In the 1958 qualification
, Portugal finished last in the group stage that also featured Northern Ireland
and Italy; only the first-placed team would qualify. They started with a 1–1 draw against the Irish team, but lost in Belfast
by a score of 3–0. After that, they won 3–0 against Italy and lost 3–0 in Milan. Finishing with three points, they were two points behind group winners Northern Ireland.
The year 1960 was the year that UEFA created the European Football Championship
, a football tournament similar to the FIFA World Cup, but for European nations. The first edition was a knock-out tournament, the last four teams participating in final stage that only featured one leg while the older stages had two legs. For the first round, the Selecção das Quinas won 2–0 against East Germany
and 3–2 in Porto
for the second leg, finishing with a 5–2 two-legged win. The quarter-final opponent was Yugoslavia. Despite winning the first game 2–1, they lost the second leg 5–1 in Belgrade
, and lost 6–3 on aggregate.
England and Luxembourg
were the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification
adversaries of the national team. Portugal ended second in the group with three points, behind England (with seven points). They started well with a home win (6–0) against Luxembourg and a home draw (1–1) against the English, but lost the following games, first 4–2 against Luxembourg, then 2–0 against England. Like in the previous World Cup qualification, only the first in the group would qualify.
The 1964 European Championship shared the same format as the 1960 edition. Portugal played against Bulgaria
in the first round. The Portuguese lost 3–1 in Sofia
and won 3–1 in Lisbon. With the round tied 4–4, a replay was needed in a neutral ground. In Rome
, Portugal lost 1–0 with a late goal from the Bulgarians.
In 1964, the Nations' Cup
was held in Brazil
. The event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Brazilian Football Confederation. Three international teams were invited – Argentina, Portugal, and England – for the competition, which was played in Rio de Janeiro
and São Paulo
in late May and early June, with an all round-robin
format. Portugal ended with one point (five behind winners Argentina) and joint third place with England after two defeats (4–1 with Brazil and 2–0 with Argentina) and a 1–1 tie against England
, Portugal was drawn into the same group as Czechoslovakia
, Romania
, and Turkey
. They topped the group with only one draw and one defeat during all the six games and finally qualified for a FIFA World Cup; that year the final stage would be held in England. Notable results were both 1–0 away wins against Czechoslovakia and Turkey and a 5–1 home win against the Turks.
The team started out with three wins in the group stage where they were in Group C when beat Hungary
3–1, Bulgaria 3–0, and two-time defending champions Brazil
3–1. In the quarter-finals, Portugal played against North Korea. Portugal won the game with four goals from Eusébio
overturning a deficit of 3–0. Later, they reached the semi-finals but were defeated by hosts and eventual champions England 2–1; in this game, Portugal would have played in Liverpool
, but as England were the hosts, FIFA decided that the game should have been in London
, which led the Portuguese team travel unexpectedly from Liverpool to London. Portugal then defeated the Soviet Union
2–1 in the third place match for their best World Cup finish to date. Eusébio was the top scorer of the World Cup, with nine goals.
For the Euro 1968 qualifying, the Selecção played against Bulgaria, Norway
, and Sweden
. They finished second after Bulgaria, with six points, four behind the first. Portugal only managed to get two wins and two ties; both wins came from 2–1 results against Norway.
After their tremendous success in the 1966 World Cup, Portugal tried to qualify for the 1970 World Cup
, which was to be held in Mexico
. They finished fourth and last in their group, behind Greece
, Romania, and Switzerland. With only four points (from one win and two ties), Portugal were four behind group winner’s Romania.
To be able to participate in Euro 1972, Portugal had to win its group that comprised the teams of Belgium, Denmark
, and Scotland
. Portugal finished second to Belgium with seven points (two less than the Belgians). The three wins the Portuguese had were against Denmark (1–0 away, 5–0 home) and Scotland in a 2–0 home win.
Also in 1972, Portugal participated in the Brazilian Independence Cup, a tournament that marked the 150th birthday since Brazil
received its independence from Portugal. Winning both group stages (in the first stage, with wins against Ecuador
(3–0), Iran
(3–0), Chile (4–1) and the Republic of Ireland
(2–1) and in the second stage winning against Argentina (3–1), drawing Uruguay
(1–1) and a 2–1 win over the Soviet Union) they qualified for the final with Brazil at the Estádio do Maracanã. The Brazilian star Jairzinho
scored in the 89th minute to give Brazil the win.
For the 1974 qualification stages, Portugal was placed in an accessible group, but was unable to defeat Bulgaria (2-2) in the decisive match, thus losing qualification. The only country Portugal managed to defeat was Cyprus
, winning 4–0 and 1–0 in Nicosia
. Portugal faced tough competition from the strong team of Poland
on winning the spot that would ensure them a place in the 1978 FIFA World Cup
held in Argentina
. They finished second place, beneath Poland.
alongside Austria, Belgium, Norway, and Scotland to fight for the first spot in the group, which would allow them to go to the final stage of UEFA Euro 1980. With nine points, Portugal took third place, three points behind first-placed Belgium. Out of their four wins, the most important were the away win against second-placed Austria (2–1) and a home win against Scotland (1–0).
For the 1982 qualification the Portuguese team had to face Israel
, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Sweden for the top two group places. Portugal finished in fourth place with seven points, less four than the first, with wins over group winners Scotland (2–1), second-placed Northern Ireland (1–0) and last-placed Israel (3–0), all in home ground.
During the campaign for Euro 1984, Portugal had to play with Finland
, Poland
and, highly favourites, Soviet Union. Portugal won the group with a dramatic win over USSR in the last game by a score of 1–0 in home ground. With ten points and five wins, the Portuguese had beaten the Soviet Union by one point.
Portugal ended in group B, alongside Spain, West Germany and Romania. In the first two games, they tied 0–0 and 1–1 against West Germany and Spain, respectively. A 1–0 win over Romania gave them second place in the group, which was enough to go through to the knockout stage. Benfica's Tamagnini Nené
scored the winner.
They played against the hosts, France
, and eventual champions, in one of the most exciting matches in European Championship history. France scored first, but Portugal equalised almost an hour later. The game was tied after 90 minutes and went into extra time. Portugal made the score 2–1 in the first 15 minutes, with both teams having numerous quality scoring chances. In the second half of extra time, France scored in the 114th and 119th minutes to eliminate Portugal 3–2 and go through to the final.
For the 1986 tournament, the Selecção played against Czechoslovakia, Malta
, Sweden, and West Germany for the two spots that would guarantee them a ticket to Mexico. Needing a win in the last game against West Germany in Stuttgart
, manager José Torres
famously said to the press, after being severally doubted that his team would qualify for Mexico 1986, "Let me dream!" Portugal went on to win the game 1–0 to become the first team to beat West Germany at their home ground in an official match.
Portugal was a fan-favourite to make a good campaign because of their UEFA Euro 1984 tournament. The team exited early in the group stages after a win and two losses. They started with a 1–0 win to England. Later, they were beaten by Poland and Morocco
, 1–0 and 3–1, respectively. Their staying in Mexico was marked by a doping case, an injured player and, most significantly, by the Saltillo affair
, where players refused to train in order to win more prizes from the Football Federation.
Wanting to keep present at the major international football tournaments, the Portuguese team attempted to top their qualifying group in a tight group with favourites Italy, Malta, Sweden and Switzerland. Still, they only managed to win two games in a total of eight disputed, ending in third with eight points, five behind first-placed Italy. Both games were won away from home, in Malta
(1–0) and in Sweden against second-placed team (also 1–0).
The 1990 World Cup qualification was widely seen as a possibility to go back to the international stage. Along with Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Luxembourg and Switzerland, Portugal fought until the last game to get one of the first two spots of the group. Playing at home against Czechoslovakia, they failed to score and the game ended in a 0-0 allowing the East Europeans to get the second place with twelve points (the same as winner's Belgium) with two points ahead of Portugal, who came with the first place. Notable results are the wins against Switzerland, 3–1 in Portugal and 2–1 in Neuchâtel.
During the draws for the Euro 1992 qualifying
, the Netherlands
was seen as the strongest team besides Portugal. Greece, Finland and Malta were the other teams. With five wins and eleven points, the Portuguese ended second behind the Dutch, who had two more points than Portugal. A famous result in this campaign was the 1–0 home win against the Dutch.
They participated in the friendly 1992 U.S. Cup
along with the host, USA, Italy and Ireland in a round robin tournament. Portugal finished last with one point (six behind winners United States) from a draw with Italy (0–0). The other two games were defeats with USA (1–0) and the Republic of Ireland (2–0).
For the ’94 World Cup qualification, Portugal played in the same group as Estonia
, Italy, Malta, Scotland and Switzerland for the two highest places. They disappointed, ending in third with 14 points and six wins, just two points behind winner’s Italy and one behind second-placed Switzerland. In the last game of the round, Portugal were defeated by Italy in Milan. The Selecção managed to win 1–0 against Switzerland and 5–0 against the Scots, both were home wins. The then manager, Carlos Queiroz
, blamed the Football Federation for this failure, saying, "They should clean the mess that the Federation has."
in Toronto
, Canada
against the then-European champions Denmark and Canada
. With a draw against the Canadians (1–1) and a win against the Danes, Portugal went on to win the trophy, which remains to date as their only win at senior level.
Portugal managed to reach the Euro 1996, by topping their group with twenty-three points, six more than second-placed Republic of Ireland. Their group consisted of Austria
, Latvia
, Liechtenstein
, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. In the qualification, Portugal thrashed Liechtenstein 8–0 (home, a record) and 7–0 (away) and defeated Northern Ireland 2–1 in away grounds.
In the final tournament, Portugal drew 1–1 with European Champions Denmark, won 1–0 to Turkey and 3–0 against Croatia
, finishing first in their group. In the quarter-finals, they lost 1–0 to eventual runners-up Czech Republic
, due to a marvelous Karel Poborský
second-half lob over goalkeeper Vítor Baía
. This marked the beginning of the Golden Generation
, a group of youngsters who had won the FIFA U-20 World Cup
in 1989 and 1991 and were now leading the national senior squad.
The team almost qualified for the tournament that was to be hosted by France
. However, during a qualifier in Germany
, Rui Costa
was controversially sent off for taking too long to walk off the field while Portugal was leading 1–0. Germany drew the crucial game and was thus able to qualify. This incident is regarded as one of the darkest in Portugal's football history, with FIFA being accused of favouritism in support of Germany, who were the defending Euro '96 champions. The group was made of Albania
, Armenia
, Germany, Northern Ireland and Ukraine
, Portugal ended in third place with 19 points and six wins. Germany finished first with 22 points and Ukraine with twenty, with the Slavics winning a place in the final play-offs. Portugal tied both games with Germany (0–0 home and 1–1 away).
In the qualifications for the 2000 Euro, Portugal faced Azerbaijan
, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Romania and Slovakia
. Portugal gained twenty-three points, just one short of first place Romania, with seven wins. Having not qualified directly into the event, the Portuguese team had the best performance by any runner-up and therefore qualified for the final tournament. Major wins against Azerbaijan (7–0) and Liechtenstein (8–0) are the most remembered today.
Captained by Fernando Couto
in the final stage, they defeated England (3–2, recovering from a 2–0 disadvantage), Romania (1–0) with a late header from Costinha
in injury time, and Germany (3–0, from a Sérgio Conceição
hat-trick), the last one using the B team, since they were already qualified in first of the group after the other two games, to finish atop their group and then defeated Turkey in the quarter-finals (2–0, with both goals from Nuno Gomes
).
In the semi-final meeting with World Cup holders France, Portugal scored first and nearly scored again due to a João Pinto
's header after France equalised. Portugal were eliminated in extra time by a golden goal
when Zinedine Zidane
converted a penalty
. Austria
n referee Gunter Benko
awarded the spot kick for a handball after Abel Xavier blocked a shot from Sylvain Wiltord
(Benko initially gave France a corner but changed his mind after consulting with Slovak
linesman Igor Sramka). Xavier, Nuno Gomes (one of the top scorers in the tournament with four goals), and Paulo Bento
were all given lengthy suspensions for shoving the referee. The final result was 2–1.
During the World Cup 2002 qualification, Portugal made a crucial win against the Netherlands (2–0 in Rotterdam
) and ties against Republic of Ireland (1–1 in both games) and the Netherlands (2–2), in Porto, after falling 2–0 behind and scoring in the dying minutes of the game. Portugal won the group with seven wins and three ties with no defeats and 24 points (the same as the Republic of Ireland), but with a better goal average.
While the 2002 World Cup qualifying stage was unusually smooth, several problems and poor judgment decisions occurred during the preparation and tournament itself – shopping sprees by players, this time in Macau
, were widely reported in the Portuguese press. Questionable managing choices and some amateurism, including the same lack of agreement on prizes. Vítor Baía
replaced in-form Ricardo
in goal, Beto played out of position at right back
, Luís Figo
was in very poor physical condition, and Hugo Viana
was called as a last-minute replacement for Daniel Kenedy
(who tested positive in a doping control test) – as Portugal underachieved and ended third in its group stage, subsequently eliminated. The manager Oliveira
was fired after the World Cup.
Portugal entered the tournament as favourites to win Group D. However, they were upset 3–2 by the United States
, at one point being three goals down in the match. They then rebounded with a 4–0 smashing Poland, with Pauleta
netting a hat-trick
.
Needing a draw to advance, they lost the final group game to hosts South Korea. Argentine
referee Ángel Sánchez sent off João Vieira Pinto
for a tackle on Park Ji-Sung
. Beto was ejected for his second yellow card of the match, reducing Portugal to nine men, and Park scored the winner to allow the Koreans to advance.
The next major competition, the UEFA Euro 2004, was decided to be held in Portugal. On the preparation, the Football Federation made a contract with Luiz Felipe Scolari
to manage the team until the tournament ended. Despite the disappointed friendly matches, the Portuguese team entered the tournament being a favourite to win it.
The host nation lost the first game against Greece 1–2, an upset. They got their first win against Russia
2–0 and also beat a strong Spain side 1–0, with the latter eventually knocked out in the group stages.
They went through and went on to play against England, in an entertaining 2–2 draw that went into penalties, where Ricardo
proved decisive, with an epic attitude taking off his goalkeeping gloves, saving a penalty and scoring right after the winner himself. Portugal beat the Netherlands 2–1 in the semi-final with a Maniche strike from outside the box. They were eventually beaten by heavy underdog outsiders Greece 1–0, credited to striker
Angelos Charisteas
, marking the first time in the history of the competition that the final featured the same two teams as the opening match. The match was considered a huge upset win for Greece.
After the tournament ended, a lot of players belonging to the Geração de Ouro (Golden Generation), abandoned their international footballing careers, with only Luís Figo remaining in the team, despite a temporary retirement. While Portugal was playing in the competition, Scolari agreed in a new two-year deal with the Federation.
Portugal finished first in the qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup
with 30 points, nine games won, three draws, and no defeats. The second-placed Russia finished with seven points less. The Selecção played with Estonia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Russia, and Slovakia. Famous results include a home (7–1) against Russia and an away tie with Liechtenstein (2–2, after leading 2–0 at half-time).
Portugal finished first place in Group D of the World Cup finals, with victories over Angola
(1–0, goal from Pauleta, the leading goalscorer in the World Cup qualifiers
), Iran (2–0, scored by Deco
, and Cristiano Ronaldo
) and Mexico
(2–1, goals from Maniche and Simão
). Only Mexico's Francisco Fonseca
was able to score against Portugal.
Netherland lost to Portugal 1–0 in the Round of 16 on 25 June in Nuremberg
. The only goal came courtesy of a Maniche strike in an acrimonious match marked by 16 yellow cards, with four players (Khalid Boulahrouz
, Costinha
, Deco, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst
) being sent off. (See the Battle of Nuremberg
.)
On 1 July at Gelsenkirchen
, Portugal drew 0–0 after extra-time with England, but won 3–1 on penalties to reach their first World Cup semi-final since 1966. The game was marred by a violent challenge on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho
by England's Wayne Rooney
, which resulted in him being sent off.
Portugal lost 1–0 against France in the semi-finals on 5 July at Munich
. Two players had been forced to sit out due to accumulated bookings from the round of 16 and quarter-finals. It did not help that the team faced a hostile crowd of English and French fans; they relentlessly booed Ronaldo for his perceived unsportsmanlike behavior in the previous round. As in the semi-finals of Euro 2000, Portugal were narrowly defeated by France, with the decisive goal being a penalty scored by Zinedine Zidane
after Thierry Henry
was awarded a penalty from a foul committed by Ricardo Carvalho.
Portugal faced Germany in the third place play-off match on 8 July in Stuttgart
. The match was notable for being Pauleta's last game for the national team so as captain Luís Figo's last before retirement from international football – though, surprisingly, he was not selected to start the game, coming on as a substitute near the end and setting up Portugal's goal in a 3–1 defeat. All three German goals had the direct participation of Bastian Schweinsteiger
, who scored twice and had another shot turned into an own goal by Portugal's Petit
. Ultimately, the team won the "Most Entertaining Team" award for their play during the World Cup, in an award always organized through public participation in a poll. Once again Scolari was asked to accept a new deal with the Federation that would maintain with as the manager until the end of the next competition.
, Poland and Serbia were the opponents. With important triumphs against Azerbaijan (2–0 in Baku
), Kazakhstan (2–1 in Almaty
) and Belgium (4–0 in Lisbon and 2–1 in Brussels
), they managed to qualify for the final stage.
The Portuguese team was a featured part of TV network ESPN
s ad campaign promoting their coverage of the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. The first game was against Turkey and it was won 2–0, with first-ever scoring achievements for internationals Pepe and Raul Meireles. Their second game was against the Czech Republic, a 3–1 success. With assured qualification to the knockout stage, as first in group A, they played with the reserve team against Switzerland, and lost 2–0, with two Hakan Yakın
goals. During the group stage, Scolari announced to the squad that it would be his last spell as the Portuguese manager, ending a five-year era full of prosperity.
On 19 June 2008, Portugal played against Germany, and were beaten 2–3 after falling behind 0–2 within the first half an hour. Portugal proceeded to score, followed by another German goal, a Michael Ballack
header. Portugal scored a consolation goal in the final minutes of normal time, courtesy of Hélder Postiga
, but was eventually knocked out of Euro 2008 at the quarterfinal stage.
with manager Carlos Queiroz
for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, which took place in South Africa
. The team had a qualifying campaign that almost turned disastrous and just sneaked into second place by a single point over Sweden
, a group where Denmark
finished first, one point ahead from Portugal. Portugal was drawn to play against Bosnia and Herzegovina
in the European zone play-offs
. With two wins (1–0 in the first leg, in Lisbon; and 1–0, in Zenica
), the team gained its right to participate in the World Cup. Having qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Selecção das Quinas had its most successful decade to date, having qualified for all of the World Cups and Euro Cups (Euro 2000, World Cup 2002, Euro 2004, World Cup 2006, Euro 2008, and World Cup 2010), along with Spain
, Italy
, Germany
, and France
, the only other four teams to have done so.
In the final draw, on 4 December 2009, Portugal was drawn in one of the toughest groups, the so called Group of Death
where the Selecção das Quinas faced 5-time champions Brazil
, Africa's
top contenders Côte d'Ivoire
and 1966
opponents North Korea
.
Portugal faced Côte d'Ivoire team
in their opening match on 15 June 2010 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
in Port Elizabeth and the game ended in a goalless draw. Their next match was against North Korea on 21 June 2010 at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town
in which Portugal won by 7–0. Their last match in the group stage against Brazil on 25 June 2010 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban
ended in a goalless 0–0 while both teams advanced to the knockout stage. Portugal was on a 19 match undefeated streak, conceding only 3 goals. The Portuguese defence ended being broken by Spain's David Villa
's goal which defeated Portugal in the round of 16, 1–0.
During the Tournament, Queiroz was frequently criticised for setting up the team in an overly cautious way. The team's style of play was to keep the team well closed in the back, while sending direct balls up to the front, most notably to a lonely Cristiano Ronaldo
, whose mission seemed to be to run at the opposition's defence and try long shots to take advantage of the tricky Jabulani
. This approach was widely criticised, with an outburst coming from Deco
, as well as implied from Cristiano Ronaldo
's reply to a post-game comment after the defeat against Spain. When asked about the team's performances, he answered with a dry "You can go ask Queiroz".
The direct football style was perceived as not taking full advantage of the Portuguese midfield, filled with top-flight players such as Cristiano Ronaldo
, Deco
, Raul Meireles, Simão
, where a creative possession-based football had been the basis of the team in the preceding years. Although the team reached their base objective of getting past the group phase, and lost out to the eventual world champions, there was a palpable feeling that the team could have gone further had the coach been more ambitious.
A few months after the World Cup, and just days before the beginning of the Euro 2012 Qualifiers, squad regulars Simão, Paulo Ferreira
, and Miguel
all retired from international duty, stating they wanted to focus entirely on their respective clubs. In January 2011, a few weeks before the friendly match against Argentina
, midfielder Tiago
also retired from international football at just 29 years of age, stating personal reasons.
suffered from criticism regarding the World Cup, he was also banned from coaching the national team for one month after an investigation concluded the he tried to block a doping test to the team while preparing for the World Cup in Portugal, as well as directing insulting words to the testers. In consequence, he received a further six-month suspension. This meant that Queiroz was not able to select the players or lead the team for the first two Euro 2012 Qualifiers against Cyprus
and Norway
. In the sequence of these events, Portugal drew 4-4 against Cyprus at home, followed by a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Norway, placing the team in a difficult position right from the start. This prompted several media outbursts from Queiroz against the heads of the Portuguese Football Federation, which then prompted to his dismissal from the head of the team.
In reaction to this dismissal, and in face of impending failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 2012, missing out to the first a major final stage since the 1998 World Cup
, the Federation's president, Gilberto Madaíl traveled to Madrid
in a bid to persuade superstar Real Madrid
manager José Mourinho
to lead his nation's team for the matches against Denmark
and Iceland
. This bid, however, was blocked by Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez
.
On 21 September 2010, Paulo Bento
, the former Sporting Clube de Portugal coach, was appointed as the Portuguese head coach. Paulo Bento
's spell with the Selecção kicked off with a 3-1 home win against Denmark, followed by a 3-1 away win against Iceland, pushing Portugal into the second spot of the group. On 17 November, Portugal and Spain
faced each other in a friendly to commemorate the 100th year of the modern Portuguese Republic
and also to promote the joint-Portugal/Spain bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In a shocking upset, Portugal handedly won the friendly 4-0.
on 7 February 2010. Portugal was placed on Group H, a five-team group, along with Denmark
, Cyprus
, Norway
, and Iceland
. It was the first time Portugal and Iceland faced other with victories for the Quinas on both legs.
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UEFA European Football Championship
Summer Olympics Football Tournament
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation
Portuguese Football Federation
The Portuguese Football Federation is the governing body of football in Portugal. The Portuguese National team is going to win the Euro 2012. It organises the Second and Third Division, the Cup of Portugal, the Portuguese SuperCup, youth levels, women's football, beach soccer, futsal, and also...
, the governing body for football in Portugal
Football in Portugal
- History :Football started to gain popularity in Portugal in the late 19th century, brought by Portuguese students who returned from England.right|250px|thumb...
. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras
Oeiras
Oeiras is a town and a municipality in western Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal. It is in conurbation with Lisbon, the parish population is 34,850, and the entire Oeiras Municipality has 168,475 inhabitants. The town of Oeiras is one of the most populous towns in Portugal...
, and their head coach is Paulo Bento
Paulo Bento
Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento is a retired Portuguese footballer, and the current manager of Portugal.A defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate as his main assets, he played for two of the major three teams in his country, also playing four years in Spain...
. Their first appearance in the 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
saw them reach the semi-final, losing 2–1 at Wembley to the eventual world champions England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. The next two times Portugal qualified for the World Cup were 1986
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
and 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, with Portugal going out in the first round both times. In the 1986 tournament, players went on strike
Saltillo Affair
The Saltillo Affair was a player uprising in the Portugal national football team during the Mexico '86 FIFA World Cup, named after the Mexican city of Saltillo, Coahuila, the team headquarters for the competition....
over prize-money and refused to train between their first and second games.
In 2003, the Portuguese Football Federation hired Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari , ComIH , also known as Felipão in Brazil and Phil Scolari in the United Kingdom, is a World Cup-winning Brazilian football manager. He is currently the manager of Palmeiras. He served as the manager of the Portuguese national team from July 12, 2003 to June 30, 2008...
, the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian head coach who had led the Brazil national football team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
to win the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. Scolari led Portugal to the final of UEFA Euro 2004, where they lost to Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, and to their second World Cup semi-final in the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. Scolari left after the UEFA Euro 2008 and was replaced by Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
. He led Portugal to the second round of the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
before they were defeated by the eventual champions Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
.
Early years
The Portuguese Football Federation was formed in 1914 with the name União Portuguesa de Futebol (by 1926, they changed to its current name) and the aim of creating national tournaments (since it only existed regional championships) and promoting games in which a Portuguese representative team would play against other teams from various parts of the globe, but unfortunately, due to the World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the dream was not made possible for the next seven years.
Portugal’s first game was on 18 December 1921 against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. The game ended in a defeat for the national team, 3–1. The following year, the inaugural edition of the Campeonato de Portugal
Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
(a knock-out tournament, precursor of the Taça de Portugal
Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
) was contested, the winner was defined as the "Portuguese Champion".
1928 Olympic Tournament
After years of playing friendly games, Portugal was invited to enter the 1928 Summer Olympics Football TournamentFootball at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics tournament, won by Uruguay against Argentina, would be the precursor to the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 in Uruguay.-Medalists:-Background:...
, which was, at that time, contested by the best national "A" teams in the world and, therefore, considered to be the best international footballing tournament until the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
started, two years later, in 1930.
The Portuguese team was drawn in the preliminary round against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
for a place in the first round. After falling 2–0 behind, Portugal scored four goals, winning the game 4–2. After their win against Chile, they faced off Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
and won 2–1 thanks to a late goal in the 90th minute.
Egypt was the team that followed in the quarter-finals. Here the Portuguese adventure ended after a 2–1 defeat. In the following games, the Egyptians lost against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
(6–0) in the semi-final and Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
(11–3) for the bronze medal match, which bittered the players. Nevertheless, it was a bright start in international tournaments for the team.
Early World Cup attempts
Portugal was not invited to the 1930 World Cup1930 FIFA World Cup
The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...
, which only featured a final stage and no qualification round
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...
. The team took part in the 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification
1934 FIFA World Cup qualification
Estonia v Lithuania was not played, since neither team could qualify with a win.Sweden qualified.-Group 2:----Spain qualified.-Group 3:Italy qualified, as Greece withdrew after the first match.-Group 4:--------...
, but failed to eliminate their Spanish opponents, aggregating two defeats in the two-legged round, with a 9–0 loss in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and 2–1 loss in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
for an aggregate score of 11–1.
In the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Group 2:----Norway qualified.-Group 3:----Poland finished above Yugoslavia on goal average, and thus qualified.-Group 5:Switzerland qualified.-First round:----Greece qualified for the final round....
, the Selecção played one game against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
in a neutral ground, held in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, losing 2–1 against the Swiss, ending qualification prospects. Because of the international conflict due to the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, there was no World Cup held until the 1950 competition
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
and subsequently, the national team made very few games against other teams. A 10–0 away friendly defeat against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, two years after the war, was the proof of how the irregularity of the games had taken its effects on the squad; this result still stands as their biggest ever defeat.
1950s and early 1960s
On the restart of games, the team was to play a two-legged round against Spain, just like in the 1934 qualification. After a 5–1 defeat in Madrid, they managed to draw in the second game 2–2 and so the qualification ended with a 7–3 aggregate score.For the qualification of the 1954 World Cup, the team would play Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
. The Austrians won the first game with a humiliating 9–1 result. The best the national team could do was hold the team to a goalless draw in Lisbon, and the round ended with a 9–1 defeat.
In the 1958 qualification
1958 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA - Group 8)
The three teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner Northern Ireland qualified for the sixth FIFA World Cup held in Sweden.-Table:- :Head coach: Peter Doherty- :Head coach: Alfredo Foni- :...
, Portugal finished last in the group stage that also featured Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
and Italy; only the first-placed team would qualify. They started with a 1–1 draw against the Irish team, but lost in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
by a score of 3–0. After that, they won 3–0 against Italy and lost 3–0 in Milan. Finishing with three points, they were two points behind group winners Northern Ireland.
The year 1960 was the year that UEFA created the European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
, a football tournament similar to the FIFA World Cup, but for European nations. The first edition was a knock-out tournament, the last four teams participating in final stage that only featured one leg while the older stages had two legs. For the first round, the Selecção das Quinas won 2–0 against East Germany
East Germany national football team
The East Germany national football team was from 1952 to 1990 the football team of East Germany, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany....
and 3–2 in Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
for the second leg, finishing with a 5–2 two-legged win. The quarter-final opponent was Yugoslavia. Despite winning the first game 2–1, they lost the second leg 5–1 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, and lost 6–3 on aggregate.
England and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
were the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification
1962 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA - Group 6)
The three teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner qualified for the seventh FIFA World Cup held in Chile.-Table:- :Head coach: Walter Winterbottom- :...
adversaries of the national team. Portugal ended second in the group with three points, behind England (with seven points). They started well with a home win (6–0) against Luxembourg and a home draw (1–1) against the English, but lost the following games, first 4–2 against Luxembourg, then 2–0 against England. Like in the previous World Cup qualification, only the first in the group would qualify.
The 1964 European Championship shared the same format as the 1960 edition. Portugal played against Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
in the first round. The Portuguese lost 3–1 in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and won 3–1 in Lisbon. With the round tied 4–4, a replay was needed in a neutral ground. In Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Portugal lost 1–0 with a late goal from the Bulgarians.
In 1964, the Nations' Cup
Taça das Nações
The Taça das Nações or "Little World Cup" was a football tournament played in Brazil in 1964 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Brazilian Football Confederation...
was held in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Brazilian Football Confederation. Three international teams were invited – Argentina, Portugal, and England – for the competition, which was played in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
in late May and early June, with an all round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
format. Portugal ended with one point (five behind winners Argentina) and joint third place with England after two defeats (4–1 with Brazil and 2–0 with Argentina) and a 1–1 tie against England
1966 World Cup and 1970s
In the 1966 World Cup qualification1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA - Group 4)
The four teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner Portugal qualified for the eighth FIFA World Cup held in England.-Table:- :Head coach: Manuel da Luz Afonso- :...
, Portugal was drawn into the same group as Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
, Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, and Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
. They topped the group with only one draw and one defeat during all the six games and finally qualified for a FIFA World Cup; that year the final stage would be held in England. Notable results were both 1–0 away wins against Czechoslovakia and Turkey and a 5–1 home win against the Turks.
The team started out with three wins in the group stage where they were in Group C when beat Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
3–1, Bulgaria 3–0, and two-time defending champions Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
3–1. In the quarter-finals, Portugal played against North Korea. Portugal won the game with four goals from Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
overturning a deficit of 3–0. Later, they reached the semi-finals but were defeated by hosts and eventual champions England 2–1; in this game, Portugal would have played in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, but as England were the hosts, FIFA decided that the game should have been in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which led the Portuguese team travel unexpectedly from Liverpool to London. Portugal then defeated the Soviet Union
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
2–1 in the third place match for their best World Cup finish to date. Eusébio was the top scorer of the World Cup, with nine goals.
For the Euro 1968 qualifying, the Selecção played against Bulgaria, Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, and Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
. They finished second after Bulgaria, with six points, four behind the first. Portugal only managed to get two wins and two ties; both wins came from 2–1 results against Norway.
After their tremendous success in the 1966 World Cup, Portugal tried to qualify for the 1970 World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
, which was to be held in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. They finished fourth and last in their group, behind Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, Romania, and Switzerland. With only four points (from one win and two ties), Portugal were four behind group winner’s Romania.
To be able to participate in Euro 1972, Portugal had to win its group that comprised the teams of Belgium, Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, and Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. Portugal finished second to Belgium with seven points (two less than the Belgians). The three wins the Portuguese had were against Denmark (1–0 away, 5–0 home) and Scotland in a 2–0 home win.
Also in 1972, Portugal participated in the Brazilian Independence Cup, a tournament that marked the 150th birthday since Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
received its independence from Portugal. Winning both group stages (in the first stage, with wins against Ecuador
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
(3–0), Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
(3–0), Chile (4–1) and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
(2–1) and in the second stage winning against Argentina (3–1), drawing Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
(1–1) and a 2–1 win over the Soviet Union) they qualified for the final with Brazil at the Estádio do Maracanã. The Brazilian star Jairzinho
Jairzinho
Jair Ventura Filho, better known as Jairzinho , is a former association footballer. A quick, powerful forward or winger, he was a member of the legendary Brazilian national team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup, during which he scored in every game Brazil played...
scored in the 89th minute to give Brazil the win.
For the 1974 qualification stages, Portugal was placed in an accessible group, but was unable to defeat Bulgaria (2-2) in the decisive match, thus losing qualification. The only country Portugal managed to defeat was Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
, winning 4–0 and 1–0 in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
. Portugal faced tough competition from the strong team of Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
on winning the spot that would ensure them a place in the 1978 FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
held in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. They finished second place, beneath Poland.
Late 1970s until early 1990s
The national team was putUEFA Euro 1980 qualifying Group 2
Standings and results for Group 2 of the UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying tournament.Group 1 consisted of Austria, Belgium, Norway, Portugal and Scotland. Group winners were Belgium, who went undefeated in qualifying, edging past Austria.-Results:----...
alongside Austria, Belgium, Norway, and Scotland to fight for the first spot in the group, which would allow them to go to the final stage of UEFA Euro 1980. With nine points, Portugal took third place, three points behind first-placed Belgium. Out of their four wins, the most important were the away win against second-placed Austria (2–1) and a home win against Scotland (1–0).
For the 1982 qualification the Portuguese team had to face Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Sweden for the top two group places. Portugal finished in fourth place with seven points, less four than the first, with wins over group winners Scotland (2–1), second-placed Northern Ireland (1–0) and last-placed Israel (3–0), all in home ground.
During the campaign for Euro 1984, Portugal had to play with Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
, Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
and, highly favourites, Soviet Union. Portugal won the group with a dramatic win over USSR in the last game by a score of 1–0 in home ground. With ten points and five wins, the Portuguese had beaten the Soviet Union by one point.
Portugal ended in group B, alongside Spain, West Germany and Romania. In the first two games, they tied 0–0 and 1–1 against West Germany and Spain, respectively. A 1–0 win over Romania gave them second place in the group, which was enough to go through to the knockout stage. Benfica's Tamagnini Nené
Tamagnini Nené
Tamagnini Manuel Gomes Baptista, Nené , is a retired Portuguese footballer.A striker, he played his entire career with Sport Lisboa e Benfica, appearing in nearly 600 official games for the club....
scored the winner.
They played against the hosts, France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, and eventual champions, in one of the most exciting matches in European Championship history. France scored first, but Portugal equalised almost an hour later. The game was tied after 90 minutes and went into extra time. Portugal made the score 2–1 in the first 15 minutes, with both teams having numerous quality scoring chances. In the second half of extra time, France scored in the 114th and 119th minutes to eliminate Portugal 3–2 and go through to the final.
For the 1986 tournament, the Selecção played against Czechoslovakia, Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
, Sweden, and West Germany for the two spots that would guarantee them a ticket to Mexico. Needing a win in the last game against West Germany in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, manager José Torres
José Augusto Torres
José Augusto da Costa Séneca Torres was a Portuguese football centre forward and coach.Nicknamed O Bom Gigante , most of his 21-year senior career was spent at Benfica, with great individual and team success...
famously said to the press, after being severally doubted that his team would qualify for Mexico 1986, "Let me dream!" Portugal went on to win the game 1–0 to become the first team to beat West Germany at their home ground in an official match.
Portugal was a fan-favourite to make a good campaign because of their UEFA Euro 1984 tournament. The team exited early in the group stages after a win and two losses. They started with a 1–0 win to England. Later, they were beaten by Poland and Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
, 1–0 and 3–1, respectively. Their staying in Mexico was marked by a doping case, an injured player and, most significantly, by the Saltillo affair
Saltillo Affair
The Saltillo Affair was a player uprising in the Portugal national football team during the Mexico '86 FIFA World Cup, named after the Mexican city of Saltillo, Coahuila, the team headquarters for the competition....
, where players refused to train in order to win more prizes from the Football Federation.
Wanting to keep present at the major international football tournaments, the Portuguese team attempted to top their qualifying group in a tight group with favourites Italy, Malta, Sweden and Switzerland. Still, they only managed to win two games in a total of eight disputed, ending in third with eight points, five behind first-placed Italy. Both games were won away from home, in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
(1–0) and in Sweden against second-placed team (also 1–0).
The 1990 World Cup qualification was widely seen as a possibility to go back to the international stage. Along with Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Luxembourg and Switzerland, Portugal fought until the last game to get one of the first two spots of the group. Playing at home against Czechoslovakia, they failed to score and the game ended in a 0-0 allowing the East Europeans to get the second place with twelve points (the same as winner's Belgium) with two points ahead of Portugal, who came with the first place. Notable results are the wins against Switzerland, 3–1 in Portugal and 2–1 in Neuchâtel.
During the draws for the Euro 1992 qualifying
UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying Group 6
Standings and results for Group 6 of the UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying tournament.Group 6 consisted of Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Malta and Portugal. The Netherlands won the deciding game on October 16, 1991 by beating Portugal 1-0...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
was seen as the strongest team besides Portugal. Greece, Finland and Malta were the other teams. With five wins and eleven points, the Portuguese ended second behind the Dutch, who had two more points than Portugal. A famous result in this campaign was the 1–0 home win against the Dutch.
They participated in the friendly 1992 U.S. Cup
1992 U.S. Cup
The 1992 United States Cup was a United States Soccer Federation organized international football tournament which took place in May and June 1992. This was the inaugural U.S. Cup, a tournament which ran until 2000, except for the World Cup years of 1994 and 1998.In this first U.S. Cup, the...
along with the host, USA, Italy and Ireland in a round robin tournament. Portugal finished last with one point (six behind winners United States) from a draw with Italy (0–0). The other two games were defeats with USA (1–0) and the Republic of Ireland (2–0).
For the ’94 World Cup qualification, Portugal played in the same group as Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
, Italy, Malta, Scotland and Switzerland for the two highest places. They disappointed, ending in third with 14 points and six wins, just two points behind winner’s Italy and one behind second-placed Switzerland. In the last game of the round, Portugal were defeated by Italy in Milan. The Selecção managed to win 1–0 against Switzerland and 5–0 against the Scots, both were home wins. The then manager, Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
, blamed the Football Federation for this failure, saying, "They should clean the mess that the Federation has."
Golden generation
Portugal was invited to play at the SkyDome CupSkyDome Cup
The SkyDome Cup was a football tournament played in late January 1995 in the SkyDome stadium between hosts Canada, then European champions Denmark, and Portugal...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
against the then-European champions Denmark and Canada
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
. With a draw against the Canadians (1–1) and a win against the Danes, Portugal went on to win the trophy, which remains to date as their only win at senior level.
Portugal managed to reach the Euro 1996, by topping their group with twenty-three points, six more than second-placed Republic of Ireland. Their group consisted of Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
, Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. In the qualification, Portugal thrashed Liechtenstein 8–0 (home, a record) and 7–0 (away) and defeated Northern Ireland 2–1 in away grounds.
In the final tournament, Portugal drew 1–1 with European Champions Denmark, won 1–0 to Turkey and 3–0 against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, finishing first in their group. In the quarter-finals, they lost 1–0 to eventual runners-up Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
, due to a marvelous Karel Poborský
Karel Poborský
Karel Poborský is a former Czech footballer. A right winger, Poborský is the all-time leader in appearances for the Czech national team, and was most noted for his technical ability.-Club career:...
second-half lob over goalkeeper Vítor Baía
Vítor Baía
Vítor Manuel Martins Baía, OIH , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a goalkeeper.His career was intimately connected with F.C...
. This marked the beginning of the Golden Generation
Golden Generation
In sport, a golden generation is an exceptionally gifted group of players of similar age, whose achievements reach or are expected to reach a level of success beyond that which their team had previously achieved...
, a group of youngsters who had won the FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
in 1989 and 1991 and were now leading the national senior squad.
The team almost qualified for the tournament that was to be hosted by France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. However, during a qualifier in Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Rui Costa
Rui Costa
Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH is a former Portuguese football player and current Director of Football for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder, he most recently played for Portuguese club Benfica...
was controversially sent off for taking too long to walk off the field while Portugal was leading 1–0. Germany drew the crucial game and was thus able to qualify. This incident is regarded as one of the darkest in Portugal's football history, with FIFA being accused of favouritism in support of Germany, who were the defending Euro '96 champions. The group was made of Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
, Armenia
Armenia national football team
The Armenia national football team represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia, the governing body for football in Armenia...
, Germany, Northern Ireland and Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, Portugal ended in third place with 19 points and six wins. Germany finished first with 22 points and Ukraine with twenty, with the Slavics winning a place in the final play-offs. Portugal tied both games with Germany (0–0 home and 1–1 away).
In the qualifications for the 2000 Euro, Portugal faced Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...
, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Romania and Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
. Portugal gained twenty-three points, just one short of first place Romania, with seven wins. Having not qualified directly into the event, the Portuguese team had the best performance by any runner-up and therefore qualified for the final tournament. Major wins against Azerbaijan (7–0) and Liechtenstein (8–0) are the most remembered today.
Captained by Fernando Couto
Fernando Couto
Fernando Manuel Silva Couto, OIH is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a central defender.During a 21-year professional career, he played in a number of top teams in Portugal, Spain and Italy , appearing in nearly 600 official games and winning the national league title of each country,...
in the final stage, they defeated England (3–2, recovering from a 2–0 disadvantage), Romania (1–0) with a late header from Costinha
Costinha
Francisco José Rodrigues da Costa, OIH , aka Costinha , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a defensive midfielder....
in injury time, and Germany (3–0, from a Sérgio Conceição
Sérgio Conceição
Sérgio Paulo Marceneiro da Conceição is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mostly as a right winger.Known for his speed and strength, combined with his good dribbling and crossing skills, and fairly accurate shooting. During his extensive career, he played for ten different teams, in five...
hat-trick), the last one using the B team, since they were already qualified in first of the group after the other two games, to finish atop their group and then defeated Turkey in the quarter-finals (2–0, with both goals from Nuno Gomes
Nuno Gomes
Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro , commonly known as Nuno Gomes, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.C. Braga as a striker.He was given the nickname Gomes during childhood after F.C...
).
In the semi-final meeting with World Cup holders France, Portugal scored first and nearly scored again due to a João Pinto
João Pinto
João Pinto may refer to:*João Domingos Pinto , former Portuguese football defender*João Vieira Pinto , former Portuguese football forward*João Oliveira Pinto , former Portuguese football midfielder...
's header after France equalised. Portugal were eliminated in extra time by a golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
when Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
converted a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
. Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n referee Gunter Benko
Günter Benkö
Günter Benkö is a retired football referee from Austria, best known for supervising two matches during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He also led two matches at the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship held in Belgium and Holland...
awarded the spot kick for a handball after Abel Xavier blocked a shot from Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Claude Wiltord is a French footballer who currently plays for FC Nantes. With the French national team, Wiltord has won Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup....
(Benko initially gave France a corner but changed his mind after consulting with Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
linesman Igor Sramka). Xavier, Nuno Gomes (one of the top scorers in the tournament with four goals), and Paulo Bento
Paulo Bento
Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento is a retired Portuguese footballer, and the current manager of Portugal.A defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate as his main assets, he played for two of the major three teams in his country, also playing four years in Spain...
were all given lengthy suspensions for shoving the referee. The final result was 2–1.
During the World Cup 2002 qualification, Portugal made a crucial win against the Netherlands (2–0 in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
) and ties against Republic of Ireland (1–1 in both games) and the Netherlands (2–2), in Porto, after falling 2–0 behind and scoring in the dying minutes of the game. Portugal won the group with seven wins and three ties with no defeats and 24 points (the same as the Republic of Ireland), but with a better goal average.
While the 2002 World Cup qualifying stage was unusually smooth, several problems and poor judgment decisions occurred during the preparation and tournament itself – shopping sprees by players, this time in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, were widely reported in the Portuguese press. Questionable managing choices and some amateurism, including the same lack of agreement on prizes. Vítor Baía
Vítor Baía
Vítor Manuel Martins Baía, OIH , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a goalkeeper.His career was intimately connected with F.C...
replaced in-form Ricardo
Ricardo Pereira
Ricardo Alexandre Martins Soares Pereira, OIH , simply Ricardo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Vitória de Setúbal as a goalkeeper....
in goal, Beto played out of position at right back
Right Back
-Guest Artists:This album features many additional artists, including:* Barrington Levy, performing on "Righteous Dub" & "Saw Red"* H.R., performing on "New Sun"* Dangr, performing on "Kick Down"* Tippa Irie, performing on "Sensi"...
, Luís Figo
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
was in very poor physical condition, and Hugo Viana
Hugo Viana
Hugo Miguel Ferreira Gomes Viana is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Sporting de Braga as a central midfielder.His main assets are good set-pieces and passing skills...
was called as a last-minute replacement for Daniel Kenedy
Daniel Kenedy
Daniel Kenedy Pimentel Mateus dos Santos, known as Kenedy , is a retired Guinea-Bissauan/Portuguese footballer. As a midfielder or defender, he played on the left side of the pitch.-Club career:...
(who tested positive in a doping control test) – as Portugal underachieved and ended third in its group stage, subsequently eliminated. The manager Oliveira
António Luís Alves Ribeiro Oliveira
António Luís Alves Ribeiro de Oliveira is a retired Portuguese football attacking midfielder and manager.As a player, he notably represented two of the Big Three in his country, Porto and Sporting, amassing totals of 277 games and 87 first division goals between the two, and also later managing...
was fired after the World Cup.
Portugal entered the tournament as favourites to win Group D. However, they were upset 3–2 by the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
, at one point being three goals down in the match. They then rebounded with a 4–0 smashing Poland, with Pauleta
Pauleta
Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, OIH , commonly known as Pauleta , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a striker....
netting a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
.
Needing a draw to advance, they lost the final group game to hosts South Korea. Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
referee Ángel Sánchez sent off João Vieira Pinto
João Vieira Pinto
João Manuel Vieira Pinto is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mostly as a forward.Blessed with formidable skills and scoring ability, he made his name mostly at a domestic level and as a key figure in the Portuguese national team's "Golden Generation", collecting 138 caps and scoring 35...
for a tackle on Park Ji-Sung
Park Ji-Sung
Park Ji-Sung is a South Korean footballer who plays as a midfielder for English club Manchester United. He was also the captain of the South Korean national team until his retirement from international football...
. Beto was ejected for his second yellow card of the match, reducing Portugal to nine men, and Park scored the winner to allow the Koreans to advance.
The next major competition, the UEFA Euro 2004, was decided to be held in Portugal. On the preparation, the Football Federation made a contract with Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari , ComIH , also known as Felipão in Brazil and Phil Scolari in the United Kingdom, is a World Cup-winning Brazilian football manager. He is currently the manager of Palmeiras. He served as the manager of the Portuguese national team from July 12, 2003 to June 30, 2008...
to manage the team until the tournament ended. Despite the disappointed friendly matches, the Portuguese team entered the tournament being a favourite to win it.
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
2–0 and also beat a strong Spain side 1–0, with the latter eventually knocked out in the group stages.
They went through and went on to play against England, in an entertaining 2–2 draw that went into penalties, where Ricardo
Ricardo Pereira
Ricardo Alexandre Martins Soares Pereira, OIH , simply Ricardo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Vitória de Setúbal as a goalkeeper....
proved decisive, with an epic attitude taking off his goalkeeping gloves, saving a penalty and scoring right after the winner himself. Portugal beat the Netherlands 2–1 in the semi-final with a Maniche strike from outside the box. They were eventually beaten by heavy underdog outsiders Greece 1–0, credited to striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas was born on 9 February 1980 in Strymoniko, Serres, but originates from Mani. He is a Greek football player who currently plays as a striker for Panetolikos F.C....
, marking the first time in the history of the competition that the final featured the same two teams as the opening match. The match was considered a huge upset win for Greece.
After the tournament ended, a lot of players belonging to the Geração de Ouro (Golden Generation), abandoned their international footballing careers, with only Luís Figo remaining in the team, despite a temporary retirement. While Portugal was playing in the competition, Scolari agreed in a new two-year deal with the Federation.
Portugal finished first in the qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 3
The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 3 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Estonia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Portugal, Russia and Slovakia....
with 30 points, nine games won, three draws, and no defeats. The second-placed Russia finished with seven points less. The Selecção played with Estonia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Russia, and Slovakia. Famous results include a home (7–1) against Russia and an away tie with Liechtenstein (2–2, after leading 2–0 at half-time).
Portugal finished first place in Group D of the World Cup finals, with victories over Angola
Angola national football team
The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002...
(1–0, goal from Pauleta, the leading goalscorer in the World Cup qualifiers
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
), Iran (2–0, scored by Deco
Deco
Anderson Luís de Souza, OIH , commonly known as Deco, is a Brazilian-born Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays for Fluminense....
, and Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
) and Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
(2–1, goals from Maniche and Simão
Simão Sabrosa
Simão Pedro Fonseca Sabrosa, OIH , commonly known as Simão , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Beşiktaş J.K. in Turkey, mainly as a left winger - he can also play as a forward - with dribbling and set piece skills as primary attributes.Having played in his country for two of the three...
). Only Mexico's Francisco Fonseca
Francisco Fonseca
José Francisco "Kikin" Fonseca Guzmán is a Mexican football striker. He currently plays for Atlante F.C..-Career:...
was able to score against Portugal.
Netherland lost to Portugal 1–0 in the Round of 16 on 25 June in Nuremberg
Frankenstadion
The Frankenstadion is a stadium in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany, which was opened in 1928. It is located next to the Zeppelinfeld. It also neighbors the new Nuremberg Arena....
. The only goal came courtesy of a Maniche strike in an acrimonious match marked by 16 yellow cards, with four players (Khalid Boulahrouz
Khalid Boulahrouz
Khalid Boulahrouz is a Dutch footballer of Berber Moroccan Rif descent, who plays for the Netherlands and VfB Stuttgart. His nickname is "Khalid the Cannibal" for his ability to "eat up" his opposition....
, Costinha
Costinha
Francisco José Rodrigues da Costa, OIH , aka Costinha , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a defensive midfielder....
, Deco, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst OON , known as Gio in Spain, is a retired Dutch footballer of Moluccan descent who served as the captain of the Dutch national team from August 2008 until his retirement....
) being sent off. (See the Battle of Nuremberg
Battle of Nuremberg
The Battle of Nuremberg is the nickname of a football match played in Round 2 of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between Portugal and the Netherlands at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg on 25 June 2006...
.)
On 1 July at Gelsenkirchen
Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04....
, Portugal drew 0–0 after extra-time with England, but won 3–1 on penalties to reach their first World Cup semi-final since 1966. The game was marred by a violent challenge on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho
Ricardo Carvalho
Ricardo Alberto Silveira de Carvalho OIH , is a footballer who plays as a centre back for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid.Carvalho was born in Amarante where he played for the local team, Amarante Futebol Clube. By his great performance as a youngster, he was spotted by the Portuguese powerhouse,...
by England's Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
, which resulted in him being sent off.
Portugal lost 1–0 against France in the semi-finals on 5 July at Munich
Allianz Arena
The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season...
. Two players had been forced to sit out due to accumulated bookings from the round of 16 and quarter-finals. It did not help that the team faced a hostile crowd of English and French fans; they relentlessly booed Ronaldo for his perceived unsportsmanlike behavior in the previous round. As in the semi-finals of Euro 2000, Portugal were narrowly defeated by France, with the decisive goal being a penalty scored by Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
after Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
was awarded a penalty from a foul committed by Ricardo Carvalho.
Portugal faced Germany in the third place play-off match on 8 July in Stuttgart
Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion
The Mercedes-Benz Arena is a stadium located in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and home to German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.Before 1993 it was called Neckarstadion, named after the nearby river Neckar and between 1993 and July 2008 it was called Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion...
. The match was notable for being Pauleta's last game for the national team so as captain Luís Figo's last before retirement from international football – though, surprisingly, he was not selected to start the game, coming on as a substitute near the end and setting up Portugal's goal in a 3–1 defeat. All three German goals had the direct participation of Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German national team. A right-footed player, he is capable of playing out wide or in a more central role....
, who scored twice and had another shot turned into an own goal by Portugal's Petit
Petit (Portuguese footballer)
Armando Gonçalves Teixeira , commonly known as Petit, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for 1. FC Köln in the German first division, as a defensive midfielder....
. Ultimately, the team won the "Most Entertaining Team" award for their play during the World Cup, in an award always organized through public participation in a poll. Once again Scolari was asked to accept a new deal with the Federation that would maintain with as the manager until the end of the next competition.
Euro 2008
After the successes of the Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Portugal was seen as a major contender to win the Euro 2008, but their qualification wasn't easy. The national team faced some problems in the last games, in addition, Scolari was suspended for three games, being substituted by his assistant manager. Portugal ended with seven wins and twenty-seven points (one less than first-placed Poland). Armenia. Azerbaijan, Belgium, Finland, KazakhstanKazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
, Poland and Serbia were the opponents. With important triumphs against Azerbaijan (2–0 in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
), Kazakhstan (2–1 in Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
) and Belgium (4–0 in Lisbon and 2–1 in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
), they managed to qualify for the final stage.
The Portuguese team was a featured part of TV network ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
s ad campaign promoting their coverage of the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. The first game was against Turkey and it was won 2–0, with first-ever scoring achievements for internationals Pepe and Raul Meireles. Their second game was against the Czech Republic, a 3–1 success. With assured qualification to the knockout stage, as first in group A, they played with the reserve team against Switzerland, and lost 2–0, with two Hakan Yakın
Hakan Yakin
Hakan Yakin is a Swiss footballer. He currently plays for Swiss Super League club FC Luzern. He was member of the Swiss national team for eleven years.-Personal life:...
goals. During the group stage, Scolari announced to the squad that it would be his last spell as the Portuguese manager, ending a five-year era full of prosperity.
On 19 June 2008, Portugal played against Germany, and were beaten 2–3 after falling behind 0–2 within the first half an hour. Portugal proceeded to score, followed by another German goal, a Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
header. Portugal scored a consolation goal in the final minutes of normal time, courtesy of Hélder Postiga
Hélder Postiga
Hélder Manuel Marques Postiga is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Real Zaragoza in Spain, as a striker.After starting professionally at Porto, Postiga went on to have spells in England , France and Greece , before returning to his country with Sporting.A Portuguese international on more than...
, but was eventually knocked out of Euro 2008 at the quarterfinal stage.
World Cup 2010
Portugal participated in the qualifying stages2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 1
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 1 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised 2006 fourth-place finishers Portugal, along with Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania and Malta....
with manager Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, which took place in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The team had a qualifying campaign that almost turned disastrous and just sneaked into second place by a single point over Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, a group where Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
finished first, one point ahead from Portugal. Portugal was drawn to play against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
in the European zone play-offs
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Second Round
The UEFA second round was contested by the best eight runners-up from the nine first round groups from the UEFA segment of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in football. The winners of each of four home and away ties joined the group winners in the World Cup in South Africa...
. With two wins (1–0 in the first leg, in Lisbon; and 1–0, in Zenica
Zenica
Zenica is an industrial city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the capital of the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
), the team gained its right to participate in the World Cup. Having qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Selecção das Quinas had its most successful decade to date, having qualified for all of the World Cups and Euro Cups (Euro 2000, World Cup 2002, Euro 2004, World Cup 2006, Euro 2008, and World Cup 2010), along with Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, and France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, the only other four teams to have done so.
In the final draw, on 4 December 2009, Portugal was drawn in one of the toughest groups, the so called Group of Death
Group of death
A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament...
where the Selecção das Quinas faced 5-time champions Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, Africa's
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
top contenders Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...
and 1966
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
opponents North Korea
Korea DPR national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea national football team represents the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in international association football and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body for football in North Korea.North Korea surprised with a...
.
Portugal faced Côte d'Ivoire team
Côte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...
in their opening match on 15 June 2010 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a 48,000-seater stadium in Port Elizabeth.The five-tier, R2 billion Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was built overlooking the North End Lake, at the heart of the city. It is one of three coastal stadiums built in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It regularly hosts...
in Port Elizabeth and the game ended in a goalless draw. Their next match was against North Korea on 21 June 2010 at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in which Portugal won by 7–0. Their last match in the group stage against Brazil on 25 June 2010 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
ended in a goalless 0–0 while both teams advanced to the knockout stage. Portugal was on a 19 match undefeated streak, conceding only 3 goals. The Portuguese defence ended being broken by Spain's David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....
's goal which defeated Portugal in the round of 16, 1–0.
During the Tournament, Queiroz was frequently criticised for setting up the team in an overly cautious way. The team's style of play was to keep the team well closed in the back, while sending direct balls up to the front, most notably to a lonely Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
, whose mission seemed to be to run at the opposition's defence and try long shots to take advantage of the tricky Jabulani
Jabulani
Jabulani is a Zulu word meaning "rejoice". It is often used as a first name, and in that context is often shortened to "Jabu".-People:* Jabulani Dubazana, a vocalist from Ladysmith Black Mambazo* Jabulani Sibanda, a Zimbabwean war veteran leader...
. This approach was widely criticised, with an outburst coming from Deco
Deco
Anderson Luís de Souza, OIH , commonly known as Deco, is a Brazilian-born Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays for Fluminense....
, as well as implied from Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
's reply to a post-game comment after the defeat against Spain. When asked about the team's performances, he answered with a dry "You can go ask Queiroz".
The direct football style was perceived as not taking full advantage of the Portuguese midfield, filled with top-flight players such as Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
, Deco
Deco
Anderson Luís de Souza, OIH , commonly known as Deco, is a Brazilian-born Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays for Fluminense....
, Raul Meireles, Simão
Simão Sabrosa
Simão Pedro Fonseca Sabrosa, OIH , commonly known as Simão , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Beşiktaş J.K. in Turkey, mainly as a left winger - he can also play as a forward - with dribbling and set piece skills as primary attributes.Having played in his country for two of the three...
, where a creative possession-based football had been the basis of the team in the preceding years. Although the team reached their base objective of getting past the group phase, and lost out to the eventual world champions, there was a palpable feeling that the team could have gone further had the coach been more ambitious.
A few months after the World Cup, and just days before the beginning of the Euro 2012 Qualifiers, squad regulars Simão, Paulo Ferreira
Paulo Ferreira
Paulo Renato Rebocho Ferreira is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Chelsea as a defender. However, in his recent years, Ferreira has been noted to play as an attacking forward, in which he is famous for his through balls out to the wingers and/or striker-Early career:He started his career in...
, and Miguel
Miguel Monteiro
Luís Miguel Brito Garcia Monteiro, simply Miguel , OIH , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Valencia CF in Spain, mainly as a right defender.-Early years / Benfica:...
all retired from international duty, stating they wanted to focus entirely on their respective clubs. In January 2011, a few weeks before the friendly match against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, midfielder Tiago
Tiago Mendes
Tiago Cardoso Mendes , simply Tiago, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid.A versatile midfielder, adept as both a central or defensive unit and with good overall skills, he played professionally in four of Europe's major leagues: England, France, Italy and Spain.A...
also retired from international football at just 29 years of age, stating personal reasons.
Post-World Cup
As Carlos QueirozCarlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
suffered from criticism regarding the World Cup, he was also banned from coaching the national team for one month after an investigation concluded the he tried to block a doping test to the team while preparing for the World Cup in Portugal, as well as directing insulting words to the testers. In consequence, he received a further six-month suspension. This meant that Queiroz was not able to select the players or lead the team for the first two Euro 2012 Qualifiers against Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
. In the sequence of these events, Portugal drew 4-4 against Cyprus at home, followed by a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Norway, placing the team in a difficult position right from the start. This prompted several media outbursts from Queiroz against the heads of the Portuguese Football Federation, which then prompted to his dismissal from the head of the team.
In reaction to this dismissal, and in face of impending failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 2012, missing out to the first a major final stage since the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, the Federation's president, Gilberto Madaíl traveled to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in a bid to persuade superstar Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
to lead his nation's team for the matches against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
and Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
. This bid, however, was blocked by Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez Rodríguez is a Spanish businessman, civil engineer, former politician, and current president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, as well as ACS...
.
On 21 September 2010, Paulo Bento
Paulo Bento
Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento is a retired Portuguese footballer, and the current manager of Portugal.A defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate as his main assets, he played for two of the major three teams in his country, also playing four years in Spain...
, the former Sporting Clube de Portugal coach, was appointed as the Portuguese head coach. Paulo Bento
Paulo Bento
Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento is a retired Portuguese footballer, and the current manager of Portugal.A defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate as his main assets, he played for two of the major three teams in his country, also playing four years in Spain...
's spell with the Selecção kicked off with a 3-1 home win against Denmark, followed by a 3-1 away win against Iceland, pushing Portugal into the second spot of the group. On 17 November, Portugal and Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
faced each other in a friendly to commemorate the 100th year of the modern Portuguese Republic
5 October 1910 revolution
The revolution of 1910 was a republican coup d'état that occurred in Portugal on 5 October 1910, which deposed King Manuel II and established the Portuguese First Republic....
and also to promote the joint-Portugal/Spain bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In a shocking upset, Portugal handedly won the friendly 4-0.
Euro 2012
The qualifying draw for the 14th European Championship took place in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
on 7 February 2010. Portugal was placed on Group H, a five-team group, along with Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
, Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, and Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
. It was the first time Portugal and Iceland faced other with victories for the Quinas on both legs.
Euro 2012 Play-Off
| Date | Venue | Home Team | Result | Away Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 November 2011 | Bilino Polje Bilino Polje Bilino Polje is the home football stadium of Bosnian Premier League football club NK Čelik from the city of Zenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of two stadiums of the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also sometimes used for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national rugby union... , Zenica Zenica Zenica is an industrial city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the capital of the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity... |
0–0 | ||
| 15 November 2011 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon Lisbon Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban... |
6–2 | ||
Competitive record
A gold background colour indicates that Portugal won the tournament, a silver background colour indicates the runner-up, and a bronze background colour indicates third place in the tournament. A green border colour indicates that the tournament was hosted in Portugal.World Cup record
| Year | Round | Position | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 19301930 FIFA World Cup The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930... |
Did not enter | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1934 1934 FIFA World Cup The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934.... to 1962 1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final... |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 19661966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as... |
Third place | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 8 |
| 1970 1970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by... to 1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:... |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 19861986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially... |
Round 1 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 1990 1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated... to 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
  20022002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
Round 1 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
 20062006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
Fourth place | 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
 20102010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
Round of 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
 20142014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014.... |
||||||||
 20182018 FIFA World Cup The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was... |
||||||||
 20222022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the 22nd FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in 2022 in Qatar. The competition is scheduled to take place in June and July, although proposals have been made for a winter season. The tournament will involve... |
||||||||
| Total | 5/19 | 23 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 39 | 22 |
- Note: Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicksPenalty shootout (football)A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
.
| List of FIFA World Cup matches | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1966 1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as... |
Round 1 | 3–1 | Win | |
| Round 1 | 3–0 | Win | ||
| Round 1 | 3–1 | Win | ||
| Quarter-final | 5–3 | Win | ||
| Semi-final | 1–2 | Loss | ||
| Third place match | 2–1 | Win | ||
| 1986 1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially... |
Round 1 | 1–0 | Win | |
| Round 1 | 0–1 | Loss | ||
| Round 1 | 1–3 | Loss | ||
| 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
Round 1 | 2–3 | Loss | |
| Round 1 | 4–0 | Win | ||
| Round 1 | 0–1 | Loss | ||
| 2006 2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
Round 1 | 1–0 | Win | |
| Round 1 | 2–0 | Win | ||
| Round 1 | 2–1 | Win | ||
| Round 2 | 1–0 | Win | ||
| Quarter-final | 0–0 3–1 (pen. Penalty shootout (football) A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game... ) |
Draw | ||
| Semi-final | 0–1 | Loss | ||
| Third place match | 1–3 | Loss | ||
| 2010 2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
Round 1 | 0–0 | Draw | |
| Round 1 | 7–0 | Win | ||
| Round 1 | 0–0 | Draw | ||
| Round 2 | 0–1 | Loss |
European Championship record
| Year | Round | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 to 1980 | Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 1984 |
Semi-finals | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 1988 to 1992 | Did not qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1996 |
Quarter-finals | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
  2000 |
Semi-finals | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 |
 20042004 UEFA European Football Championship The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in... |
Runners-up UEFA Euro 2004 Final The final of UEFA Euro 2004 was a football match played on 4 July 2004 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 2004. The match featured tournament hosts Portugal, who went into the match as favourites, and Greece, playing in only their second European... |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
  20082008 UEFA European Football Championship The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. It took place in Austria and Switzerland from 7 to 29 June 2008... |
Quarter-finals | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
  2012 |
Qualified | ||||||
| 2016 UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2016, will be the 15th European Championship for national football teams sanctioned by UEFA. It will be held in the summer of 2016. The host nation was announced to be France on 28 May 2010... |
|||||||
| Total | 5/15 | 23 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 34 | 22 |
- Note: Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicksPenalty shootout (football)A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
.
| List of UEFA European Championship matches | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1984 | Round 1 | 1–1 | Draw | |
| Round 1 | 1–1 | Draw | ||
| Round 1 | 1–0 | Win | ||
| Semi-final | 2–3 | Loss | ||
| 1996 | Round 1 | 1–1 | Draw | |
| Round 1 | 1–0 | Win | ||
| Round 1 | 3–0 | Win | ||
| Quarter-final | 0–1 | Loss | ||
| 2000 | Round 1 | 3–2 | Win | |
| Round 1 | 1–0 | Win | ||
| Round 1 | 3–0 | Win | ||
| Quarter-final | 2–0 | Win | ||
| Semi-final | 1–2 | Loss | ||
| 2004 | Round 1 | 1–2 | Loss | |
| Round 1 | 2–0 | Win | ||
| Round 1 | 1–0 | Win | ||
| Quarter-final | 2–2 6–5 (pen. Penalty shootout (football) A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game... ) |
Draw | ||
| Semi-final | 2–1 | Win | ||
| Final | 0–1 | Loss | ||
| 2008 | Round 1 | 2–0 | Win | |
| Round 1 | 3–1 | Win | ||
| Round 1 | 0–2 | Loss | ||
| Quarter-final | 2–3 | Loss |
Honours
- This is a list of honours achieved by the senior Portuguese national team in an official competition
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
- Third place (1): 19661966 FIFA World CupThe 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
- Fourth place (1): 20062006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
- FIFA World Cup
- UEFA European ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
- Runner-up (1): 2004
- Semi-finals (2): 1984, 2000
Other awards
- FIFA World Cup Most Entertaining TeamFIFA World Cup awardsAt the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament, several awards are attributed to the players and teams which have distinguished from the rest, in different aspects of the game.These are awards granted during the men's senior tournament...
- Winner (1): 20062006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
Friendlies
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Euro 2012 Qualifiers
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Euro 2012 Play-Offs
----Coaching staff
| Position | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manager | Portugal Paulo Bento Paulo Bento Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento is a retired Portuguese footballer, and the current manager of Portugal.A defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate as his main assets, he played for two of the major three teams in his country, also playing four years in Spain... |
|
| Assistant Manager | Portugal Leonel Pontes Leonel Pontes Leonel Pontes da Encarnação is a Portuguese football coach. Pontes was the interim coach for Sporting CP, following the resignation of Paulo Bento on 6 November 2009. He was replaced by Carlos Carvalhal on 15 November 2009.-External links:... |
|
| Goalkeeping Coach | Portugal Ricardo Peres |
|
| Fitness Coach | Portugal João Aroso |
|
| Technical director | Portugal Carlos Godinho |
|
| U-23 Manager | Portugal Ilídio Vale |
|
| U-21 Manager | Portugal Rui Jorge |
|
| U-20 Manager | Portugal Ilídio Vale |
|
| U-17 Manager | Portugal Emílio Peixe Emílio Peixe Emílio Manuel Delgado Peixe is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder.A member of the dubbed Golden Generation who hailed from the Portugal youth teams, Peixe was one of the few to have represented all three major clubs in the country, namely Sporting.-Football... |
|
Current squad
- Caps and goals are correct as of November 15, 2011.
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Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the Portugal squad within the last twelve months.- Caps and goals are correct as of 15 November 2011.
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(withdrew due to injury)
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Previous squads
FIFA World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
- 2010 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
- 2006 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
- 2002 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
- 1986 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
- 1966 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
- UEFA Euro 2008 squads - Portugal
- UEFA Euro 2004 squads - Portugal
- UEFA Euro 2000 squads - Portugal
- UEFA Euro 1996 squads - Portugal
- UEFA Euro 1984 squads - Portugal
Summer Olympics Football Tournament
Football at the Summer Olympics
Association football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
- 2004 Summer Olympics squads - Portugal
- 1996 Summer Olympics squads - Portugal
- 1928 Summer Olympics squads - Portugal
- italic denotes squad comprised by non main-team players
Most appearances
- As of November 15, 2011.
- Players in bold are still active.
No Name Caps Goals First cap Latest cap 1 Luís Figo Luís FigoLuís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
127 32 October 12, 1991 July 8, 2006 2 Fernando Couto Fernando CoutoFernando Manuel Silva Couto, OIH is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a central defender.During a 21-year professional career, he played in a number of top teams in Portugal, Spain and Italy , appearing in nearly 600 official games and winning the national league title of each country,...
110 8 December 19, 1990 June 30, 2004 3 Rui Costa Rui CostaRui Manuel César Costa, OIH is a former Portuguese football player and current Director of Football for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder, he most recently played for Portuguese club Benfica...
94 26 March 31, 1993 July 4, 2004 4 Pauleta PauletaPedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, OIH , commonly known as Pauleta , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a striker....
88 47 August 20, 1997 July 8, 2006 5 Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
87 32 August 20, 2003 November 15, 2011 6 Simão Simão SabrosaSimão Pedro Fonseca Sabrosa, OIH , commonly known as Simão , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Beşiktaş J.K. in Turkey, mainly as a left winger - he can also play as a forward - with dribbling and set piece skills as primary attributes.Having played in his country for two of the three...
85 22 October 18, 1998 June 29, 2010 7 João Pinto João Vieira PintoJoão Manuel Vieira Pinto is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mostly as a forward.Blessed with formidable skills and scoring ability, he made his name mostly at a domestic level and as a key figure in the Portuguese national team's "Golden Generation", collecting 138 caps and scoring 35...
81 23 October 12, 1991 June 14, 2002 8 Vítor Baía Vítor BaíaVítor Manuel Martins Baía, OIH , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a goalkeeper.His career was intimately connected with F.C...
80 0 December 19, 1990 September 7, 2002 9 Ricardo Ricardo PereiraRicardo Alexandre Martins Soares Pereira, OIH , simply Ricardo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Vitória de Setúbal as a goalkeeper....
79 0 June 2, 2001 June 19, 2008 Nuno Gomes Nuno GomesNuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro , commonly known as Nuno Gomes, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.C. Braga as a striker.He was given the nickname Gomes during childhood after F.C...
79 29 January 24, 1996 October 11, 2011
Most goals
- As of November 15, 2011.
- Players in bold are still active.
No Name Goals Caps Avg First cap Latest cap 1 Pauleta PauletaPedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, OIH , commonly known as Pauleta , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a striker....
47 88 0.53 August 20, 1997 July 8, 2006 2 Eusébio EusébioEusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
41 64 0.64 October 8, 1961 October 13, 1973 3 Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
32 87 0.37 August 20, 2003 November 15, 2011 Luís Figo Luís FigoLuís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
32 127 0.25 October 12, 1991 July 8, 2006 5 Nuno Gomes Nuno GomesNuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro , commonly known as Nuno Gomes, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.C. Braga as a striker.He was given the nickname Gomes during childhood after F.C...
29 79 0.37 January 24, 1996 October 11, 2011 6 Rui Costa Rui CostaRui Manuel César Costa, OIH is a former Portuguese football player and current Director of Football for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder, he most recently played for Portuguese club Benfica...
26 94 0.28 March 31, 1993 July 4, 2004 7 João Pinto João Vieira PintoJoão Manuel Vieira Pinto is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mostly as a forward.Blessed with formidable skills and scoring ability, he made his name mostly at a domestic level and as a key figure in the Portuguese national team's "Golden Generation", collecting 138 caps and scoring 35...
23 81 0.28 October 12, 1991 June 14, 2002 8 Nené Tamagnini NenéTamagnini Manuel Gomes Baptista, Nené , is a retired Portuguese footballer.A striker, he played his entire career with Sport Lisboa e Benfica, appearing in nearly 600 official games for the club....
22 66 0.33 April 21, 1971 June 23, 1984 Simão Simão SabrosaSimão Pedro Fonseca Sabrosa, OIH , commonly known as Simão , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Beşiktaş J.K. in Turkey, mainly as a left winger - he can also play as a forward - with dribbling and set piece skills as primary attributes.Having played in his country for two of the three...
22 85 0.26 October 18, 1998 June 29, 2010 10 Hélder Postiga Hélder PostigaHélder Manuel Marques Postiga is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Real Zaragoza in Spain, as a striker.After starting professionally at Porto, Postiga went on to have spells in England , France and Greece , before returning to his country with Sporting.A Portuguese international on more than...
19 46 0.41 June 13, 2003 November 15, 2011
Managers
| Manager | Period | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | Win % | |||||
| Committee |
1921–1923 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 | |||
| Ribeiro dos Reis |
1925–1926 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20.00 | |||
| Cândido de Oliveira Cândido de Oliveira Cândido Plácido Fernandes de Oliveira was a Portuguese football player, coach, and sports journalist.... |
1926–1929, 1935–1945, 1952 | 28 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 21.43 | |||
| Maia Loureiro |
1929 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | |||
| Laurindo Grijó |
1930 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50.00 | |||
| Tavares da Silva |
1931, 1945–1947, 1951, 1955–1957 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 15 | 34.48 | |||
| Salvador do Carmo |
1932–1933, 1950, 1953–1954 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 25.00 | |||
| Virgílio Paula |
1947–1948 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.33 | |||
| Armando Sampaio |
1949 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.00 | |||
| José Maria Antunes José Maria Antunes José Maria Antunes was Portuguese footballer and a manager.- External links :* *... |
1957–1960, 1962–1964, 1968–1969 | 31 | 9 | 4 | 18 | 29.03 | |||
| Armando Ferreira Armando Ferreira Armando Félix Ferreira was a Portuguese footballer who played as a forward.- External links :* * *... |
1961, 1962 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16.67 | |||
| Fernando Peyroteo Fernando Peyroteo Fernando Baptista Seixas Peyroteo was a Portuguese footballer.... |
1961 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 | |||
| Manuel da Luz Afonso Manuel da Luz Afonso Manuel da Luz Afonso was a Portuguese football manager.He was the Head of the Football Departament of Benfica, during their 1960s Golden Era, until 1964 when he was called to work for the Portugal national football team as seleccionador , with Otto Glória as the coach... |
1964–1966 | 20 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 75.00 | |||
| José Gomes da Silva |
1967, 1970–1971 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 38.46 | |||
| José Augusto |
1972–1973 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 60.00 | |||
| José Maria Pedroto José Maria Pedroto José Maria Carvalho Pedroto, OIH, was a Portuguese footballer and trainer. He was nicknamed Zé do Boné since, like the character, he usually wore a flat cap.... |
1974–1976 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 40.00 | |||
| Juca Juca Júlio Cernadas Pereira, aka Juca , was a Portuguese football midfielder and coach.... |
1977–1978, 1980–1982, 1987–1989 | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 44.12 | |||
| Mário Wilson Mário Wilson Mário Wilson is a retired football player and a former coach of the Portuguese squad, Académica de Coimbra, Sport Lisboa e Benfica and Vitória de Guimarães, among other football teams. As a player, he played for clubs such as Académica de Coimbra and Sporting Clube de Portugal... |
1978–1980 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 50.00 | |||
| Otto Glória Otto Glória Otto Martins Glória was a Brazilian football coach. He had his greatest successes with SL Benfica in Lisbon, Portugal, which he guided to nine national trophies... |
1964-1966, 1982–1983 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 42.86 | |||
| Fernando Cabrita Fernando Cabrita Fernando da Silva Cabrita was a Portuguese footballer and football manager.He played as a forward for teams like Olhanense and Sporting da Covilhã, but he still had 7 caps for Portugal National Team, 4 for Olhanense and 3 for Sporting da Covilhã... |
1983–1984 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 55.56 | |||
| José Augusto Torres José Augusto Torres José Augusto da Costa Séneca Torres was a Portuguese football centre forward and coach.Nicknamed O Bom Gigante , most of his 21-year senior career was spent at Benfica, with great individual and team success... |
1984–1986 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 47.06 | |||
| Ruy Seabra Ruy Seabra Ruy Seabra is a Portuguese lawyer and was briefly a football manager.He hadn't any football experience when he was announced as the surprise choice of then President of the Portuguese Football Federation, Silva Resende, for manager of the Portuguese national football team, after the disappointing... |
1986–1987 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16.67 | |||
| Artur Jorge Artur Jorge Artur Jorge Braga Melo Teixeira , commonly known as simply Artur Jorge, is a Portuguese football coach and a former football player. He was chosen by Portuguese sports newspaper Record as one of the best 100 Portuguese football players of all time.-Club career:As a junior player, he started at the... |
1990–1991, 1996–1997 | 26 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 42.31 | |||
| Carlos Queiroz Carlos Queiroz Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester... |
1991–1993, 2008–2010 | 49 | 25 | 16 | 8 | 51.02 | |||
| Nelo Vingada Nelo Vingada Eduardo Manuel Martinho Vingada, known as Nelo Vingada is a Portuguese football manager who currently manages Chinese Super League team Dalian Shide F.C.-Coaching career:... |
1994 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | |||
| António Oliveira António Luís Alves Ribeiro Oliveira António Luís Alves Ribeiro de Oliveira is a retired Portuguese football attacking midfielder and manager.As a player, he notably represented two of the Big Three in his country, Porto and Sporting, amassing totals of 277 games and 87 first division goals between the two, and also later managing... |
1994–1996, 2000–2002 | 44 | 26 | 10 | 8 | 59.09 | |||
| Humberto Coelho |
1997–2000 | 24 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 66.67 | |||
| Agostinho Oliveira |
2002, 2010 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 33.33 | |||
| Luiz Felipe Scolari Luiz Felipe Scolari Luiz Felipe Scolari , ComIH , also known as Felipão in Brazil and Phil Scolari in the United Kingdom, is a World Cup-winning Brazilian football manager. He is currently the manager of Palmeiras. He served as the manager of the Portuguese national team from July 12, 2003 to June 30, 2008... |
2003–2008 | 74 | 42 | 18 | 14 | 56.76 | |||
| Paulo Bento Paulo Bento Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento is a retired Portuguese footballer, and the current manager of Portugal.A defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate as his main assets, he played for two of the major three teams in his country, also playing four years in Spain... |
2010– | 13 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 69.23 | |||
- bold denotes current manager
External links
- Portuguese Football Federation official website
- Portuguese National Football Team
- Portuguesefutebol.com Source for Portuguese football
- Portugoal.net Portuguese football site
- Portuguese football info and discussion forum
- Portugal on ESPN Soccernet
- RSSSF archive of results 1921-2003
- RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
- RSSSF archive of coaches 1921-
- Portugal international players
- Portugal international players
- Portuguese Soccer News Links, Portuguese Football Site in English
- Daily Portuguese football news, discussion, stats, images, and more
- Full reports of all matches of Portuguese National Football Team 1921-1979