Ten of the 26 Portuguese players called up to Qatar are repeating their presence in a final stage of a World Cup, in a list led by captain Cristiano Ronaldo, record holder among Fernando Santos’ chosen ones.
Rui Patrício, Raphaël Guerreiro, Pepe, Rúben Dias, William Carvalho, Bernardo Silva, João Mário, Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and André Silva are the repeats of 2018, in which the corner team finished in the round of 16, then eliminated by Uruguay, which will be the opponent of the national team in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.
The Manchester United attacker is making his fifth World Cup appearance, having played in Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, and has already worn the captain’s armband in the last three, with 17 appearances and seven goals in the main competition of selections.
At the age of 37, Ronaldo advances to the 10th final round of a major international competition with Portugal, as in the five World Cups he will add, he still has five participations in five European Championships (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 ).
The second player with the most World Cups for the Portuguese national team is Pepe, FC Porto’s centre-back, now called up for the fourth time, after making appearances in 2010, 2014 and 2018 (eight games and one goal).
The oldest of the 26 called up by Fernando Santos, aged 39, and also the second most capped player in this streak (128 matches), just behind Ronaldo (191), he has also made appearances in the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 European Championship. , so globally this will be the eighth final phase of the Portuguese-Brazilian defender.
This is followed by goalkeeper Rui Patrício and midfielder William Carvalho – exactly the third and fourth most capped players among the chosen players, with 104 and 75 matches respectively – both present in 2014 and 2018, who saw the third call-up confirmed.
The remaining six repeaters will move on to their second World Cup, as will the cases of Raphaël Guerreiro, Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva, João Mário, Bruno Fernandes and André Silva, all called up for Portugal’s 2018 World Cup campaign.
In this way, more than half (16) of the players called up for Qatar will take part in a World Cup for the first time, with António Silva, the youngest of the elected (19 years), in the lead: he will make his debut not only in the final phase, as in calls to selection A.
Such as the Benfica defender, goalkeepers Diogo Costa and José Sá, defenders Diogo Dalot, João Cancelo, Danilo Pereira and Nuno Mendes, midfielders Palhinha, Rúben Neves, Matheus Nunes, Otávio and Vitinha, and forwards Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Hor Ratacardel Leão .
The World Cup will take place in Qatar from November 20 to December 18. Portugal has been integrated into Group H, along with Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea, by Paulo Bento, with his debut in the competition scheduled for November 24, against the Ghanaians, at Stadium 974, in Doha.
Source: DN
