Today, Friday, Portuguese coach Roberto Martinez revealed his list of twenty-six players for the next two matches in the European Nations League. Portugal will face Poland and Scotland, respectively.
The twenty-six players who will represent Portugal over the next week are known. This Friday, at the beginning of the afternoon, Roberto Martinez was invited to hand over the list of international players called up for the next international gathering. This particularly includes two new players, who will likely be asked to make their debut under the national team's colours.
Two surprise guests in Portugal
A list of twenty-six players, aiming to provide new opportunities for some of the Portuguese who have had a good start to the season. Indeed, Roberto Martinez chose to trust two new elements in his group, in order to compete in the upcoming European League matches.
Thus, Varense goalkeeper Ricardo Filho was called up for the first time, and thus he will accompany Diogo Costa and Rui Silva to preserve Portugal's goals. In midfield, Samuel Costa, also known as Samo, joins the Portuguese ranks. The 23-year-old midfielder, who has already earned several youth caps, has been playing for Mallorca since the summer of 2023.
Ricardo Filho's reaction after his first call-up to the squad. 🥹🇵🇹pic.twitter.com/i31vrmzHE9
– Trivela (@Trivela_FR) October 4, 2024
Forgot a lot?
The selections were privately discussed by Portuguese football observers. Indeed, many of them were hoping to see other faces emerge in the Seleção's colours. This is especially the case with Thiago Santos, who had a great start to the season with LOSC, but was ultimately preferred over other more experienced players for selection, such as Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot or Nelson Semedo.
The same goes for Florentino Luis, Daniel Bragança, Gedson Fernandes, or even Giovanni Cuenda, who were not selected by Roberto Martinez. After two short wins during the first two days of the UEFA Nations League, the Portugal coach will undoubtedly be keen to take this series to four wins starting next week, in order to take credit for his decisions.
Portugal's list to face Poland and Scotland
Guardians – Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Real Betis), Ricardo Filho (Farense);
Defenders – Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Renato Vega (Chelsea), Gonzalo Inacio (Sporting Lisbon), Joao Cancelo (Al Hilal), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain). Nelson Semedo (Wolverhampton Wanderers);
Backgrounds – Joao Balenha (Bayern Munich), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Otavio (Al-Nassr), Samu Costa (Mallorca), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Ruben Neves ( Al Hilal), Joao Felix (Chelsea);
attackers – Rafael Leao (Milan), Francisco Trincao (Sporting Lisbon), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
Alexandre Ribeiro launched Trivela.fr in 2019 and today runs it alongside his colleagues. Passionate about Portuguese football as a whole, and especially the Portuguese national team, with all his energy and involvement he brings this media to life every day.
