A star-studded squad, regarded as one of the top contenders for ultimate glory in Germany, was led by head coach Roberto Martinez, who aimed to replicate Fernando Santos’ 2016 success when Portugal claimed the continental crown in France. However, this time, Portugal’s journey ended in heartbreak as France triumphed in a penalty shootout, bringing an end to Cristiano Ronaldo’s final European Championship.
Although the all-time great made plenty of headlines, he did not score a goal. At 39 years of age, Ronaldo now faces a decision about his international future. (Copa America 2024: James Rodriguez Breaks Huge Lionel Messi Single Campaign Record)
Mourinho believes that Portugal will be stronger by the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around – with CR7 potentially still at their disposal – but has told Sport TV of their latest Euros efforts: “There is always frustration when you feel that you could do better. The team’s potential was extremely high. I wasn’t far off the mark when I said that Portugal, France and England were the favourites. Two of them are in the semi-finals. Spain is the biggest surprise for me, in the way the team has evolved, they are practically a new team. For me, at the moment, they are the team that plays the best and the one that has played the best throughout the tournament.
“Portugal wasn’t fantastic, despite reaching the quarter-finals. We expected more. I was at the National Stadium for the Portugal-Croatia [friendly] match and it didn’t smell good. I didn’t get a great feeling. During the tournament we were the team that was making progress, but we weren’t convincing. Often, when the moment of truth comes, these teams are stronger. This wasn’t the end of Portugal, there wasn’t any improvement in the team. But it’s a young team, apart from the two veterans [Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe], a team with years ahead of them. The World Cup is just around the corner.”
Next on the agenda for Portugal is the Nations League, starting in September. Ronaldo has hinted at participating in this campaign, with the Al-Nassr superstar, who has earned 212 caps and scored 130 goals for his country, showing he is not yet ready to retire.
