Portugal national football team

Portugal

Shirt badge/Association crest
Association	Federação Portuguesa de Futebol
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Carlos Queiroz
Captain	Nuno Gomes
Most caps	Luís Figo (127)
Top scorer	Pauleta (47)
FIFA code	POR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	9
Highest	4 (March 2001)
Lowest	43 (August 1998)
First international
Spain 3 - 1 Portugal (Madrid, Spain; 18 December 1921)
Biggest win
Portugal 8 - 0 Liechtenstein (Lisbon, Portugal; 18 November 1994) Portugal 8 - 0 Liechtenstein (Coimbra, Portugal; 9 June 1999) Portugal 8 - 0 Kuwait (Leiria, Portugal; 19 November 2003)
Biggest defeat
Portugal 0 - 10 England (Lisbon, Portugal; 25 May 1947)
World Cup
Appearances	4 (first in 1966)
Best result	Third place, 1966
European Championship
Appearances	5 (first in 1984)
Best result	Second place, 2004

The Portugal national football team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), finishing 4th at the last World Cup. Portugal have qualified four times for the FIFA World Cup; 1966, 1986, 2002 and 2006. The first appearance saw them reach the semi final, losing 2-1 at Wembley to the eventual world champions England. Portugal finished in third place and Eusébio was considered the best player of the tournament. 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 the second games.

In 2003, the Portuguese Football Federation decided to hire Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Brazilian who had led the Brazil national football team to win the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Scolari led Portugal to the final of Euro 2004, where they lost to Greece, and to their second World Cup semifinal in 2006.

FIFA World Cup

1966 FIFA World Cup

The team started out with three wins in the group stage where they were in Group C when they beat Hungary, Bulgaria and two-time defending champions Brazil. Secondly they beat surprise quarter-finalist Korea DPR 5-3, with Eusébio getting four markers to overturn a 0-3 deficit. Later, they reached the semifinals where they were beaten by hosts England 2-1. Portugal then defeated USSR 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. He also played in the 1970 and 1974 World Cup qualifiers but Portugal failed to make the tournament Finals.

1986 FIFA World Cup

In qualification round, Portugal had to beat West Germany in Stuttgart in the last qualifying game to be able to go through to the final round. Portugal won 0-1 and 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 1984 Euro Cup. 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.

1998 FIFA World Cup

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. 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.

2002 FIFA 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 thrashing of Poland, with Pauleta getting a hat-trick.

Needing a draw to advance, they lost the final group game to hosts South Korea. Argentinian referee Angel Sanchez 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.

2006 FIFA World Cup

The Portuguese squad qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany under the leadership of manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. In the qualification, Portugal defeated Russia 7-1, and finished first place in Group D of the WC 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.

Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in the Round of 16 on June 25 in Nuremberg. The only goal came courtesy of a Maniche strike in an acrimonious match marked by 16 yellow cards, with 4 players (Khalid Boulahrouz, Costinha, Deco and Giovanni van Bronckhorst) being sent off (see the Battle of Nuremberg).

On Saturday, July 1 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 Wednesday, July 5 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 Cristiano Ronaldo for his perceived unsportsmanlike behaviour 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 July 8 in Stuttgart. The match was notable for being 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.

Portugal's "Golden Generation" retired after the 2006 World Cup. Figo's departure left Portugal's squad with a new look in midfield, once taken over by himself and the likes of Rui Costa and Sérgio Conceição. The squad that qualified for Euro 2008 were a new generation of players from the U-21 squad. Ricardo Quaresma, João Moutinho, Miguel Veloso, Nani, Manuel Fernandes, and Ronaldo are some of the names that could possibly bring future success to Portugal.

World Cup record

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1930	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1934	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1938	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1950	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1954	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1958	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1962	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1966	Third place	3	6	5	0	1	17	8
1970	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1974	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1978	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1982	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1986	Round 1	17	3	1	0	2	2	4
1990	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1994	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1998	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2002	Round 1	21	3	1	0	2	6	4
2006	Fourth place	4	6	5	0	1	17	8
Total	4/18	1 third place	19	11	1	7	32	21

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

European Championships

1984 European Championship

This was the first time that Portugal had ever qualified for the European Championship. In fact, the team almost didn't qualify, but a 1-0 victory over USSR in the last game made it possible. 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. SL Benfica's Tamagnini Nené scored the winner.

They played against the hosts, France, 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 2-1 in the first fifteen minutes and both teams could have scored more goals. In the second half of extra time France scored in the 114th and 119th minutes to eliminate Portugal and go through to the final.

1996 European Championship

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 marvellous Karel Poborský second-half lob to goalkeeper Vítor Baía.

2000 European Championship

This tournament was the inaugural success of the so-called "Golden Generation", captained by Fernando Couto. They defeated England (3-2, recovering from a 2-0 disadvantage), Romania (1-0), and Germany (3-0) to finish atop their group and then defeated Turkey in the quarter-finals; they were eliminated in the semi-final round by France. Nuno Gomes was one of the top scorers in the tournament with four goals.

In the semi-final meeting with World Cup holders France, Portugal scored first. However, France equalized and Portugal were eliminated in extra time by a golden goal when Zidane converted a penalty. Austrian 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, Gomes and Paulo Bento were all given lengthy suspensions for shoving the referee.

2004 European Championship

Portuguese fans during Euro 2004

This tournament was held in Portugal. The host nation lost the first game against Greece, 1-2. 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, saving a penalty and scoring the winner himself. Portugal beat Holland 2-1 in the semi-final with a Maniche strike from outside the box. They were eventually beaten by rank 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.

2008 European Championship

The Portuguese team was a featured part of TV network ESPNs ad campaign promoting their coverage of the Euro 2008 tournament.With the national side as one of the favorites to win the trophy, 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. 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 Yakin goals.

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.

European Championship Record

Year	Round	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1960	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1964	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1968	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1972	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1976	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1980	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1984	Semi-finals	4	1	2	1	4	4
1988	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1992	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1996	Quarter-finals	4	2	1	1	5	2
2000	Semi-finals	5	4	0	1	10	4
2004	Final	6	3	1	2	8	6
2008	Quarter-finals	4	2	0	2	7	6
2012		-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	5/13	23	12	4	7	34	22

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

Portugal 2-0 Georgia (May 31, 2008, friendly match)

Portugal 2-0 Turkey (June 7, 2008, Euro 2008)

Czech Republic 1-3 Portugal (June 11, 2008, Euro 2008)

Switzerland 2-0 Portugal (June 15, 2008, Euro 2008)

Portugal 2-3 Germany (June 19, 2008, Euro 2008)

Malta - Portugal on (September 6, 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification)

Portugal - Denmark on (September 10, 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification)

Sweden - Portugal on (October 11, 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification)

Portugal - Albania on (October 15, 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification)

Brazil - Portugal (November 11, 2008, friendly match)

Current squad

The following players named for UEFA EURO 2008.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ricardo	(1976-02-11) February 11, 1976	79	0	Real Betis
2	2DF	Paulo Ferreira	(1979-01-18) January 18, 1979	51	0	Chelsea
3	2DF	Bruno Alves	(1981-11-27) November 27, 1981	12	1	Porto
4	2DF	José Bosingwa	(1982-08-24) August 24, 1982	11	0	Chelsea
5	2DF	Fernando Meira	(1978-06-05) June 5, 1978	52	2	Stuttgart
6	3MF	Raul Meireles	(1983-03-17) March 17, 1983	12	1	Porto
7	4FW	Cristiano Ronaldo (vice-captain)	(1985-02-05) February 5, 1985	58	21	Manchester United
8	3MF	Petit	(1976-09-25) September 25, 1976	57	4	Benfica
9	4FW	Hugo Almeida	(1984-05-23) May 23, 1984	11	2	Werder Bremen
10	3MF	João Moutinho	(1986-09-08) September 8, 1986	17	1	Sporting
11	4FW	Simão	(1979-10-31) October 31, 1979	64	15	Atlético Madrid
12	1GK	Nuno	(1974-01-25) January 25, 1974	0	0	Porto
13	2DF	Miguel	(1980-01-04) January 4, 1980	48	1	Valencia
14	2DF	Jorge Ribeiro	(1981-11-09) November 9, 1981	9	0	Benfica
15	2DF	Pepe	(1983-02-26) February 26, 1983	7	1	Real Madrid
16	2DF	Ricardo Carvalho	(1978-05-18) May 18, 1978	46	4	Chelsea
17	4FW	Ricardo Quaresma	(1983-09-26) September 26, 1983	23	3	Porto
18	3MF	Miguel Veloso	(1986-05-11) May 11, 1986	7	0	Sporting
19	4FW	Nani	(1986-11-17) November 17, 1986	16	2	Manchester United
20	3MF	Deco	(1977-08-27) August 27, 1977	56	4	Chelsea
21	4FW	Nuno Gomes (captain)	(1976-07-05) July 5, 1976	72	29	Benfica
22	1GK	Rui Patricio	(1988-02-15) February 15, 1988	0	0	Sporting
23	4FW	Hélder Postiga	(1982-08-02) August 2, 1982	34	11	Sporting

• Due to a broken wrist injury sustained during training, Benfica's Quim missed out on the tournament. Porto's Nuno was called-up as his late replacement.

Previous squads

• 1966 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
• 1984 European Football Championship squads - Portugal
• 1986 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
• 1996 European Football Championship squads - Portugal
• 2000 European Football Championship squads - Portugal
• 2002 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
• 2004 European Football Championship squads - Portugal
• 2006 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal

Players

Famous players

Early stars Cândido de Oliveira João Francisco Pepe Jorge Vieira Augusto Silva Pinga António Feliciano Fernando Peyroteo Jesus Correia José Travassos Virgílio Matateu José Águas Costa Pereira Germano 1966 World Cup Glory - "Os Magriços" Eusébio Mário Coluna José Augusto António Simões Torres

1970s Generation Humberto Coelho Artur Jorge António Oliveira Artur Correia João Alves Shéu Manuel Fernandes Vítor Damas Euro 1984 and World Cup 86 - "Os Patrícios" Manuel Bento Rui Jordão Fernando Chalana Nené António Sousa Carlos Manuel Jaime Pacheco João Pinto Fernando Gomes Paulo Futre Other Figures Oceano Rui Barros Vítor Paneira Pedro Barbosa

Golden Generation Luís Figo Rui Costa Sérgio Conceição Fernando Couto Vítor Baía Jorge Costa Nuno Capucho Dimas João Vieira Pinto Paulinho Santos Paulo Alves Domingos Ricardo Sá Pinto Paulo Sousa António Folha Carlos Secretário Emílio Peixe Abel Xavier Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 Nuno Gomes Deco Cristiano Ronaldo Pauleta Ricardo Simão Sabrosa Maniche Costinha Ricardo Carvalho Miguel Tiago Paulo Ferreira Fernando Meira Jorge Andrade Nuno Valente

Most appearances

Below is a list of the 10 players with the most appearances for Portugal, as of June 25, 2008 (* denotes players still available for selection):

No	Name	Games	Goals	First game	Last game
1	Luís Figo	127	32	12-10-1991	08-07-2006
2	Fernando Couto	110	8	19-12-1990	30-06-2004
3	Rui Costa	94	26	31-03-1993	04-07-2004
4	Pauleta	88	47	20-08-1997	08-07-2006
5	João Vieira Pinto	81	23	12-10-1991	14-06-2002
6	Vítor Baía	80	0	19-12-1990	07-09-2002
7	Ricardo*	79	0	02-06-2001	19-06-2008
8	Nuno Gomes*	72	29	24-01-1996	19-06-2008
9	João Pinto	70	1	16-02-1983	09-11-1996
10	Nené	66	22	21-04-1971	23-06-1984

Most goals

Below is a list of the top ten players with the most goals for the Portugal national football team, as of June 25 2008 (* denotes players still available for selection)

No	Name	Games	Goals	First game	Last game
1	Pauleta	88	47	20-08-1997	08-07-2006
2	Eusébio	64	41	08-10-1961	13-10-1973
3	Luís Figo	127	32	12-10-1991	08-07-2006
4	Nuno Gomes*	72	29	28-01-1996	19-06-2008
5	Rui Costa	94	26	31-03-1993	04-07-2004
6	João Vieira Pinto	81	23	12-10-1991	14-06-2002
7	Nené	66	22	21-04-1971	23-06-1984
8	Cristiano Ronaldo*	58	21	20-08-2003	19-06-2008
9	Rui Jordão	43	15	29-03-1972	25-01-1989
=	Fernando Peyroteo	20	15	24-04-1938	20-03-1949
=	Simão Sabrosa*	64	15	18-11-1998	19-06-2008
10	José Torres	33	14	23-01-1963	13-10-1973

External links

• Portuguese Football Federation official website Template:Pt icon
• Portuguese National Football Team Template:Pt icon
• Your source for Portuguese football in English
• Portugoal.net | |The definitive Portuguese football site
• Portuguese football info and discussion forum
• Portugal on ESPN
• 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 Template:Pt icon
• 2006 World Cup match reports
• Daily Portuguese football news, discussion, stats, images, and more
• Daily Portuguese football news, live scores, standings, cups
• Portugal football team video history at vidFootball.com
• Euro 2008 support badge site Template:Pt icon