History of the Portugal national football team

Portugal

Nickname(s)	A Seleção A Seleção das Quinas[1]
Association	Federação Portuguesa de Futebol
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Most caps	Cristiano Ronaldo (138)
Top scorer	Cristiano Ronaldo (71)
Home stadium	Estádio da Luz
FIFA ranking
Highest	3 (May–June 2010, Oct. 2012, April 2014)
Lowest	43 (August 1998)
First international
Spain 3–1 Portugal  (Madrid, Spain; 18 December 1921)
World Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1966)
Best result	Third place, 1966
European Championship
Appearances	7 (first in 1984)
Best result	Winners, 2016

The history of the Portugal national football team dates back to its first match on 18 December 1921. The Portuguese Football Federation was formed in 1914 with the name União Portuguesa de Futebol, but due to World War I, the team didn't play its first international match until 1921. The Portugal national football team has played in the FIFA World Cup, where their best finish was third, the Euros, which they've won, and other tournaments throughout its history.

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 I, the dream was not made possible for the next seven years.

Portugal's first game was on 18 December 1921. 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".

1928 Olympic Tournament

After years of playing friendly games, Portugal was invited to enter the 1928 Summer Olympics Football Tournament, 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 embittered 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 Cup, 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 Seleção 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.

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 played 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 Seleção 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

1966 World Cup and 1970s

In the 1966 World Cup qualification, Portugal was drawn into the same group as Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Turkey. They topped the group with only one draw and one defeat in all six games and finally qualified for a FIFA World Cup; that year the final stage would be held in England. Notable results were 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, against 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 be in London, which led the Portuguese team to 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.

Eusébio in 1972

For the Euro 1968 qualifying, the Seleção played against Bulgaria, Norway, and Sweden. They finished second to Bulgaria, with six points, four behind the Bulgarians. Portugal only managed two wins and two draws; 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 points behind group winners 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 were placed in an accessible group, but were unable to defeat Bulgaria (2-2) in the decisive match, thus not qualifying. The only country Portugal managed to defeat was Cyprus, winning 4–0 and 1–0 in Nicosia. Portugal faced tough competition from the strong Poland team to claim the spot that would ensure them a place in the 1978 FIFA World Cup held in Argentina. They finished second place, behind Poland.

Late 1970s until early 1990s

The national team was put 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).

Luís Figo playing for Portugal at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

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 winners 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 winners 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."

Golden generation

Portugal was invited to play at the SkyDome Cup 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 was their first 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 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 sent off by French referee Marc Batta 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.

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. 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, 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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.

Portuguese fans supporting the national team

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 dominant 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. The only silver lining for Portugal was the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo as a key player, who had just signed for Manchester United and had been a real revelation. Ronaldo scored two goals and was selected in the UEFA Euro All Stars Team. He would go on to become the captain of the national side after the retirement of Luis Figo. 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 Seleção played with Estonia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Russia, and Slovakia.

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.

The Netherlands 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.)

Portugal lost the UEFA Euro 2004 final by 1–0.

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. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning penalty. 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. Cristiano Ronaldo was accused by England fans to have influenced the referee's decision to send Rooney off despite the two of them being teammates at Manchester United.

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. Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on the U-23 Player of the Tournament award and it was believed that FIFA's decision was influenced due to hate mail from supporters of England who were still upset with Ronaldo's part in getting Rooney sent off in the quarter - final stage. 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, Kazakhstan, 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 ESPNs 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 Germany 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.

World Cup 2010

Portugal participated in the qualifying stages 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 Seleção 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.

Portuguese players celebrating a goal against North Korea on 21 June 2010

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 Seleção 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,^[4] 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.

Euro 2012

As Carlos Queiroz suffered from criticism regarding the World Cup, he was also banned from coaching the national team for one month after an investigation concluded that 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.^[5] 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. That prompted several media outbursts from Queiroz^[6] against the heads of the Portuguese Football Federation, which then prompted his dismissal as the head of the team.

Portugal at the UEFA Euro 2012

In reaction to this dismissal, and in face of impending failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 2012, missing out to the first 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.^[7][8] This bid, however, was blocked by Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez.^[9]

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 Seleção began 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 were 4-0 victors over the reigning World and European champions. In the match Ronaldo should score a wonderful opening goal, only rued out as offside with a little kick by Nani in front of the crossing line. Portugal ended up winning all except one of their remaining qualifying games only losing to Denmark. They finished second in their group and had to qualify in a two-game playoff with Bosnia and Herzegovina. They tied the first game 0-0 in Zenica and won 6-2 in Lisbon, securing a place in Euro 2012.

Portugal didn't start off the tournament well, as they were defeated 1-0 by Germany. Despite this they bounced back to win their next two games, with a 3-2 win over Denmark and a 2-1 win over the Netherlands. These two wins secured passage to the knockout stages. They faced the Czech Republic in the quarter finals, and won after a Cristiano Ronaldo goal in the 79th minute. They faced Spain in the semifinals, where the match went into penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. Spain defeated Portugal 4-2 on penalty kicks.

2014 FIFA World Cup

On 30 July 2011 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary draw, Portugal were placed in Group F along with Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan and Luxembourg.^[10] Portugal had a slightly shaky Qualifying campaign, finishing second in the group after three draws and 1-0 loss to the eventual group winners Russia. The third qualifying game was a special one for Portugal's captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, as he became the youngest Portugal player ever to win 100 caps for the national team.

Because they finished second in their qualifying group Portugal advanced to play Sweden in a two-game playoff. They won the first game in Lisbon 1-0 after a Ronaldo goal, then won the second game in Solna after a Ronaldo hatrick. These wins secured Portugal's place in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Portugal were drawn into Group G with Germany, Ghana, and the United States. They played Germany first at the Arena Fonte Nova. Germany took the lead early on with a Thomas Müller penalty kick after a foul on Mario Götze. Germany took a 2-0 lead after a goal by Toni Kroos. Pepe was involved in an altercation with Thomas Müller, where he headbutted Müller and was shown a straight red card. Germany went on to win the game 4-0 after two more goals by Thomas Müller. This is Portugal's worst loss ever at a World Cup.

In their next match with the United States, Portugal opened to scoring early, with Nani scoring in the fifth minute. However, the USA equalized after a goal from Jermaine Jones in the sixty fourth minute. The United States ended up taking the lead in the eighty first minute after a goal by Clint Dempsey. Cristiano Ronaldo crossed for Silvestre Varela who tied the game in the ninety fifth minute, keeping Portugal's qualification hopes alive.

In their last match in the group stage, in order to progress they needed to beat Ghana by at least 4 goals, and hope that the USA-Germany match didn't end in a draw. Despite Portugal winning the game 2-1, and Germany defeating the USA 1-0, Portugal were eliminated on goal differential to the USA.

European Championship victory

Portugal was drawn in Group I for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying with Albania, Armenia, Denmark, and Serbia. Portugal started off with a 1-0 loss to Albania, which resulted in Paulo Bento being dismissed, and veteran of all three of the major clubs in Primeira Liga, Fernando Santos being brought in as his replacement. Under Santos Portugal would win the rest of its games in qualifying, all by a single goal, and top their group.

During the final tournament Portugal were drawn in Group F with Iceland, Austria and Hungary. Three draws, including a thrilling 3-3 draw with Hungary in the last group game, gave Portugal a third-placed finish in their group, however the new expanded form of the tournament meant Portugal qualified for the knockout stages as one of the best third ranked teams.

Portugal played Croatia in the round of 16. The match produced no shots on goal in ninety minutes. In the 116th minute Ivan Perišić hit the post for Croatia, and under a minute later Cristiano Ronaldo started a move passing to Renato Sanches, who ran it down the field. He passed it to Nani, whose scuffed shot landed at the feet of Cristiano Ronaldo who had the first shot on goal in the game, which was saved, however the rebound was headed in by substitute Ricardo Quaresma. Portugal held on and moved on to face Poland in the quarter finals.

The quarter finals didn't start out well for Portugal, as Robert Lewandowski scored in the 2' minute. Eventually Renato Sanches equalized in the 33' minute. The game went to penalties, where Rui Patrício made a save on Jakub Błaszczykowski, and on the next spot kick, Ricardo Quaresma won the game for Portugal, and sent Portugal to the semifinals.

They faced Wales in the Semifinals. Cristiano Ronaldo gave Portugal the lead in the 50' minute. This goal tied Ronaldo with Michel Platini for all-time leading scorer at the Euro finals, with nine goals. Just 3 minutes after this goal, Nani gave Portugal a 2-0 lead with an assist by Ronaldo. They held on to win, and Ronaldo was declared the Man of the Match, making it the 6th time in the tournament (including Qualifiers).

For the Final of the Euro 2016, Portugal played the host nation and favorites to win, France. A Dimitri Payet challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo forced the Portuguese captain to be substituted despite his attempts to return. France came close to winning the game in the last minute of normal time, when André-Pierre Gignac struck the post. In the extra time, Portugal's Raphaël Guerreiro hit the crossbar from a free kick. Éder, a substitute striker, eventually scored the winning goal in the 109' minute. With this win in Euro 2016 Portugal won its first ever major international trophy in the nation's history, led by Cristiano Ronaldo as the captain. Portugal's Renato Sanches was awarded the best young player and Cristiano Ronaldo won the Silver Boot for his 3 goals and 3 assists in the finals.

Kits

Home kits

1966–68

1984–86

1986–88

1996–98

1998–2000

2000–02

2002–04

2004–06

2006–08

2008–10

2010–12

2012–14

2014–16

2016–18

2018–present

Away kits

1966–68

1986–88

1996–98

1998–2000

2000–02

2002–04

2004–06

2006–07

2007

2008–10

2010–12

2012–13

2013

2014–15

2015

2016–18

2018–present

Previous squads

FIFA World Cup

• 2014 FIFA World Cup squads - Portugal
• 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

FIFA Confederations Cup

• 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup squads - Portugal

UEFA European Football Championship

• UEFA Euro 2016 squads - Portugal
• UEFA Euro 2012 squads - Portugal
• 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

• 2016 Summer Olympics squads - Portugal
• 2004 Summer Olympics squads - Portugal
• 1996 Summer Olympics squads - Portugal
• 1928 Summer Olympics squads - Portugal
• italic denotes squad comprised by non main-team players

Player records

Managers

As of June 30, 2018

Manager	Period	Record
		Matches	Won	Draw	Lost	Win %
Committee	1921–1923	3	0	0	3	0.00
Ribeiro dos Reis[12]	1925–1926	5	1	0	4	20.00
Cândido de Oliveira[12]	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[12]	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	1957–1960, 1962–1964, 1968–1969	31	9	4	18	29.03
Armando Ferreira	1961, 1962	6	1	1	4	16.67
Fernando Peyroteo	1961	2	0	0	2	0.00
Manuel da Luz Afonso	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[12]	1974–1976	15	6	4	5	40.00
Juca	1977–1978, 1980–1982, 1987–1989	34	15	7	12	44.12
Mário Wilson	1978–1980	10	5	2	3	50.00
Otto Glória	1964–1966, 1982–1983	7	3	1	3	42.86
Fernando Cabrita	1983–1984	9	5	2	2	55.56
José Augusto Torres	1984–1986	17	8	1	8	47.06
Ruy Seabra	1986–1987	6	1	4	1	16.67
Artur Jorge	1990–1991, 1996–1997	26	11	10	5	42.31
Carlos Queiroz	1991–1993, 2008–2010	49	25	16	8	54.35
Nelo Vingada	1994	2	0	2	0	0.00
António Oliveira[12]	1994–1996, 2000–2002	43	25	10	8	58.14
Humberto Coelho	1997–2000	24	16	4	4	66.67
Agostinho Oliveira	2002–2003	6	2	3	2	33.33
Luiz Felipe Scolari	2003–2008	74	42	18	14	56.76
Carlos Queiroz	2008–2010	32	18	10	4	55.56
Paulo Bento	2010–2014	44	24	11	9	54.55
Fernando Santos	2014-	55	34	11	10	61.82

References