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Cristiano Ronaldo’s last shot: Portugal’s golden generation chase World Cup glory with grief, belief and destiny
For Portugal, and for its golden generation, this may be their best chance yet to finally conquer the world.
There was a photograph taken inside the Stade de France in Paris a decade back, on a warm July evening, that spoke volumes about this current Portuguese generation. A 31-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, in tears of despair, clutching his knee in pain as he was carried off the field on a stretcher. Portugal somehow kept moving without him. But Ronaldo limped his way back to the touchline with a heavily taped knee, marshalling his troops like a manager possessed. And Portugal, somehow, won. Eder’s thunderbolt sealed the European Championship. A nation long tortured by near-misses and quarter-final heartbreaks finally had something to celebrate.
Ten years on, Portugal head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup carrying hope, expectation and emotion. For Ronaldo, this is almost certainly the final chapter of an extraordinary international career. For Portugal, and for its golden generation, this may be their best chance yet to finally conquer the world.
27 + 1 — In memory of Diogo Jota
A 27-member Portugal squad will travel to North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The “+1” belongs to Diogo Jota — 28 years old, taken far too soon in a car accident in Spain in July 2025 alongside his brother Andre Silva. Just weeks before the incident, Jota had played a pivotal role in Portugal winning the Nations League for the second time in history, and he would undoubtedly have relished another crack at the World Cup after missing the 2022 finals due to injury.
Coach Roberto Martínez put it simply: “Diogo Jota’s spirit, his strength, and his example are the plus one and will always be the plus one.”
The road to North America
Martínez took over from Fernando Santos in January 2023 and transformed Portugal into a more fluid, attack-minded side built around technical brilliance in midfield and explosive pace out wide. The early signs have been overwhelming. Portugal have since won 25 of their 30 games.
Portugal dominated the early stages of their World Cup qualifying campaign before a brief wobble in the middle forced them to wait until the final stretch to secure qualification. Their response was emphatic: a 9-1 demolition of Luxembourg, followed by another commanding win over Armenia, sealed qualification after what had briefly looked uncertain. The campaign served as a reminder of Portugal’s terrifying offensive power when fully switched on.
En route to qualification, Portugal also added a second UEFA Nations League title last June to their 2019 triumph in the same competition. They beat Spain national football team in the final on penalties — a result made all the more poignant as it proved to be Jota’s last game in national colours. Martínez’s side therefore arrive in North America as one of Europe’s form teams.
A squad packed with elite talent
On paper, Portugal possess one of the strongest squads in the tournament, packed with Champions League winners and league title winners. Rúben Dias marshals the defence, while Bruno Fernandes remains the creative heartbeat. But the true strength lies in midfield, where Vitinha and João Neves have emerged as one of Europe’s finest partnerships following their rise at Paris Saint-Germain.
There is pace and unpredictability in attack through Rafael Leão, Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceição, while Gonçalo Ramos offers a more modern pressing striker option.
At full-back, João Cancelo and Nuno Mendes give Portugal enormous attacking width, although defensive transitions remain a concern against elite opposition.
And then, of course, there is Ronaldo, leading a forward line of extraordinary depth, arguably the deepest in the tournament.
Ronaldo: legend, leader, dilemma
No analysis of Portugal at this World Cup can sidestep the central, combustible question: what is Ronaldo, at 41, to this team?
Four years ago, Santos had benched him for two knockout matches. The move initially raised eyebrows, but later forced an uncomfortable question after it paid off spectacularly. Ronaldo’s replacement, then 21-year-old Gonçalo Ramos, scored a sensational hat-trick in a 6-1 demolition of Switzerland in the Round of 16, prompting many to ask whether Portugal were actually better without Ronaldo.
However, in the quarter-final, Portugal failed to break down Morocco’s defence in a 0-1 defeat, despite Ronaldo entering as a second-half substitute.
The questions only intensified after Euro 2024, where Ronaldo struggled badly in front of goal despite taking a high volume of shots throughout the tournament. The tactical concern is real: Ronaldo’s diminished pressing, slower recovery runs and insistence on operating centrally can create structural issues in a modern high-press system.
Martínez, however, has managed the Ronaldo dilemma more astutely. He has heavily protected Ronaldo’s physical output by reducing his pressing and defensive workload, allowing him to focus almost exclusively on operating as a lethal No. 9 inside the box. Under Martínez, Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in 30 games — comfortably Portugal’s best goalscoring return during that period.
Potential starting XI
Martínez primarily uses a 4-3-3 system, although Portugal frequently shift into a 4-2-3-1 or more fluid structures depending on the opposition and match situation.
Hence, the likely line-up could be:
Diogo Costa; João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, João Neves, Bruno Fernandes; Pedro Neto, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leão.
Group fixtures
June 17: Portugal vs DR Congo — Houston Stadium (10:30 p.m. IST)
June 23: Portugal vs Uzbekistan — Houston Stadium (10:30 p.m. IST)
June 28: Colombia vs Portugal — Miami Stadium (5:00 a.m. IST)
How far can they go?
Portugal have the talent to reach the semi-finals and possibly even the final. Their midfield can dominate almost anyone, while their attacking depth offers multiple tactical solutions. The biggest doubt remains Martínez himself. His record in major knockout matches still lacks a defining victory against the very best sides.
If Portugal finally win the World Cup, it will be remembered as the crowning moment of a golden generation. And for Ronaldo, it would be immortality.
