Viva's Power Rankings — No.7: Portugal, the deepest squad in European football and the question nobody wants to answer about Ronaldo
Portugal have back-to-back Champions League winners, a generational midfielder in João Neves, and Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings. They are a genuine World Cup contender. The Ronaldo question is real — and so is the talent around him.
Strip away the Ronaldo conversation for a moment — we will return to it, because it is real and it matters — and look at what Portugal actually have. João Neves, 21 years old, back-to-back Champions League winner, the most complete young midfielder in European football. Bruno Fernandes, the creative engine who makes the system function at its highest level. Vitinha, technically one of the best midfielders at this tournament. Pedro Neto, Rafael Leão — attackers with genuine top-level quality across all wide positions.
Roberto Martínez has done something genuinely difficult: he has built a system that accommodates Ronaldo's limitations while not sacrificing the fluid, technically demanding football that the rest of the squad is built to play. Whether that system holds under the pressure of knockout football against the best sides in the tournament is the central question about Portugal's ceiling.
The Ronaldo question answered honestly
He helps in specific contexts — set pieces, penalty situations, the psychological weight his presence creates for opponents. He limits Portugal in others — matches requiring high pressing and fluid movement where his reduced mobility creates a gap in the system. Martínez has managed this carefully. A semi-final against France or Spain tests that management at its absolute limit.
Portugal are seventh rather than higher because the Ronaldo question is genuinely unresolved and because the teams above them have cleaner systems. But the talent is unambiguously there. On a good day, with Neves and Fernandes both performing, Portugal can beat anyone at this tournament.
Manager: Roberto Martínez | Key player: João Neves
Group: Group K with Colombia, DR Congo, Uzbekistan
Viva's Verdict
Viva's Verdict
"Portugal's squad depth is extraordinary. Neves, Fernandes, Vitinha, Leão — this is not a one-man team. The Ronaldo question is real but manageable. My prediction: semi-finals. They have the quality to go further. Whether the system holds against France or Spain in a knockout match is the one thing I cannot call with confidence."
Next in the Power Rankings
No.6 tomorrow — Three Lions. Sixty years of hurt. Bellingham at 22 and the most complete English squad since 1966. Are they finally ready? England tomorrow. Back to VivaSportsHQ →
