Portugal
Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari
Tactics: Expansive passing game with some wonderful individuals.
Star Player: Figo - veteran winger who is still one of the best in the world.
Verdict: Could go all the way. In Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco they can field one of the best midfields in the tournament. Wonderful going forward, they may struggle to stop shipping goals at the other end. Defensive organisation could be key and in Scolari, who won the 2002 event with his native Brazil, they have the perfect coach.
Ten things you didn’t know about Portugal
1. Portugal is the largest cork producing and exporting country in the world.
2. In Portugal the maternal surname is often placed before the paternal surname. The result is that some people may have up to four different surnames. Adding the usual two forenames, you can end up with, for example: Jose Ricardo Ferreira de Sousa Silva Carvalho.
3. Portugal is the oldest ally of the United Kingdom.
4. The four o’clock tea was first introduced in Britain by Portuguese Catherine De Braganza, queen consort to King Charles II of England, in the 17th century.
5. Portugal discovered the sea route to India and Brazil in the 15th century. The sea discoveries made Portugal the biggest world empire in the 16th century.
6. Portuguese is the seventh most spoken language in the world, being the native language of over 170 million people. It is, among other countries, the official language in Portugal, Brazil and some Southern African nations.
7. Portugal has a very long history of winemaking, being the Douro the oldest demarked and controlled wine region in the World. Portugal is immensely rich in terms of grape varieties with now more than 200 different ones, some with very odd names like ‘Dog Strangler’ and ‘Fly Droppings’.
8. The Portuguese have 365 ways to cook dry cod.
9. In Portugal, there is usually a television in the coffee shops.
10. The unique Festival of the Trays, held in Tomar every four years, traces its roots to a pagan fertility rite, though officially it’s related to the saintly practices of Dona Isabel (Dom Dinis’ queen) and has been held in its present form since the 17th century. The high-light of the festival is a procession of about 400 young white-clad women (traditionally they should be virgins!) bearing enormously tall tray headdresses stacked with loaves, decorated with colourful paper flowers and topped with a white paper dove. The next one will be in 2007.
Portugal player profiles
Goalkeepers
Bruno Vale
Made his debut for Portugal in August 2003, against Kazakhstan, aged 20. Currently playing for CF Estrela da Amadora, Vale has won 1 cap for Portugal (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: April 8, 1983
Height: 1.93m (6ft 4in)
Fact: Vale won the European Championships with Portugal's U16 side in 2000.
Quim
Made his debut for Portugal on August 18, 1999, against Andorra, aged 24. Currently playing for Benfica, Quim has won 24 caps for Portugal (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: May 13, 1975
Height: 1.84m (6ft)
Fact: Quim was suspended from the 2002 World Cup for testing positive for banned steroid nandrolone, but he travelled to the 2000 European Championships as Portugal's third-choice keeper and was second choice for the 2004 European Championship. However, he did not play a single match in either competition and looks likely to remain as Portugal's number two keeper this summer.
Ricardo
Made his debut for Portugal on June 2, 2001, against Republic of Ireland, aged 25. Currently playing for Sporting Lisbon, Ricardo has won 47 caps for Portugal (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: February 11, 1976
Height: 1.88m (6ft 1in)
Fact: Portugal's second round match against England in the European Championships in 2004 ended with a penalty shoot-out after the game finished 2-2 after extra time; remarkably, Ricardo saved Vassell's penalty attempt without his gloves, and then converted his own penalty kick to win the game for Portugal and eliminate England from the tournament.
Defenders
Ricardo Carvahlo
Made his debut for Portugal on October 11, 2003, against Albania, aged 25. Currently playing for Chelsea, Carvahlo has won 22 caps for Portugal and has scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: May 18, 1978
Height: 1.83m (6ft 0in)
Fact: In 2004 Carvalho was named Best Defender in the Champions' League in the UEFA European Football Awards.
Marco Caneira
Made his debut for Portugal on March 27, 2002, against Finland, aged 23. Currently playing for Valencia, Caneira has won 12 caps for Portugal and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: February 9, 1979
Height: 1.78m (5ft 10in)
Fact: A former captain of Portugal's U21 side, Caneira travelled as part of the senior squad to South Korea and Japan for the 2002 World Cup but did not feature in any of Portugal's games.
Miguel
Made his debut for Portugal on February 12, 2003, against Italy, aged 23. Currently playing for Valencia, Miguel has won 26 caps for Portugal and has scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: January 4, 1980
Height: 1.80m (5ft 11in)
Fact: Miguel began his footballing career playing as a winger for Portuguese side Estrela da Amadora; after transferring to Benfica in 2000, he continued to play in this position for two seasons before being moved by his coach to his more familiar role as a right-back.
Paulo Ferreira
Made his debut for Portugal on September 7, 2002, against England, aged 23. Currently playing for Chelsea, Ferreira has won 29 caps for Portugal and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: January 18, 1979
Height: 1.82m (6ft 0in)
Fact: Ferreira played for the full 90 minutes in every single one of FC Porto's 13 games in the club's successful Champions' League campaign in 2002.
Nuno Valente
Made his debut for Portugal on September 7, 2002, against England, aged 28. Currently playing for Everton, Valente has won 21 caps for Portugal and has scored 3 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: September 12, 1974
Height: 1.80m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Valente joined Everton from FC Porto ahead of the 2005-2006 season, after reportedly falling out with the Porto coaches over his decision not to retire from international football. Valente missed 5 months of the previous domestic season for Porto with a knee injury he sustained while playing for his country.
Fernando Meira
Made his debut for Portugal on October 11, 2000, against Holland, aged 22. Currently playing for VfB Stuttgart, Meira has won 28 caps for Portugal and has scored 2 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: June 5, 1978
Height: 1.88m (6ft 1in)
Fact: Dismissed by the referee for violent conduct in a Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt in March 2003, Meira was VfB Stuttgart's only player to be shown the red card in the whole of the 2002-2003 season.
Ricardo Costa
Made his debut for Portugal in February 2005, against Republic of Ireland, aged 23. Currently playing for FC Porto, Costa has won 2 caps for Portugal and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: May 16, 1981
Height: 1.88m (6ft 1in)
Fact: Costa played twice in Porto's victorious Champion's League campaign in 2003-2004.
Midfielders
Deco
Made his debut for Portugal on March 29, 2003, against Brazil, aged 25. Currently playing for Barcelona, Deco has won 32 caps for Portugal and has scored 2 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: August 27, 1977
Height: 1.74m (5ft 7in)
Fact: Deco was one of six Barcelona stars to be included on the shortlist of the world's 55 top players selected by contemporary professional footballers as part of the World XI Player Awards in 2005.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Made his debut for Portugal on August 20, 2003, against, aged 17. Currently playing for Manchester United, Ronaldo has won 30 caps for Portugal and has scored 11 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: February 5, 1985
Height: 1.84m (6ft 1in)
Fact: Ronaldo's €17.5 million transfer to Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2003 was a world-record fee for a teenager.
Tiago
Made his debut for Portugal on November 20, 2002, against Scotland, aged 23. Currently playing for Lyon, Tiago has won 20 caps for Portugal and has scored 0 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: May 3, 1981
Height: 1.83m (6ft)
Fact: Tiago spent the 2004-2005 season at Chelsea, scoring 4 goals in 34 league games; his move to French club Lyon saw Ghana striker Michael Essien move in the opposite direction.
Luis Figo
Made his debut for Portugal on November 20, 2002, against Luxembourg, aged 20. Currently playing for Inter Milan, Figo has won 117 caps for Portugal and has scored 31 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: November 4, 1972
Height: 1.80m (5ft 11in)
Fact: One of modern-day football's outstanding players, Figo's long list of awards and accolades include being named European Footballer of the Year in 2000 and FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001; Figo recently announced he would retire after this summer's World Cup.
Armando Petit
Made his debut for Portugal on June 2, 2001, against Republic of Ireland, aged 24. Currently playing for Benfica, Petit has won 34 caps for Portugal and has scored 3 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: September 25, 1976
Height: 1.75m (5ft 9in)
Fact: Petit came on as a substitute and scored twice in the closing minutes of Portugal's World Cup qualifier against Russia in October 2004; the game finished 7-1 to Portugal.
Costinha
Made his debut for Portugal on October 14, 1998, against Slovakia, aged 23. Currently playing for Dinamo Moscow, Costinha has won 42 caps for Portugal and has scored 2 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: December 1, 1974
Height: 1.83m (5ft 11in)
Fact: Costinha was part of the FC Porto UEFA Champions League-winning side in 2003-2004; during the knockout stage of the competition, he scored a memorable last-minute equalizer against Manchester United, to defeat the British side 3-2 on aggregate.
Maniche
Made his debut for Portugal in March 2003, against Brazil, aged 25. Currently playing for Chelsea on loan from Dynamo Moscow, Maniche has won 28 caps for Portugal and has scored 4 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: November 11, 1977
Height: 1.73m (5ft 7in)
Fact: Maniche spent a successful three years at Porto from 2002 to 2005, where he played under current club manager Jose Mourinho, winning the Portuguese league title twice, the Portuguese Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Champions' League, the Intercontinental Cup, and the Portuguese Super Cup.
Simão Sabrosa
Made his debut for Portugal on November 11, 1998, against Israel, aged 19. Currently playing for Benfica, Sabrosa has won 41 caps for Portugal and has scored 7 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: October 31, 1979
Height: 1.70m (5ft 6in)
Fact: Potential Liverpool transfer target Sabrosa was joint top scorer in the Portuguese league in 2002-2003, with 18 goals in 33 games.
Hugo Viana
Made his debut for Portugal on November 14, 2001, against Angola, aged 18. Currently playing for Valencia, Viana has won 18 caps for Portugal and has scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: January 15, 1983
Height: 1.81m (5ft 11in)
Fact: Former Newcastle player Viana scored his only international goal to date in Portugal's final World Cup qualifying match, in Ocotber 2005; the game, a home tie against Latvia, finished 3-0 to Portugal.
Strikers
Luis Boa Morte
Made his debut for Portugal on April 25, 2001, against France, aged 23. Currently playing for Fulham, Boa Morte has won 24 caps for Portugal and has scored 1 goal for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: August 4, 1977
Height: 1.77m (5ft 9in)
Fact: Infamous for his less than exemplary disciplinary record, one game that Boa Morte would probably like to forget is a Premiership game for Fulham against Ipswich in 2001, when he missed a penalty and shortly afterwards received a red card.
Helder Postiga
Made his debut for Portugal on February 12, 2003, against France, aged 21. Currently playing for St-Etienne, Postiga has won 21 caps for Portugal and has scored 9 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: August 2, 1982
Height: 1.79m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Postiga spent the 2003-2004 season at Tottenham Hotspur, but failed to impress, scoring just once in 19 games.
Nuno Gomes
Made his debut for Portugal on March 24, 1996, against France, aged 19. Currently playing for Benfica, Nuno Gomes has won 53 caps for Portugal and has scored 23 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: July 5, 1976
Height: 1.80m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Gomes scored an incredible hat-trick in just eight minutes after coming on as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra in September 2001; the match finished 7-1 to Portugal, with Gomes adding a fourth goal in the final minute.
Pauleta
Made his debut for Portugal on August 20, 1997, against Armenia, aged 24. Currently playing for Paris St-Germain, Pauleta has won 80 caps for Portugal and has scored 43 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: April 28, 1973
Height: 1.80m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Pauleta was the top scorer in the French league in 2002-2003 with 23 goals in 37 games for Bordeaux.