On Thursday, Santos unveiled Portugal's 26-man World Cup squad. However, the old and small list has caused great controversy, with the loss of Mudinho, Renato Sanchez and the inclusion of three players with zero appearances for the national team, making the list ridiculed by fans as "Mendes' list".
Old old old little small
Santos surprisingly chose two Benfica players, but neither 19-year-old centre-back Antonio Silva nor 21-year-old striker Gonzalo Ramos had ever played for the national team before. In addition, 29-year-old Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa has never played for the national team.
Why was Antonio Silva, who has no international team experience, recruited? Santos explained, "This list is based on the observations we've been making, the analysis of players throughout the season, and we want to maximise what the players are capable of. ”
Compared to previous lists, this list is much younger, with an average age of only 26.85 years. However, Santos still brought 39-year-old Pepe, 37-year-old Ronaldo and 34-year-old Patricio.
Ronaldo and Pepe will play in 8 consecutive tournaments, and Ronaldo will play in the fifth World Cup in a row. However, can Pepe and Ronaldo's physical and physical condition still cope with the World Cup? At the press conference, the reporters asked questions without mercy.
A reporter asked, "What contribution can Ronaldo make to the national team?" He is now in the worst possible moment. Santos explained, "He played in the previous four games. Like the other players I have called, Ronaldo is very keen to show what he is capable of and wants to become a World Cup champion. ”
Pepe's status was also questioned, with Santos revealing, "I had a meeting with the team doctor and I asked them if anyone was a candidate for the selection and the answer was no. When they say that, I think they're all prepared. ”
60% of fans are dissatisfied
It is worth noting that Manchester United, Manchester City, Paris, Wolves and Benfica and Porto each have three selected, but Sporting de Portugal has no players.
Of the three Wolves players selected, Neves is expected to be part of the main squad, José Sa has never played for the national team, and Nunes' selection and Renato Sanchez's loss have upset the media.
In addition, the defeat of Mutinho, Gonzalo Inácio, Fabio Vieira, Gonçalves and Guedes also caused media dissatisfaction.
In the reporter's question session, the first four questions were all related to the unsuccessful players. Santos said: "There are always some names that are different from what everyone expects, we can only bring in 26 players, and that's the plan. ”
"The players who are called up naturally take it for granted, while those who are not called up think it is fair. Now that I have chosen these players, then I have absolute confidence in them. ”
Asked why Sanchez was not recruited, the boss said: "The most important thing is that these players will go to the World Cup. Whoever goes, there will be controversy and it doesn't look good for those players who are excluded. The coaching staff and I made a selection based on our plan to bring in some players with different characteristics. ”
In the centre-back position, Santos chose 19-year-old Antonio Silva over Inácio or Diogo Wright. The reporter asked again, and the old coach was finally dissatisfied, "I understand and respect your question, but we should talk about the World Cup." I chose 26 players and I took responsibility and it was impossible to get almost everyone to agree. ”
It's not just journalists who are dissatisfied with the list, with 62.3% of fans disapproving of the list according to the Football newspaper survey, and some fans even said, "This is just a list drawn up by Mendes." ”
The release of the World Cup list is always accompanied by controversy, such as Brazil, Germany, England and France, but it is extremely rare for such a list to cause such controversy like the old coach Santos.
List of 26 men for the World Cup in Portugal:
Goalkeepers (3): Patricio (34/Roma), Diogo Costa (23/Porto), Jose Sa (29/Wolves)
Defenders (8): Pepe (39/Porto), Ruben Dias (25/Manchester City), Joao Cancelo (28/Manchester City), Dalot (23/United), Guerrero (28/Dort), Danilo Pereira (31/Paris), Nuno Mendes (20/Paris), Antonio Silva (19/Benfica)
Midfielders (9): Bernardo Silva (28/Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (28/Manchester United), Ruben Neves (25/Wolves), Joao Mario (29/Benfica), Vitinha (22/Paris), Matthews Nunes (24/Wolves), Willian Carvalho (30/Betis), Palinha (27/Fulham), Ottavio (27/Porto)
Strikers (6): Ronaldo (37/Manchester United), Felix (23/Atletico), Leo (23/AC Milan), Andre Silva (27/Leipzig), Gonzalo Ramos (21/Benfica), Ricardo Horta (28/Braga)