Despite boasting some of the finest players to have ever graced the game, Portugal have rarely found themselves among the world’s elite when it comes to major international tournaments. Indeed, the closest that they have come to picking up silverware was at Euro 2004, when they were beaten by surprise winners Greece in the final on home soil.
You have to go all the way back to 1966 for their best showing at a World Cup as they finished third in England. Hopes will be high that they can challenge that this summer in Brazil, although they nearly didn’t make it at all having squeezed past Sweden in a qualifying playoff to reach the finals.
10. Deco
Brazil’s decision not to call the Sao Bernardo do Campo-born Deco up to their senior squad proved to be Portugal’s gain as the diminutive midfielder quickly established himself as one of the national team’s most important players following his debut in 2003.
He gained Portuguese citizenship by virtue of spending five years in the country, with the most notable spell in his adopted homeland coming with Porto. There, he helped the team to three league titles, three cups, a UEFA Cup and the Champions League, being voted man of the match in the final of the latter.
9. Nene
An idol of the most successful club in Portuguese football, Nene spent his entire 18-year career with Benfica and was a key player for the vast majority of that spell. The striker was clinical in front of goal and helped fire The Eagles to a trophy-laden period of their history.
Indeed, in the process of scoring 263 goals for the club, Nene picked up 11 league titles and eight cups, doing the double no less than four times. The 1972-73 league season was particularly memorable as Benfica went through the entire campaign unbeaten, winning 28 of their 30 matches, including a run of 23 victories in a row.
8. Fernando Chalana
Had his career not been blighted by so many injuries, Fernando Chalana could have found himself even further up this list. A tricky left winger who drifted past defenders with consummate ease, Chalana’s relatively low tally of 27 international caps does not do his talent justice.
Nicknamed ‘the Little Genius’, Chalana did manage to showcase his skills at the 1984 European Championships in France, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament as Portugal reached the semi-final stage before being eliminated by the hosts and eventual winners.
7. Paulo Futre
It was always going to take a special player to pick up Chalana’s mantle, but Paulo Futre ensured that the winger’s retirement did not severely weaken the Portuguese side. Slotting straight in on the left, Futre quickly proved that he was as capable of beating the opposition as his predecessor.
6. Rui Costa
While Luis Figo was regarded as the golden boy of Portuguese football during the 1990s and early 2000s, Rui Costa was not far behind him in terms of both talent and affection. The attacking midfielder was renowned for playing eye-of-the-needle passes that even split the notorious Italian defences of that era.
5. Mario Coluna
A lynchpin of the golden eras for both Benfica and Portugal, Mario Coluna was second only to Eusebio in importance for both sides. The midfielder quickly established himself as a leader and was consequently given the armband at both club and international level.
4. Fernando Peyroteo
He may not be the most familiar name on this list, but Fernando Peyroteo can lay a legitimate claim to being the greatest goalscorer the game has ever seen. He found the back of the net 331 times in just 197 matches for Sporting, giving him a goals-to-game ratio of 1.68 – the highest in the history of football.
While an absence of top quality opposition prevents him from being considered among the best ever, there is no doubting that Peyroteo was a giant of his era.
3. Luis Figo
The leader of Portugal’s second golden generation, Luis Figo was among the best of a hugely talented generation of players. His international haul of 127 caps makes him the highest appearance-maker in his country’s history, while his 32 goals put him fourth on the all-time list of scorers.
He became a Galactico at Real Madrid following a world-record and highly controversial transfer from Barcelona, where he had become an idol to the club’s fans.
2. Eusebio
Missing out on top spot by the narrowest of margins is the man who for so long was regarded as the undisputed king of Portuguese football. Eusebio not only stands above most of his compatriots in terms of quality, but he is also deserving of being mentioned in the discussion of the greatest player of all time.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
It was always going to take a player of immense quality to topple Eusebio from his throne, but Cristiano Ronaldo is deserving of being compared to the legendary striker. Having already established himself as Portugal’s highest-ever goalscorer, Ronaldo now has the appearance record in his sights as he sits just 17 matches short.
Aged 29, he has plenty of time to improve those statistics too. The striker is almost single-handedly responsible for his side being in this summer’s tournament having scored all four goals in the two-legged playoff win over Sweden.