mario

Fernando Santos Calls on Miguel Veloso

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

Miguel Veloso - Portugal vs Netherlands - 2013

Veloso (left), pictured in 2013

Fernando Santos announced today a squad of 24 to face France in a friendly on September 4th and Albania in a Euro 2016 qualifier on September 7th. Bernardo Silva and Joao Mario, who both starred for Portugal at this summer’s U-21 Euro, have rightfully earned places in the team, as well as Porto new-boys Andre Andre and Danilo Pereira, who have been named for the second successive squad. Dinamo Kiev’s Miguel Veloso, who has been out of the national team setup for some time, also earned a call as a result of some solid recent performances in Ukraine. Continue reading →

Opinion: 10 Players Who Could Break Out This Season

/ Sam Biggers / 2 Comments

We could see big things from Carlos Mane this season.

We could see big things from Carlos Mane this season.

Portugal’s performance at the FIFA U20 World Cup and UEFA U21 European Championships strengthened the perception that Portuguese football is on the ascendency once again.

Andre Gomes, William Carvalho and Bernardo Silva are just some of the players that have established themselves over the past few seasons. The editors of FutebolFactory.com and PortugalFutbol.net have compiled a list of ten players who they think could make a big breakthrough this season. Continue reading →

Five-Star Portugal Coast Past Germany

/ Sam Biggers / 1 Comment

Portugal's Ivan Cavaleiro celebrating his goal. Photo: Lusa

Portugal’s Ivan Cavaleiro celebrating his goal. Photo: Lusa

Portugal 5-0 Germany

2015 UEFA U-21 European Championship Semi-Final

A comprehensive performance from the Portuguese under-21 team pushed them past Germany in the semi-final of the 2015 U-21 European Championship to book a place in the tournament’s final. Goals from Bernardo Silva, Ricardo Pereira, Ivan Cavaleiro, João Mario, and Ricardo Horta gave Portugal an emphatic and entirely unpredicted 5-0 win over the Germans. The Portuguese will now face Sweden in the final, to be played on Tuesday.  Continue reading →

Portugal Coast Through Group Stage; Germany Awaits

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

Rui Jorge - Portugal U21 Euro 2015The Portuguese Under-21 team has accomplished what has not been accomplished by the team in over a decade: make it out of the group stage at a U-21 European Championship. Portugal has done just that, and with relative ease. Despite being up against England, Italy, and Sweden (the team who defeated France to reach the tournament), Portugal’s convincing performances have seen them through as winners of Group B. Let’s take a look back at how the group stage unfolded for Portugal, and what can be expected in tomorrow’s semi-final clash with Germany.  Continue reading →

Portugal Edge England

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

João Mário celebrates his goal

João Mário celebrates his goal

England 0-1 Portugal

2015 U-21 European Championship

In an entertaining and tight contest, the Portuguese defeated England in both teams’ first match of the 2015 UEFA U-21 European Championship. João Mário scored the solitary goal of the match, which was all that separated two very even teams. Portugal’s play was much improved over the last time the team met England, which was in a friendly match late last year. In that match, Portugal struggled to control the midfield. In this match, Portugal held their own. Continue reading →

MID-SEASON REPORT: 10 Portuguese Players Who Could Break Out This Season

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

Andre Gomes has been a revelation this season for Valencia. Photo: John Sibley / Reuters

Andre Gomes has been a revelation this season for Valencia. Photo: John Sibley / Reuters

There is no question that the Portuguese national team is in a transitional phase. The Selecção’s group stage exit in Brazil just reinforced the claim that the squad will look very different in the next few years. There has perhaps never been a time in recent memory when the country has had so many promising young players.

In the summer, we chose ten that we thought would be able to make a positive impact at club level this season. Since then, four of these players have made their debuts for the senior Selecção, to go along with André Gomes and Bruma who had been selected before. This article will look at the progress of each player and will assign them a grade based on their development so far. Continue reading →

Can Sporting win the Europa League?

/ Chip

Rui Patricio

Sporting will need their best from Patricio if they have any hope of advancing.

Much was said about Sporting’s Champions League campaign and how well they played against the 3 other sides in their group. Home and away against Maribor, Chelsea and Schalke they performed very well and gave a fantastic account of themselves in each game. Their games were very entertaining, too, as you weren’t far away from a bundle of goals and even some controversy. They really were a breath of fresh air in the group stages of the Champions League and they showed that they can perform on the big stage. Continue reading →

Mario Rui Thriving in Italy

/ Sam Biggers / 1 Comment

Mario Rui in action for Empoli. Photo: Getty Images

Mario Rui in action for Empoli. Photo: Getty Images

Few of the players in Portugal’s squad which finished as runners-up at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup have experienced success. Out of the squad of 21, only two have earned caps with the senior national team, and only Cedric Soares has really shown the promise of a bright future. One player, however, is beginning to show his true colors, despite not being one of the more talked about players in the 2011 team. Mario Rui has enjoyed a successful start to the season at Empoli in Italy’s Serie A, winning a starting spot at left-back. His performances have established himself as one of the most important members of the squad. Continue reading →

Aladje: Portugal’s Discovered Gem Lost Again

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

Aladje (center) in action against Cuba at the 2013 U-20 World Cup.

Aladje (center) in action against Cuba at the 2013 U-20 World Cup.

Everybody remembers Portugal’s run in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Laden with precocious talent in the form of Bruma, Joao Mario, and Andre Gomes, Portugal’s attack was flashy and effective. Almost all the players on the team played their club football in Portugal, with the exception of two Barcelona B players, Edgar Ie and Agostinho Ca, and Aladje. At the time of the tournament, Aladje was a virtual unknown in the team. Having just finished a season in the Italian fourth division, Aladje’s performances in pre-tournament friendlies and the Toulon Tournament were enough to cement a place in the team, and ultimately the starting lineup for Portugal. His performances at the tournament continued to impress, and during the tournament, he was purchased by Serie A side Sassuolo. Since that time, Aladje has fallen by the wayside. One of Portugal’s most surprising and exciting talents has just disappeared once again. Continue reading →