Portugal squad announced: Two new faces included with Farense represented
Roberto Martinez has announced his latest Portugal squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, with usual suspects Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes all included alongside some potential debutants.
A welcome but perhaps surprise inclusion in the latest squad is none other than Farense shot-stopper Ricardo Velho, who was voted the Primeira Liga Goalkeeper of the Season last campaign, ahead of his renowned compatriot Diogo Costa and Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin.
Velho, 26, has long been seen as one of the stand-out stars in the Portuguese league outside of the traditional Big Three in the country of Benfica, Porto and Sporting, and some would argue his call-up to the senior national team should have come sooner.
While he was clearly a star for Farense and almost single-handedly kept his team in the top flight last season, this campaign has not been quite as impressive for him and his side, who currently sit bottom of the Primeira Liga table with just 1 point from their opening seven games. Nevertheless, it is clear Velho, who has never even represented Portugal at youth level, has done enough to catch Martinez’s attention.
Another interesting call-up is Mallorca’s Samu Costa, who is also in contention to make his senior debut for the national team. Samu has started in the centre of midfield for the Spanish outfit in all eight of their La Liga fixtures so far this season, and they currently sit 6th in the top flight at this early stage.
Aged 23, the former Braga man has spent the last four years playing in Spain, having also been on the books of Almeria, and earned 7 caps at U21 level for Portugal.
The remainder of the squad is largely made up of familiar names, though Renato Veiga - who was included in Portugal’s previous squad but failed to make an appearance - is also in line to make his senior international debut.
FULL PORTUGAL SQUAD:
Diogo Costa, Rui Silva, Ricardo Velho.
Ruben Dias, Antonio Silva, Goncalo Inacio, Renato Veiga, Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Nelson Semedo.
Joao Palhinha, Ruben Neves, Joao Neves, Samu Costa, Vitinha, Otavio, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva.
Joao Felix, Francisco Conceicao, Pedro Neto, Diogo Jota, Trincao, Rafael Leao, Cristiano Ronaldo
