The Weekly Take, Issue 365: A Statement Performance - But Not the One Most Were Expecting

Regardless of the result of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League final, one thing would be certain: whichever team would come out on top would become the first-ever team to win multiple editions of the tournament. The final was an Iberian derby pitting 2019 champions Portugal against reigning European champions Spain who were also targeting back-to-back Nations League titles.

Right from the start, Spain had the majority of the possession and thus goalscoring chances—and they took advantage of this by scoring first. Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi opened the scoring for La Furia Roja in the 21st minute. However, this lead didn’t last long as just five minutes later, Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes scored Portugal’s equalizer after having been set up by Pedro Neto. Spain continued to push and regained the lead shortly before half-time with Mikel Oyarzabal getting on the scoresheet.

Then, in the 61st minute, in what almost felt like a scripted moment, Cristiano Ronaldo turned back the clock to score his record-extending 138th career international goal. Neither side could find the net after that; as such, the match went to extra time which also failed to yield a winner.

Thus, for the second Nations League final in a row, the title would be decided via penalty shootout. After Portugal’s first four and Spain’s first three penalty takers connected with their attempts, Spain’s veteran striker Álvaro Morata stepped forward for his team’s fourth penalty. However, Morata would be denied by Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, giving Rúben Neves the chance to clinch the title for Portugal. Neves converted his penalty to clinch Portugal’s second Nations League championship.

This match marked the last chance for certain players to make a final push for Ballon d’Or votes for this season - in particular Lamine Yamal. Having already put together an outstanding individual season with just the Champions League title eluding him, the Barcelona winger had a second chance to impress voters with another dominant showing in the final.

Instead, Yamal was outplayed by a player who put in a statement performance of his own. Mendes did so much more than just score Portugal’s first goal - he kept Yamal quiet throughout the vast majority of the match and thus neutralized Spain’s primary attacking threat and clear best player. Mendes wasn’t done at the end of extra time, either; he went on to net a penalty for Portugal during the shootout.

Even Mendes’ yellow card can be regarded as a point in his favor because he got it after a scuffle with Spain’s Álex Baena. This is because through the incident, Mendes showed his teammates that he would not be intimidated by the opposition - and that likely gave them a morale boost.

Before the final, Mendes was already regarded as the world’s best left-back at just 22. However, after having dominated the match in the way he did - most notably, the way he outplayed Yamal - Mendes surely has to be considered at least a fringe Ballon d’Or candidate.

Against Spain, Mendes showed off the whole package - not just defensively but offensively as well. There’s a case to be made that no other full-back today blends athleticism and skill in quite the way Mendes does. This combination was on full display in the Nations League final as he took Spain apart on both ends of the field.

Like many elite defenders, Mendes’ contributions have been somewhat underrated throughout this season. However, it must be remembered that he was the one who put the clamps on players like Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka on PSG’s path to their first-ever Champions League title. Couple that elite defensive ability with top-tier link-up play, off-ball runs, and playmaking and it should be obvious that Mendes deserves to be at least considered for world football’s highest individual honour.

Of course, this will be a tall order; in addition to the fact that Mendes is a defender, he will have to contend with his own PSG teammates to even get a vote. Additionally, Mendes did miss a decent chunk of the season via injury - a factor which could scupper any chance he might have had to receive any votes at all. This is truly unfortunate because, as has just been proven, Nuno Mendes is a bona fide superstar who deserves to be regarded on a level at least close to the current Ballon d’Or favourites.

The Weekly Take, Issue 132: Who Will Pick Up the Torch?

The latest round of UEFA Nations League fixtures saw Portugal take on France in a match which would see its winner qualify for the Nations League Finals. France emerged with a 1-0 victory and thus became a part of the tournament's final four. N'Golo Kanté scored the only goal of the match to give the reigning world champions an opportunity to add a Nations League title to their world title from 2018. They also denied Portugal the opportunity to claim back-to-back Nations League titles.

As for Portugal, the match revealed a harsh truth which they will soon have to confront. Cristiano Ronaldo was not quite at his usual excellent standard against Les Bleus. Thus, the task fell to Portugal's supporting cast to step up and chip in when it counted most, but none of them managed to do so.

This fact becomes particularly worrying when one realized that Ronaldo is now 35. He does not have much longer at this level. With this in mind, the big problem facing Portugal right now which was also made evident against France was this: who is going to become the leader and driving force of this team after Ronaldo's looming decline and retirement?

One name which might come to mind for some is Bruno Fernandes. The Manchester United midfielder has been extremely impressive for his club ever since signing for the Red Devils in January. He has already established himself as the club's best player and has also shown considerable leadership qualities, leading many United fans to tout him as a future United captain.

However, his performances for his club have thus far not translated on the international front. This was once again evident against France; apart from a few moments when he set up teammates for goalscoring chances, he largely looked lost on the field as he was completely outplayed by his United teammate Paul Pogba. The evidence to date seems to paint Fernandes as the type of player who thrives for his club but struggles for his country.

Some might claim that João Félix could become Portugal's next ace. At just 21 years old, the Atlético Madrid winger has begun to live up to his lofty price tag after having endured a slow start to life in the Spanish capital. He already looks as though he is the future for Atlético; what's more, at his young age, he is likely years away from his peak.

Unfortunately, that may also be the problem for Félix: just how high is his peak? Does he truly have the potential to become, if not a Ballon d'Or contender, at least one of the five best players in the world at some point? As great as he has been thus far, the signs currently do not point to Félix having that kind of sky-high ceiling.

Looking at the rest of this Portugal team, there are a lot of very solid, above-average players who will be key contributors both now and in the future. Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota, Francisco Trincão, and Rúben Neves come to mind. Unfortunately, it is even more unlikely that any of these players will ever be good enough to be the centrepiece of a team contending for international silverware.

Portugal clearly have a collection of formidable young players who will form an impressive core for the next four to six years. The problem, however, is that any team intending to truly contend for a World Cup title or even a European Championship requires, at the very least, that one guy who can say "give me the ball and get out of my way" and take over a match all on his own. After Ronaldo leaves, who do Portugal have who can even come close to filling the void? At the moment, their best player is Fernandes, but as I mentioned earlier, he hasn't quite figured it out for Portugal the way he has for United.

It is somewhat ironic that Portugal won Euro 2016 with a far inferior squad to the one that they will be taking to Euro 2020 (yes, it's retaining its name despite the postponement) or the 2022 World Cup, yet they have almost no chance of winning either of the two upcoming tournaments.

The Ronaldo years have been truly incredible for Portugal, but now the future looks murkier than it has in a long time.

The Weekly Take, Issue 66: The Golden Generation Reborn

One of the most memorable (but underachieving) international football teams of all time was Portugal’s so-called “Golden Generation”.

A spectacularly talented team whose prime years spanned from the mid-1990s to early 2000s, this iteration of A Seleção that contained legends such as Fernando Couto, Rui Costa, Pauleta, Nuno Gomes, and of course, former Ballon d’Or winner Luís Figo, could never quite put it together in tournament play.

They were knocked out in the semifinals of Euro 2000 and were runners-up in the 2004 edition. These two deep runs, however, came among some shocking failures. Portugal were knocked out in the quarterfinals of Euro 1996 and the group stage of the 2002 World Cup and, most shockingly of all, failed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup.

The post-Golden Generation years proved to be lean for Portugal. Despite being led by Cristiano Ronaldo, they only made a tournament semifinal once between 2008 and 2014, and later made an early exit from the 2018 World Cup. Although Portugal did win Euro 2016, this victory was largely seen as an outlier and a one-off.

This is not the case anymore, though.

Portugal’s 1-0 victory over the Netherlands saw them add the UEFA Nations League title to their European Championship title. Gonçalo Guedes’ goal proved to be the difference-maker against the Oranje.

This current Portugal team has proven that life in the post-Ronaldo era will not be difficult. They have also made something else evident: this is the best Portugal team since the Golden Generation. In fact, it might arguably be even better.

Obviously, this team is currently built around Ronaldo. However, the Juventus striker is now 34 and on the decline. For this reason, the abundance of young talent representing Portugal is an extremely positive sign. Players such as Raphaël Guerreiro, Guedes, Rúben Neves, João Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, and Nélson Semedo, who are all aged 25 or younger, have all shown tremendous potential and appear to have very bright futures. Silva in particular has stood out. Having deservedly been selected as the Nations League’s MVP, the Manchester City winger has proven that after Ronaldo, he might be the next superstar around whom Portugal can build their team.

The Lisbon-born player has arguably already supplanted Kevin De Bruyne as the best player at City. His greatest attributes - his decision-making, versatility, and intensity – were on full display throughout the campaign. Although the Belgian star missed most of the season through injury, Silva’s outstanding play ensured that the Citizens did not miss a beat during De Bruyne’s absence. The Nations League victory capped off what has been easily the best season of Silva’s promising career.

Head coach Fernando Santos also deserves much credit for the success of this new generation.

When Santos succeeded Paulo Bento in 2014, he inherited a team seemingly devoid of any verve, spirit, freshness, or even any semblance of a plan other than “get the ball to Ronaldo and have him do all the work”. It wasn’t long before the former Porto and Greece coach revamped the team by placing a new emphasis on young talent, and thereby changed Portugal’s fortunes for the better.

The changes made by Santos culminated in a victory at Euro 2016. At the time, this was seen by most as a victory that came out of nowhere. This belief was only strengthened when Portugal were knocked out by Uruguay in the 2018 World Cup’s round of 16. However, this recent Nations League victory has proven that Portugal’s World Cup failure was merely a blip and that this team is a bona fide powerhouse and will remain one for the foreseeable future. This represents a turn of events that few could have predicted after Bento’s dismissal following an upset loss to Albania.

The shadow of the Golden Generation has hung over every Portugal team since. This is not surprising, because it had been the greatest collection of talent to ever wear the famous red jersey – until, perhaps, now.

Considering the relative youth of many of the core pieces of Portugal’s current team and what they have already accomplished, they will definitely be among the favourites to win the 2022 World Cup.

We might very well be witnessing the “Platinum Generation” in action.