Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Portugal’s maiden voyage into the World Cup in 1966 ended with a third-place finish based largely on the scoring exploits of Eusebio, and to date, it remains the country’s best performance. World Cup 2010 Preview: Can Ronaldo regain form for Portugal? Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Portugal’s maiden voyage into the World Cup in 1966 ended with a third-place finish based largely on the scoring exploits of Eusebio, and to date, it remains the country’s [...]

Portuguese national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday acknowledged Portugal did not play well in its scoreless first preparatory match against Cape Verde on Monday evening, but guaranteed the Portuguese will be “200 percent” ready for next month’s football World Cup. “We’re conscious that we didn’t play well today, but it’s better to play poorly today and be good in the World Cup”, Ronaldo said after the goalless draw with the African islanders Monday. “I’m not worried about today’s game” [...]

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz included Pepe in his 24-man preliminary World Cup squad Monday even though the Real Madrid defender hasn’t played since an injury in December. Pepe was a standout during Portugal’s lackluster qualifying campaign before he underwent surgery on his right knee. He recently returned to training. Queiroz also selected Zenit St. Petersburg striker Danny, who didn’t play for almost a year after a serious ligament injury in May 2009. Queiroz initially said he [...]

CR9′s form for Madrid is phenomenal… By Paul Madden 07-May-2010 6:54:00 AM Portugal winger Simao has declared that team captain Cristiano Ronaldo is in the best possible form going into next month’s World Cup finals and added that the Real Madrid star will get even better at the tournament in South Africa. Ronaldo has scored five times in his last two appearances for los Merengues to keep their Primera liga hopes alive and Simao has stated that the “phenomenal” 25-year-old [...]

Deco has claimed that Portugal’s inexperience at the highest level means that they cannot be considered favourites for the World Cup in South Africa. Deco was a part of the squad that struggled through the qualifiers and were forced to battle through a two-legged play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina to book their ticket for the tournament but, despite their poor record under coach Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese are still considered to be in with a good chance of reaching the latter stages. [...]

Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo has named Diego Maradona and Luis Figo as his sporting idols, claiming it was a huge honour to play with the latter for Portugal. The Real Madrid star, who left Manchester United in the summer after Sir Alex Ferguson accepted an £80 million world record bid, suggests being labelled ‘the next Figo’ was something beyond his wildest dreams. The former world and European player of the year, who spent six successful years at Old Trafford [...]

What makes the World Cup so interesting – besides the nationalistic pride, grand ceremonies and thrilling soccer – is the dichotomy between teams. On one hand, you can have countries like Brazil, participants in every World Cup since the tournament’s origin. On the other, there are countries like North Korea, making their first appearance in four decades. These two combine with Portugal and Côte d’Ivoire, relative newcomers to the top tier of international football, to form Group G. Brazil, Portugal [...]

By Barry Hatton, Associated Press Writer LISBON, Portugal — Portugal needs Cristiano Ronaldo to start reproducing his club form for the national team at the World Cup in South Africa. The world’s most expensive player failed to shine during qualifying and Portugal struggled, finishing second in its group and reaching the final tournament only by edging Bosnia-Herzegovina in the playoffs. Crucially, Ronaldo didn’t score a single goal for his country in the campaign, which featured a run of three 0-0 [...]

He says Kaka is vital to Brazil’s hopes. By Paul Madden Mar 25, 2010 12:43:00 AM Brazilian legend Pele has declared that he expects Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil forward Robinho to outshine Argentina‘s Lionel Messi at the World Cup in South Africa. The three time World Cup winner noted that Messi is in terrific form for Barcelona at present but added that the 22-year-old doesn’t replicate that level of performance for the Albiceleste. “We cannot say that Messi, [...]

Cristiano has been named Best Portuguese Player Outside Portugal Realmadrid.com / Translation by Michael J. O’Donnell Cristinao Ronaldo’s unquestionable talent supplies countless honours for the player, and none are as special as those bestowed upon him by his home country. The Portuguese sports press has named him the best Portuguese Player Outside Portugal. “Cristiano Ronaldo is part of  Portugal,” says Antonio Florencio, President of the Portuguese Sports Journalists Association, “It is impossible to understand this country without him. Along with [...]

Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Portuguese national team on Sunday. He missed the clash against Sevilla because of an injury on his right ankle, but the player believes he will be ready to perform on Saturday. “I’ve recovered well. It’s all been normal. We’ll see what progress I make, but I think I will be able to play on Saturday.” “These are decisive games we must win. Spirits are always high on the national team because this is an excellent squad. [...]

I’ve added photos from the game Albania vs. Portugal yesterday. Portugal won this game which was very important to qualify to WM 2010 in South Africa.     Edit: I’ve added 3 more photos from the game. Big thanks goes to Gemma. (www.allriseforlee.com) Gallery links: Albania vs. Portugal 06/06/2009 [HQ]