Portugal national football team
Although the Portuguese national football team has never won any major competition at senior level, nor had they reached a final before Euro 2004, they usually play very attractive football and can produce some great performances, playing head-to-head with the world's best national sides.
Portugal's best performance yet was in the 1966 World Cup, in their very first World Cup appearance, when they reached the semifinals and lost only to eventual world champions England. Led by their legendary player Eusébio, they put up amazing performances, knocking out previous World Cup champions Brazil and fighting back from a 3-0 result in the quarterfinals against North Korea, winning by 5-3. Portugal eventually finished in third place and Eusébio was considered the best player of the tournament.
Few national teams have had to live up to greater expectations than the Portugal team from roughly 1994 to 2004. The Portugal under-20 national team won two successive FIFA World Youth Cups in 1989 and 1991 with a virtual galaxy of stars, the greatest of whom were midfielders Luís Figo and Rui Costa; these stars were dubbed the golden generation. However, they were never able to transfer their success at youth level to ultimate victory at senior level. The remaining members of the "golden generation", along with younger talent such as Cristiano Ronaldo, finally led Portugal to its first-ever senior-level final at Euro 2004. Portugal lost 1-0 to Greece in the final.
World Cup record
- 1930 - Did not enter
- 1934 - Did not qualify
- 1938 - Did not qualify
- 1950 - Did not qualify
- 1954 - Did not qualify
- 1958 - Did not qualify
- 1962 - Did not qualify
- 1966 - Third place
- 1970 - Did not qualify
- 1974 - Did not qualify
- 1978 - Did not qualify
- 1982 - Did not qualify
- 1986 - Round 1
- 1990 - Did not qualify
- 1994 - Did not qualify
- 1998 - Did not qualify
- 2002 - Round 1
European Championship record
- 1960 - Did not qualify
- 1964 - Did not qualify
- 1968 - Did not qualify
- 1972 - Did not qualify
- 1976 - Did not qualify
- 1980 - Did not qualify
- 1984 - Third place
- 1988 - Did not qualify
- 1992 - Did not qualify
- 1996 - Quarterfinals
- 2000 - Third place
- 2004 - Runners-up
Famous players
