Portugal veterans Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Quaresma and Pepe were included by coach Fernando Santos in their quest for glory.

Portugal enters this tournament led by none other than the current Ballon D'Or holder. Cristiano Ronaldo will try to lead the Portuguese side to their best performance in a World Cup, in order to erase their poor form from 2014 and to cement their legacy as the best generation of players in that country.

The stakes will be higher than ever for Portugal, since they get to this tournament as the reigning UEFA Euro champions, and this summer's test will be a good way to find out if their victory in the European competition was only a matter of luck.

Coach's objective

Fernando Santos will try to replicate what Spain did in 2008 and 2010, where La Roja won the UEFA Euro and the FIFA World Cup respectively. A Seleçao Das Quinas has never finished above third place. Will they make it happen this time around?

New faces

Coach Santos added new blood to a veteran team with the addition of rising talents in Portugal's Primeira Liga. Benfica's Ruben Dias and Porto's Sergio Oliveira were included in the preliminary list, and both have a good chance of making the 23-man list.

Veterans

Most of Portugal's players are over 30 years, and needless to say, Cristiano Ronaldo is the team's reference, leader, and captain. Curiously enough, the oldest players in this team are a couple of center backs: Bruno Alves (36) and Pepe (35).

Major absences

Fábio Coentrão asked not to be called up for the 2018 World Cup, but the major absence in this team is that of Renato Sanches. The 2016 UEFA Euro Young Player of the Tournament failed to impress after that competition, failing to impress at Bayern Munich and Swansea. In addition, both Barcelona players André Gomes and Nelson Semedo were also excluded from Portugal's World Cup team.

Full squad list

Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Olympique Lyonnais/France), Beto (Goztepe SK/Turkey), Rui Patricio (Sporting CP)

Defenders: Bruno Alves (Rangers/Scotland), Cedric (Southampton/England), Jose Fonte (Dalian Aerbin/China PR), Mario Rui (Napoli/Italy), Pepe (Besiktas/Turkey), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund/Germany), Ricardo (Porto), Ruben Dias (Benfica)

Midfielders: Adrien Silva (Leicester City/England), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting CP), Joao Mario (West Ham United/England), Joao Moutinho (Monaco/France), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv Moscow/Russia), William (Sporting CP) 

Strikers: Andre Silva (AC Milan/Italy), Bernardo Silva, (Manchester City/England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Spain), Gelson Martins (Sporting CP), Goncalo Guedes (Valencia/Spain), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas/Turkey)

Portugal's World Cup Schedule