Portugal eyes first World Cup victory with strong squad led by Ronaldo

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Portugal have never reached the final and their best performance was in 1966 but this squad can go all the way By Opta Analyst When it comes to Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo dominates the conversation. There is so much focus on the 41-year-old, who is appearing at his sixth World Cup, that you would be forgiven for not appreciating the talents of his teammates. But they are serious contenders to win their first World Cup. The Opta supercomputer gives only Spain (16.0%), France (12.9%), England (10.8%) and Argentina (10.0%) a greater chance of winning the tournament than Portugal (7.1%). This will be their ninth World Cup and seventh in a row, dating back to the 2002 tournament, which was their first appearance since 1986. You have to go back to 1966 for their best finish. Led by Eusébio they went all the way to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners England, before securing a third-place finish by beating the Soviet Union. Continue reading...