Returning Ronaldo has help as Portugal eye UEFA Nations League success

Cristiano Ronaldo returns to the Portugal squad ahead of their UEFA Nations League semi-final clash with Switzerland but the Euro 2016 winners are not completely dependent on the Juventus striker anymore.

The 34-year-old is coming towards the end of his career and on Wednesday he could partner up front with the future of the Portuguese national team. For once, Ronaldo’s name is not dominating Portugal’s preparations.

Joao Felix is being heavily linked with a £105m move to Manchester City and Manchester United after emerging as one of the most sought after talents in Europe this season and all eyes will be on the 19-year-old this week.

Felix’s impact for Benfica last season was so significant that he has been picked to help the seniors rather than go to the U21 European Championships this summer.  

The Benfica teen will almost certainly make his senior debut for Portugal in midweek and it would be a shame if Felix was not unleashed from the start. He scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in 26 league appearances for Benfica in his breakout campaign and looks set to make a world record move this summer.

Felix is not the only in-form player at Portugal’s disposal heading into Wednesday’s game in Porto. As far as Pep Guardiola is concerned, Bernardo Silva has already surpassed Ronaldo as Portugal’s biggest star. The City midfielder was immense last season and played an integral part in the club’s unprecedented domestic treble.

Silva and Felix may not be the only players Guardiola will be monitoring on Wednesday, with the Premier League champions said to be interested in Sporting midfielder Bruno Fernandes. The 24-year-old finished the 2018/19 campaign as the WhoScored Player of the Season in Liga NOS (7.83) after impressively scoring 20 goals and providing 13 assists from central midfield.

Despite remarkable statistics, Fernandes may have to settle for a place on the bench against Switzerland, with the likes of William Carvalho, Ruben Neves and Pizzi also in the frame for a place in central midfield. It presents Portugal manager Fernando Santos with a selection dilemma, albeit a welcome one.

Even with stacked offensive options, do not be surprised if Ronaldo has the last say, as he so often does. The 34-year-old finished the campaign as the highest WhoScored rated player in Serie A (7.68) but Juventus endured an underwhelming campaign.

Ronaldo scored 21 goals and provided eight assists in the league and will hope to finish the campaign on a high with more silverware with Portugal. The good news for Portugal is, however, that if Ronaldo cannot produce the goods, they now have plenty of others who can.