Face the promotion to the main team of five very influential players during the qualification for the final phase of the European Championship – Mateus Fernandes, Rodrigo Mora, Geovany Quenda, Carlos Forbs and Gustavo Varela -, Luís Freire included three newcomers and five returnees, in a press conference at Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras.
“It’s a source of pride and we are genuinely happy. We know the dreams they have and the motivation to play for Portugal at the highest level. Everyone has the dream of being able to help the AA team. They are the present and the future of Portuguese football. We hope they can help the AA team and they will certainly enjoy this moment in their career. ‘Mister’ Jorge Jesus is looking at the work we are doing. They have done a job worthy of this call”, said the coach.
Despite the objective of helping young players reach the highest level and contribute to the main team, Luís Freire considered that “it is always easier to fight for titles” by having the best players available for the competition.
“We have the objective and the desire to try to go to the European Championship and compete to win. There are always two main objectives, besides winning: training and helping the AA team. The priority will always be for the AA team to be successful. Our European Championship will only be in June and, with the best players available, it will always be easier to fight for titles. Even if they are called up for the AA team, they will want to help Portugal in the European Championship, as they have shown commitment to the under-21 team”, he stressed.
In this way, Luís Freire found space to “reward” players that the technical team has been following, but who have not had that opportunity, also addressing the great evolution that striker Gustavo Varela has had at Monza.
“Gustavo Varela, with the numbers he has, is at a high level, allowing ‘mister’ Jorge Jesus to call him. Consistency is what makes players prove all the time that they deserve to be at a higher level. This year, he has already scored nine goals in Serie A. He is our best scorer and we hope that he continues to prove that he will continue on this path”, expressed the coach, who also took the opportunity to thank and wish Cristiano Ronaldo happiness, after saying goodbye to the team.
The ‘quinas’ under-21 team will be concentrated in Almancil from Monday onwards, where they will prepare for private duels with England and Norway, teams that also secured qualification for the final phase of the European Championship.
Portugal faces the English on November 13th, at 7:30 pm, in Bristol, while the home game against the Norwegians takes place on November 17th, at 5:30 pm, at the Algarve Stadium, in Loulé.
List of 24 players called up:
– Goalkeepers: Diogo Ferreira (Benfica), João Carvalho (Sporting de Braga) and João Afonso (FC Porto).
– Defenders: Afonso Silva (Wisla Plock, Pol), Daniel Banjaqui (Benfica), Diogo Travassos (Sporting de Braga), Gabriel Brás (NEC Nijmegen, Hol), Gonçalo Oliveira (Rennes, Fra), Martim Fernandes (FC Porto), Rodrigo Rêgo (UD Castellón, Esp) and Tiago Gabriel (Lecce, Ita).
– Midfielders: Dário Essugo (Strasbourg, Fra), Diogo Prioste (Gil Vicente), Eduardo Felicíssimo (Sporting), Gustavo Sá (Olympiacos, Gre), João Simões (Sporting) and Mathias de Amorim (Famalicão).
– Forwards: Afonso Moreira (Bayer Leverkusen, Ale), João Rego (Casa Pia), Mauro Couto (Sporting), Mezian Soares (Lens, Fra), Noah Saviolo (Trabzonspor, Tur), Rafael Nel (Sporting) and Rodrigo Ribeiro (Augsburgo, Ale).
