Renato Sanches has not been included in Portugal’s 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Sanches, 25, is the most notable omission from Fernando Santos’ squad, and it represents a noticeable dip in the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder’s career having been named the Young Player of the Tournament during Portugal’s triumphant Euro 2016 campaign.
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The midfielder was a member of Portugal’s side for the European Championship last summer, gaining plaudits for his performances in the tournament. He was also included in Santos’ 55-man preliminary squad for the World Cup in October.
Elsewhere, as expected, Cristiano Ronaldo has been selected and will captain the European nation in Qatar as he plays his fifth World Cup — an achievement only matches by four players previously.
The 37-year-old is the most capped (191) and highest-scoring (117) player in the history of the national side.
There is also plenty of Premier League presence in Portugal’s squad with Ronaldo’s Manchester United team-mates Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes also included, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jose Sa and Ruben Neves as well as Fulham’s Joao Palhinha. Manchester City trio Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva have also been named in the squad but Liverpool’s Diogo Jota has missed out due to injury.
Portugal will play a pre-tournament friendly against Nigeria on November 17 before opening their World Cup campaign against Ghana on November 24.
Santos’ side will also face Uruguay and South Korea in the group stage of the competition on November 28 and December 2 respectively.
Portugal World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Rui Patricio, Jose Sa;
Defenders: Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Danilo Pereira, Antonio Silva, Nuno Mendes, Raphael Guerreiro;
Midfielders: William Carvalho, Ruben Neves, Joao Palhinha, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Otavio, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Mario;
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Andre Silva, Goncalo Ramos.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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