Portugal has won the inaugural UEFA Nations League tournament, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final for its second title in three years.
Gonçalo Guedes scored the winner early in the second half to give Portugal its first trophy since the 2016 European Championship.
Portugal’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo is considered the best player in the world, but will his FIFA 20 card reflect this?
RealSport takes a look at the Portugal team and predicts what their ratings could be for the upcoming game.
Rui Patricio (OVR 83 – 84)
Position: GK
Age: 31
Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
As Portugal defeated the Netherlands in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Final on home soil at the Estádio do Dragão, Patrício earned his 81st cap, thereby surpassing Vítor Baía as the nation’s most capped goalkeeper.
Patrício is a solid all-round keeper, that has the ability to stop shots coming at all angles. His most recent save against Pogba’s penalty highlights how he can handle pressure.
Joao Cancelo (OVR 83 – 83)
Position: RB
Age: 25
Club: Juventus
On 27 June 2018, Cancelo was signed by Juventus on a five-year contract for €40.4 million, making his domestic league debut on 18 August in a 3–2 away win against Chievo.
He won his first trophy with the club in January 2019. Cancelo is only 25 and has time to grow as a player.
Cancelo will remain the same in FIFA 20 due to having a solid season but not good enough to improve or low enough to decrease.
Jose Fonte (OVR 78 – 80)
Position: CB
Age: 35
Club: Lille OSC
At the age of 31, Fonte received his first call-up to the full side, for a friendly with France and a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Denmark.
He made his debut in another exhibition game, playing the second half of a 1–0 win over Argentina at Old Trafford on 18 November. Since then, Fonte made the 35 man Portuguese World Cup squad, who in their group won one, drew two and lost one. Jose was a crucial part of the team’s defence.
Pepe (OVR 85 – 84)
Position: CB
Age: 36
Club: Besiktas JK
In Portugal’s opening match against Spain, Pepe went down after a collision with Spain forward Diego Costa, who then took the ball into the penalty area before scoring. The goal was checked by the video assistant referee (VAR), and the goal was kept.
However, Pepe’s diving habits have been called embarrassing by Rio Ferdinand. Though solid in defence we feel his age could affect his ability to keep up with the youngsters coming through.
Raphael Guerreiro (OVR 78 – 82)
Position: LB, LM
Age: 25
Club: Borussia Dortmund
On 16 June 2016, Borussia Dortmund signed Guerreiro on a four-year contract for a reported fee of €12 million (£9.5 million). Under coach Thomas Tuchel, he was primarily deployed as a left midfielder, however this soon changed and Guerriero is now a left back.
In his 2018/19 season for Dortmund, Guerreiro had 32 appearances and six goals across all competitions. The Portuguese was picked for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, despite having an injury in the season; he was strong in both defence and attack.
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William Carvalho (OVR 84 – 82)
Position: CDM
Age: 27
Club: Real Betis
Carvalho plays primarily as a defensive midfielder, although he can also be deployed as a central midfielder or a central defender. Known for his passing range and accuracy, ability to control a game and composure on the pitch, he earned praise for his imposing physicality.
Despite lacking pace, Carvalho can act fast when it comes to decision making. Being a CDM requires both attacking and defensive abilities, however Carvalho has been struggling with pushing up front.
Joao Moutinho (OVR 81 – 83)
Position: CM
Age: 32
Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Moutinho joined newly promoted English club Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2018, on a two-year-deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £5 million.
On 14 May 2019, it was announced that Wolverhampton Wanderers’ fans had voted Moutinho Wolves’s Player of the Season 2018–19 in his first season with the club, with him having played in all thirty-eight of the club’s league fixtures and all six of their FA Cup fixtures.
Goncalo Guedes (OVR 82 – 86)
Position: CF, LW
Age: 22
Club: Valencia CF
Guedes at the young age of 22 has turned down many offers this year to join Premier League clubs. However on 27 August 2018, Valencia and Paris Saint-Germain reached an agreement for the former to sign Guedes for 40 million euros.
In the 2018/19 season Guedes scored 8 in 38 games and assisted his team mates to many more. We feel he’ll just keep getting better with age.
Bernardo Silver (OVR 84 – 86)
Position: RW, CAM
Age: 25
Club: Manchester City
Silva was selected for three matches in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League group stage, scoring a goal in a 3–2 victory over Poland.
In the UEFA Nations League Finals, Silva played both matches and registered an assist in each as Portugal won the trophy, and was named the tournament’s best player. Silva also managed to score 13 goals in 46 appearances for Man City. A class act.
Bruno Fernandes (OVR 84 – 85)
Position: LW, CAM
Age: 24
Club: Sporting CP
Fernandes scored his 23rd competitive goal of the 2018–19 season during a 3–1 home win against Portimonense S.C. on 3 March 2019, through a late penalty.
On May 5th, he scored a hat-trick in an 8–1 away routing of C.F. Os Belenenses, in the process he became the highest-scoring Portuguese midfielder in a single season of all time, with 31 goals to his name.
The CAM/LW had an incredible season and his rating will definitely increase on FIFA 20.
Cristiano Ronaldo (OVR 94 – 94)
Position: ST
Age: 34
Club: Juventus
The Portuguese has evolved his game from an explosive dribbler, capable of running rings around any defender, to a cunning poacher – using his speed and guile to get into the right positions when it matters most.
The 34-year-old netted 21 goals in 31 games this season. As mentioned earlier, he is still arguably the best player in the world but cannot be increased nor decreased in ratings.
Portugal’s predicted line up
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