Every national team has players to be proud of and ranks them according to certain criteria.
In today’s article, we have collected the players who have played the most matches for the Portuguese national team.
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10. Ricardo Carvalho – 89 matches
The tenth position is occupied by Ricardo Carvalho, who was considered one of the best defenders at the dawn of his career in Portuguese Porto.
Along with his club and national team-mate in the person of Paulo Ferreira, they inseparably moved with José Mourinho from Portugal to England, where they helped local side Chelsea achieve exceptional club status.
He also had a more than remarkable career in the national team, but it ended in a blur. Carvalho helped his national team for 13 years (from 2003 to 2016), but after the victorious European Championship Ricardo had a conflict with Santos and the Portuguese defender had to forget about a place in the national team.
As a result, he stopped at the mark of 89 matches played.
9. Rui Costa – 94 matches
An iconic midfielder for Portuguese football who, along with Figo, epitomised Portuguese football at the turn of the century. He is unashamedly labelled by many as the best Portuguese midfielder of all time and it is extremely difficult to dispute this claim. Costa has done his best to be as recognisable as possible in his homeland and Europe. He was a pupil of Benfica but started his professional career in a team like Fafi. There he gained experience and gradually became what he was supposed to be.
His excellent technique and vision of the pitch allowed him to move from Fafi to Benfica, but it was not for long, as the potential of this player was visible to the naked eye. Costa eventually moved to Italy, where he adapted perfectly to the harsh Apennine catenaccio. He spent seven years at Fiorentina before receiving an invitation from AC Milan themselves. As a result, Rui’s career can only be envied, as in his national team he was almost an alternative base player in his position. That is why Kosta has played 94 matches for the national team.
8. Bruno Alves – 96 matches
A good player, who not so long ago finished his career For 11 years from 1999 to 2010 he was an iron player on the basis of “Porto” and the national team of Portugal But in the second half of his football age Bruno went travelling around the world. And it all started with Zenit St. Petersburg, in which Alves came to play for three years.
In his national team, Alves has always been a desirable player, who could be relied on. He had stretches in his career when nothing worked out, but their duration was extremely short. 96 matches in the national team shirt is more than a worthy result.
7. Rui Patriciu – 105 matches
The only goalkeeper who got into our rating is Rui Patriciu. He has been the number one of his national team for many years, and he took this position largely by accident. The Portuguese suddenly ran out of quality goalkeepers after the retirement of such a block like Vitor Baia. Plenty of people were trying out for the main goalkeeper role and it was Patricio who grabbed that lucky ticket. The Portuguese also has his lapses, but never in a way that you have to grab your head.
At the same time, he has excellent reactions and excellent time management, which allows him to read in advance the course of development of this or that attack. At first, it seemed that Patricio will spend his entire career in Portugal, but after a great game at one of the big tournaments he was invited to play abroad and went to Wolverhampton, where there was a large diaspora of Portuguese players, but from there Patricio moved to Roma, where he plays under Jose Mourinho. He is still good, but the place at the heart of the national team is taken by younger goalkeepers with a future.
6. Fernando Couto – 110 matches
This player was indispensable in the defence of the era in which Figo and Costa shone. He was one of the cornerstones of the Portuguese team’s defence and could always be relied on. Couto wasn’t shy to play hard and could even use illegal tackles that didn’t always result in free kicks for the Portuguese team, his defensive skills were incredible.
The experience of playing in Serie A has broadened Coutu’s horizons considerably and he has definitely grown in some components. Fernando’s health was ironclad, so he hardly missed any matches of his national team. With 110 matches to his credit, Coutu has rightfully taken a place in the middle of our ranking.
5. Nani – 112 matches
The Portuguese midfielder showed his best when he was a Manchester United player and his super link-up with young Cristiano Ronaldo. Nani fulfilled all of Sir Alex Ferguson’s requirements, which is why he was acquired from Sporting Lisbon in 2007. Nani progressed quickly and it looked like he would be able to stay in England for as long as possible, but in 2015 something went wrong and the winger’s career went downhill.
It’s still a mystery as to why the attacking midfielder lost so much of his game, but the rest of the time he spent at other clubs clearly didn’t go in his favour. Now Nani lives in Australia, but for his current club, which is Melbourne Victory, has not played a single match yet. In the national team he was always useful on the field and never served the number, so 112 matches played can definitely be put in his favour. It’s just a pity that this figure will not increase, as since 2017 he has not been called up under the banners of the Portuguese national team.
4. Luis Figo – 127 matches
One of Portugal’s most popular players at the turn of the century, but also its leader and ringleader, who is able to drag the team behind him to the last. Many people still remember that fateful move from Barcelona to Real Madrid and hate Luis for his swine act, but it is not as clear-cut as it seems to the ignorant fans of the player.
If he had to enter into any discussions with the referee, he could always find common ground with him. In his career, the midfielder succeeded in playing for three important clubs in his career, which were Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter. And in each of them, he demonstrated his exceptional skills. 127 games played for the national team seemed like a cosmic achievement at that moment in time.
3. Pepe – 133 matches
This Portuguese defender spent almost his entire career at the highest possible level. Sometimes he had uncontrollable bouts of violent behaviour, but he managed to overcome it. The career of this player began in “Maritimo”, which gave way to the Brazilian Portuguese in big football. He immediately moved to “Porto”, where he became a systemically important player in defence. Pepe worked hard every day and improved his skills tirelessly.
All these efforts made it possible to get an invitation to Real Madrid, where the Portuguese played hand in hand for 10 years with Sergio Ramos and maintained the highest possible level of his game. In the national team, he is still valued as the shadow leader of the national team. Despite the fact that Pepe is already 39 years old, he is not going to end his active career as a footballer and feels the strength to help the national team in the future. Therefore, 133 matches for Portugal is not the limit.
2. Joao Moutinho – 146 matches
The second place is occupied by midfielder Joao Moutinho, who has enviable health and almost never misses games for his clubs and the national team. Joao can do literally everything on the football field because he is Portuguese.
He spent five years of his life at French side Monaco, and for the last five years, he has been defending the colours of English side Wolverhampton. He copes with his tasks in the middle of the field, so no coaches have any serious claims to him. 146 matches for the national team is more than a serious figure. Moreover, Moutinho is in good health and is not going to leave the national team, and he still has a lot of energy to continue his career.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 196 matches
The undisputed leader in this category is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is approaching the mark of 200 (!) matches played for one national team. Amazing figures that cannot be put in the head, but such a footballer as Ronaldo exists to set new and new records. He made his debut for the national team 20 years ago and to this day the striker doesn’t do his number on the pitch when he takes to it. Speed and technique are no longer the same, but it does not diminish the significance of Cristiano’s achievements.
There is no need to talk about achievements, as Ronaldo has already written his name in golden letters in the history of the game. Let’s just wish him to play as long as possible, to raise the bar in terms of the number of matches played to an incredible height that no one else can reach.
