Portugal prepped for the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship

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·10 de junho de 2025

Portugal prepped for the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship

Portugal are making their final preparations for the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship. Rui Jorge’s side arrived in Slovakia on Friday as they attempt to win the tournament for the first time.

The “Equipa das Quinas” have been drawn in Group C alongside France, Poland and Georgia. Their campaign begins against France with the match taking place in Trenčín on 11 June.

Vídeos OneFootball

There are sixteen nations competing in Slovakia where Portugal and France are joined by Spain, Italy, Germany, England and the Netherlands as the teams in contention to claim the title.

Portugal have reached two of the previous five finals, going down in a penalty shootout to Sweden in 2015 and losing 1-0 against Germany in 2021. Their only other appearance in the final came in 1994 when they lost 1-0 against Italy in extra time.

Road to Slovakia

Qualifiers

Portugal won nine of their ten matches in Group G alongside one defeat, qualifying with ease after finishing five points ahead of Croatia.

The campaign started in September 2023 with a 3-0 win against Andorra, the start of a four game winning streak that saw the side score 16 goals and concede once.

Rui Jorge’s side then suffered a 2-1 defeat in Greece despite Francisco Conceição scoring the opening goal. Comfortable home wins against Faroe Islands and Croatia were followed by three victories on the road, the campaign ending with a 2-1 win in Andorra.

Fábio Silva scored eight goals to earn the top scorer award, one ahead of Harvey Elliott, Otso Liimatta, Noah Ohio and Andreas Schjelderup.

Paulo Bernardo scored four goals with Rodrigo Gomes, Henrique Araújo, Pedro Santos and Francisco Conceição all netting three times.

Friendlies

Portugal played two friendlies in November, beginning in Alverca where they earned a 3-3 draw against Ukraine. Down 1-0 in the 4th minute, they took a 3-1 lead into half-time but failed to capitalise on their advantage.

The Equipa das Quinas beat Slovakia 3-1 at Štadión Sihot in Trenčín where they will play all three group games at the 2025 European Championship. Trailing 1-0 in the 67th minute, goals to Carlos Forbs, Henrique Araújo and Paulo Bernardo turned it around.

Two more friendlies were played in March, starting in Famalicão where they conceded in the 89th minute to go down 1-0 to Romania.

Portugal were last seen in West Bromwich where they lost 4-2 against England. Down 2-0 after 10 minutes, goals to Fábio Silva and Carlos Forbs twice got them back within a goal before conceding another late goal.

Manager

Rui Jorge was born in Vila Nova de Gaia in 1973. He came through the youth ranks at Porto before representing Sporting Clube de Portugal from 1998-2005, the left-back ending his career at Belenenses.

Jorge earned 45 caps for Portugal, starting all three matches at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea & Japan where António Oliveira’s side crashed out in the group stage.

The 52-year-old started his managerial career at Belenenses in 2006 and took over Portugal’s U21 side in November 2010 when he replaced Oceano.

Jorge led the team to European Championship finals in 2015 and 2021 and celebrated 100 games in charge in 2022.

Squad

Rui Jorge initially named 26 players in his squad with 23 included in the final list.

Eduardo Quaresma withdrew on 29 May after asking to be released from the squad, the defender informing Rui Jorge and the technical team that he was not able to make his maximum contribution to the team.

Fábio Silva left the squad on June 1 due to a persistent physical problem that was unable to overcome. The striker leaves the U21 side as the second highest scorer in the history of the age group, his 15 goals only one behind Hugo Almeida.

Diogo Nascimento and Rafael Rodrigues joined the group on June 3 due their involvement in the Primeira Liga play-offs. Francisco Chissumba was left out which leaves Flávio Nazinho and Rafael Rodrigues as the left-back options.

Players that contributed in the qualifiers that were unavailable include Tomás Araújo, Renato Veiga, Tiago Santos, Dário Essugo, João Neves, Vasco Sousa, Rodrigo Mora and Francisco Conceição.

Goalkeepers: Diogo Pinto (Sporting CP), João Carvalho (Braga) and Samuel Soares (Benfica)

Defenders: Chico Lamba (Arouca), Christian Marques (Yverdon Sport), Flávio Nazinho (Cercle Brugge), João Muniz (Sporting CP), Lourenço Henriques (Varzim), Rafael Rodrigues (AVS), Rodrigo Gomes (Wolves), Rodrigo Pinheiro (Famalicão)

Midfielders: Diogo Nascimento (Vizela), Gustavo Sá (Famalicão), João Marques (Gil Vicente), Mateus Fernandes (Southampton), Mathias de Amorim (Famalicão), Paulo Bernardo (Celtic), Pedro Santos (Moreirense)

Forwards: Carlos Borges (Wolves), Geovany Quenda (Sporting CP), Henrique Araújo (Arouca), Roger Fernandes (Braga), Tiago Tomás (Wolfsburg)

Quotes

Carlos Forbs: “We know we have a good team, full of talent. We have the capacity to compete with the best teams in the tournament. We will give our best and do what we have to do. It won't be easy, but the coach knows he can count on us and that we will give our all.

“It's a unique feeling, I feel very proud to be here. Every time I come here I give my all and I love being in this space. I’m looking forward to playing in the European Championship and giving my best, showing the world what I’m capable of.

“I didn’t have much playing time during the season, but I’m in good physical shape and now I’m here ready to give my best for the national team, as always. I'm here to do what the coach asks and I adapt according to the team's tactical scheme. I feel comfortable playing on either side of the front.”

João Marques: “I feel happy to be here with the U21s. I believe I am at full strength and I am full of desire to help the group. Even though the season was a bit difficult, I managed to be called up to all the games for the U21 National Team.

“I think that shows a little bit of my values, as a player and as a person, which is also important. Regardless of whether I play for more or less time at the club, I will always give my best there and here in the national team, at all times.

“I feel that our group is healthy, we are happy with each other and we get along very well and this will be an asset for the future. The national team is not like clubs, where we are together every day. Here I feel that we have a group with strong and cohesive friendships.

“Each team has its own way of playing and its own dynamics. We try to comply with the coach's ideas and do what he asks of us in the best way possible. Playing in a 4x4x2 or 4x3x3 formation can leave the opponent in suspense when they come onto the pitch against us, but the important thing is for us to do things in the best possible way so that we can achieve our final objective.”

João Muniz: “The training camp is already over, now is the time to train and focus on ourselves. The group is doing well, very united, we all believe in our potential. We want to focus on our own objective, which is the dream of all the players, and to be able to win a title for our country. This will be our ambition until the end.

“My focus is not on the individual, it is on the collective. If the collective works and is doing well, I believe that all the players individually will end up standing out and achieving their individual goals.

“Winning an U21 title would mean a lot to me and to any of my teammates. It's every child's dream to be able to win a title with the national team. So, a title that would also be historic for Portugal would be a very important achievement in anyone's life and career.

“It is a strong group, I believe. When we are in a European Championship, there are no weak teams. All teams have their quality and competence, otherwise they would not be there. They all proved to be great teams in the qualification for the European Championship. We have the competence to face them head-to-head, we have a great team and if we are at our best and give our all, the results will end up falling in our favor.”

Rodrigo Pinheiro: “Being in Slovakia gives us extra motivation because we are at the competition site and we feel that everything is closer. The team is motivated and united and you can feel that in the group. This is one of the group's weapons and one of the reasons why I believe we can go far in the competition.

“France is theoretically the most difficult team we will face in the group. However, that is only on paper, because inside it is eleven against eleven. We have to play the three games in the same way, play well - because that is the team's main objective, to play good football - and then we will always be closer to winning.

“I believe the coach will have a headache in all positions. It will be up to him to decide who the best options will be and I will be here, whether I play or not, ready to help the team. It was a dream and a goal to be here. I had a good season that fortunately allows me to be in this space.

“We must always have this objective in mind, that of winning the competition. However, we have to think about it game by game and that is what will take us further.”

Gustavo Sá: “I feel the group is very united. We know that this final phase is a bit unusual, due to the Club World Cup, but we are a very strong group, with great players and we have many alternatives. We are united and we know the quality we have among us. We respect each other a lot and I believe we have a good team.

“Whenever we represent Portugal, we know the weight we have and the importance that this entails. We want to represent Portugal in the best way possible, whatever the age group. From the U15s to the A team, we have to think like this. That's what we're going to do at the European Championship.

“I'm coming to this European Championship very proud to be in this group and in this squad. I'm anxious, in a good way, for the competition to start. That's what we all want so we can show our worth.

“We know that the first game is against France, a match between two teams that are candidates for the title. We know that we have to look at ourselves and that's what we've been working on here in the first few days. France has a lot of value and a team full of quality players, but we are also quality players and we have a great team.”

Flávio Nazinho: “I have learned a lot. The national team space is a space for evolution. New dynamics, different mentalities with more experienced players, I learn a lot here. It means a lot to me to be here. It is an honor to represent the National Team.

“It doesn't matter whether you play in a back four or a back three. I'm used to playing in both situations. I believe that this versatility allows me to bring important things, such as attacking aggression.”

Chico Lamba: “I'm very happy to be here. I wasn't able to be with the group during the last training camp, but I'm very happy to be part of this call-up and this tournament. I'm fully prepared to help the team.

“We know France will be a difficult game, they have always had very high-quality players. We are working well and I can guarantee that in the defensive line we are improving from training session to training session.

“We have done a good job, both those who have been here for longer and those who have been here for less time. It will be up to the coach to decide who plays. There is not much time left, it is almost there and we will be ready for the first game.

“Renato Veiga's career is an inspiration to us all. I played with him at club and national level and he is living the goal and dream of everyone who makes it to the first team. As for Nuno Mendes, we already knew at the academy that he had this potential. I am not surprised by what he is doing now. He is the best full-back in the world at the moment and will be for a long time.”

Pedro Santos: “We are all confident and training has been going well. We have a good team spirit and we are working to reach the final stage in the best possible way. We know that France is a tough opponent to start with, but we cannot look at names, because all the games will be difficult.

“All the players here have the quality to be in this space. I am no different, I did my job and I am very focused on having a good final phase of the European Championship. Being called up is always gratifying and I am very happy.

“We train every day to achieve our goal of winning the competition. In football, things are difficult and anything can happen. We have to go in there with a positive mindset and always go in to win. There are teams with a lot of quality in the European Championship and we are one of them.

“We have players who play in the Premier League, others who play in the Portuguese League or even in the Bundesliga. We have quality, we are doing well and we are among the teams that can win the European Championship.

Rodrigo Gomes: “It's always a great opportunity to represent Portugal in the final stages of a European Championship. The team is very motivated and it's a dream for me and all my teammates. We're working well, happy to be here.

“We're working well and focused on starting well. We have three difficult games, France is a very good team, but we're focused on ourselves and focused on evolving as a team. We're improving and ready to start well.

“From the first stage to the last, I felt like a different player. I improved a lot, not only at the club, but also here in the national team. I also played in another position, here I played as a full-back in a line of four and at the club as a winger in a line of five.

“This new adventure in England has also helped me, especially in improving defensively. The football is very fast, with players with high technical ability and very fast. I was able to grow more, be more alert, be better positioned. I will try to bring all these lessons to the European Championship.

“We came from a good and solid qualification, with good results and good progress as a team. We are working well. I feel that we will arrive in Slovakia and give a very good response. We always approach each game, whether in the qualifying phase or the final phase, in the same way. We go into every game to win.

“The weight is different, it is a final phase, it is more important and the margin for error is smaller, but we approach the games in the same way. The work is the same, we always give our best every day, with 'coach' Rui Jorge and the technical team always willing to help us.”

João Carvalho: “We have been working well, with good intensity and demonstrating confidence and quality. Obviously, anxiety always increases a little when we are closer to the competition, but we are preparing ourselves in the best way possible for the tournament.

“We compete in a natural way. Normally there are always three goalkeepers here, we always try to do our best to take our place in goal. We all have quality and any one of us is prepared to take over the goal in this type of competition. Then it's up to the coach to decide who plays.

“Obviously we want to be the first Portuguese team to win the U21 Euros, but I repeat that it is a very complicated competition and we have to think game by game, not just about the quarter-finals, semi-finals or the final. It’s not worth it, because we still have three games that are going to be very complicated and competitive.”