“Do you debut in the selection? We have good kids and these games are good...”

“ Moften, a young person is very good in his category, but when he has to go up [of level], it is necessary to work more and be incisive and sometimes that does not happen. We have good kids and these games are good, because there are more possibilities for them to be quieter and do not have so much responsibility,” Lusa told the agency the former central defense and captain, 76 years old and with 63 internationalizations and six goals, between 1968 and 1983.

Portugal, holder of the trophy, is a tie away from securing the first place and the status of head of the series in the draw of the ‘quarters’ of the League of Nations, facing Denmark on Saturday in Braga, and Wales on Tuesday in Cardiff, in the last two of the six days of Group A4.

The Portuguese lead the ‘poule’ with 12 points, against six of the Danish, second ranked, and three of the Welsh, third, and Norway, fourth and last, coming from a full of four victories under the guidance of Jorge Jesus, successor of the Spanish Roberto Martínez after the World Cup2026.

The first two places of the four League groups They access the next phase of the latest European selection competition, whose trophy is held by Portugal, a record winner, with two (2019 and 2025).

“ We have already won two Leagues of Nations and we are a team with great prestige and strength over the opponents. We still have good players and I am convinced that if we play with the commitment we have had, we will win these two games”, admitted Humberto Coelho, who guided the selection from 1998 to 2000, leading her to the ‘half’ of Euro2000, and was vice president of the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) between 2011 and 2025.

Alberto Costa, Flávio Nazinho and Gustavo Varela, best scorer of the Italian League, were called for the first time, among the returns of António Silva, Mateus Fernandes, Carlos Forbs, Rodrigo Mora and Geovany Quenda, with the last two international sub-21 still looking for the premiere in the main set.

“ We have young people with a lot of skill, who need ‘endurance’ and start to be committed to the selection ‘AA’. It is fundamental and an important step. If they do, they should be able to have at least the opportunity to show that they can play there”, recognized the current vice-leader of Benfica, for which he was noted as a footballer.

The team of 'quinas' will make the first matches since the advance and captain Cristiano Ronaldo announced the farewell of the main team, after world records of 234 internationalizations and 146 goals in 23 years, interspersed by the achievements of Euro2016 and two Leagues of Nations, in addition to the defeat as host in the final of the 2004 European Championship.

“Portugal continues to have good players, who act in the best clubs in the world and show great commitment to the selection. There are the youngest who enter now, but there are also those who are older and who instill in the collective a certain experience, quality and competence ", he stressed.

Humberto Coelho witnessed as leader the first two of three senior trophies in Portuguese history, after finishing his technical career, in which he also guided the selections of Morocco, South Korea and Tunisia.

“Portugal is now a favorite in all the competitions he enters. Players who align in the great competitions have this experience and I am convinced that they will fight for it”, finished the former central defense, wishing for now the access to the ‘final four’ of the League of Nations, which the Portuguese will compete in March 2027.