Quaresma: “World Cup? Portugal has to be among the candidates, but we have to give more.”

Ricardo Quaresma helped write some of the most beautiful lines in the history of Portuguese football, and it is with the critical eye of someone who sweated so much wearing the national team jersey that he looks at the national team now led by Roberto Martínez.

Despite securing qualification for the 2026 World Championship in time – without needing any calculations – the former international admitted, during an interview with Record Gaming , that he is still not entirely convinced by the ‘AA’s’ performance.

“I didn’t like the game against Ireland – I think nobody liked it – because of the way we played. Honestly, there hasn’t been a single game that I’ve enjoyed or that has made me say that our national team has played a great game. Our group wasn’t one of the strongest, it was accessible, and even so, we ended up the way we did. I think we have to give more. For the national team we have, with the quality we have, with the players we have, we have to give more,” he stressed.

Despite the uncertainties surrounding the team’s performance, Ricardo Quaresma has no doubt that Portugal must be among the contenders to win the next World Cup.

“With the quality we have, I think we can be among the great teams. I think we have enough quality to compete and that it’s possible to achieve the title we all dream of,” he added.