Come on man, the whole team was dire and our tactics were all wrong.. We had no wingers (leao didn't start) and no one like Mendes (who could spread the defence) to attack their bus that was parked in front of goal. Morocco played out of their skin, was just one of those games where nothing works. Ramos, just like Ronaldo, needs service.
No body is arguing of what is more prestige. We know Copa is more prestige. It’s just there is a strong argument that goes against the narrative. Copa teams don’t qualify for Copa tournaments. They are in it by default. They are competing against teams like Canada, USA, and Caribbean teams like Jamaica for ******** sakes. It’s uncomfortable for some that the Nations League may actually be more competitive and tougher to win. That is an unpopular opinion that will likely stay for years or even decades.
Nations League group stages are not super competitive. They are a chance for managers to test things out without facing true jeopardy. If players are not 100% fit they won't be played. Tacking on a last 4 knock out many months later on the end of that will be competitive on paper because Europes top 4 sides are stronger than South Americas but the totality of the tournaments are not the same. Playing 6 matches in 3 weeks in a tournament where everyone is killing each other and fighting for pride is not just more prestigious it's more difficult. Domestic leagues European competitions and international qualifiers all take precedence over the Nations League throughout the campaign. It's just not comparable on any level.
Obviously, the Nations League is no WC or Euro. What Nations league does is let us celebrate our team as champions for a summer and see where Portugal stand against a couple of the top sides in Europe. What made this one special was the fact of beating Germany in Germany. Knowing full well that they could not lose this game. Their current coach has been on the hot seat so you know he tried to put the best line up out there to win. Spain also put their best lineup on the pitch. You think they would want to snap their win streak in a final that featured their Iberian rivals for the first time? Again, great couple of games for Portugal. Gives them some momentum going into the WC qualifiers and tournament for next year. Hopefully going forward they can really start solidify the starting line up and stay injury free before going into next summer.
My favorite is how people keep saying that Germany and Spain "didn't even try their hardest" just because Portugal won.. If Spain and Germany won, it would be a "major tournament" and potential decider of the Balon D'or... Hypocrisy at its finest.. Germany and Spain DID try their hardest, they just lost to the better team, people have such a difficult time swallowing a Portugal and Ronaldo win instead of simply admitting we were the better side.. It's always immediate excuses when we win, oh the players didn't even take it seriously, oh the coach set a bad XI, oh the pitch wasn't soft enough... Portugal winning gets the same reaction Tom Brady and the Patriots got every time, copium and excuses. Denial is river...
You lived in "multiple countries in south america" ? Then you woke up from your dream, still in New England..
Ehpa could Ramos save us against Germany and Spain when we are down a goal in the finals ? Cmon now, I love Ramos but he's a supersub at best.. He is great when we need him in the 80th minute to bang in another goal to make it 5-1.. Not when we are in an elimination game against two of the best teams in the world..
I don't think you understand how quotes work. For what it's worth, Spain has won it. And they don't consider it a major tournament. The nations league has never had an impact on the ballon d'or, i don't know why you keep bringing that up. But seriously, did you celebrate this the same way you celebrated Portugal winning the euro? Did the country of Portugal celebrate it the same way? It's just not the same thing. ... what?
The Euro is obviously multiple levels above the Nations League in terms of prestige but that doesn't mean the Nations League isn't competitive. There is a reason the only other two to win this are Spain & France, the two strongest European nations in the last years. Spain tried their hardest to win and lost. That's why this is significant.
Here's an example: "the biggest competition" =/= "the biggest competition in the americas" One is a quote you made up to suit your narrative. The other one is what the person said. Hope this helps. Cool. Not what I asked though.
Bingo.. We beat Germany for the first time in 25 years, a team that has almost always looked at us as a guaranteed win no matter our form... AND (in the same week) we beat Spain... A team that hasn't lost in over 2 years and royally screws us every time we meet.. I can't believe some of my "fellow" Portuguese are downplaying our win. I'm sorry, a "tournament" with Canada in the semi final is a complete JOKE... How a "Portuguese" can say that Copa America is above Nations League with a straight face is BEYOND me... Time to see those DNA tests SCP boys...
I dont know... But I celebrated as hard as when they won the Euro.... Maybe I love this team too much.
I know it’ crazy. I totally get your point. However, Ronaldo’s kid and Messi’s kid were born with the same age gap as Ronaldo and Messi themselves. And get this, Messi was out there washing baby Lamine Yamal. It’s like some soccer god is scripting this epic storyline. Hopefully the soccer god has the Portuguese winning the world cup. Fingers crossed, haha.
Thanks for highlighting what all your posts are based out of. Ramos would have scored hattricks at the NL final in your opinion. And we would have lost of Ronaldo started...oh wait we won. Do one for cognitive dissonance next to highlight all of your fallacies.
I know you're not speaking to his goal contributions cause there were none, giving him credit for Portugal's defense is crazy work
Lol Ronaldo literally had 8 goals in 9 games during 2025 Nations League.. You think Jota or Ramos could bang in 8 frangos in 9 games ? No...