Former Barcelona star Carles Puyol has expressed strong backing for Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese national team, predicting they are contenders to win the FIFA World Cup 2026. Puyol, who won the 2010 World Cup, highlighted the team’s resilience, particularly their victory in the UEFA Nations League final under coach Roberto Martinez. When asked if Ronaldo and his teammates could win Portugal’s first World Cup, Puyol responded affirmatively.
Puyol stated, “Yes, that’s how I see it. They have a very good national team. Their players play for big clubs and win a lot of titles. They are very competitive and have a good coach… As things stand today, I think they are a very dangerous team.”
He added, “He takes extremely good care of himself. He lives for football. His statistics as a centre forward speak for themselves.”
Portugal’s performance at the 2022 World Cup was mixed. They started with a 3-2 victory against Ghana, with contributions from Ronaldo, Joao Felix, and Rafael Leao. They then defeated Uruguay 2-0, with Bruno Fernandes scoring both goals. However, a 2-1 loss to South Korea in the final group stage game caused some concern. Portugal went on to crush Switzerland 6-1 in the Round of 16, with Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick. Their run ended in the quarter-finals, losing 1-0 to Morocco.