EXCLUSIVE: Nuno Gomes insists his Portugal are strong at EURO 2024 but 'watch out for Italy'
Nuno Gomes is synonymous with goals, but also with extreme intelligence - on and off the pitch. The man who has played 79 matches well with Portugal, topped by 29 goals, spoke exclusively to Flashscore to talk about the European Championships that have just begun. All starting, of course, with his favourite team, with whom he experienced the wonderful adventure of 2000 as a debutant and that of 2008 as captain.
With each passing year it seems that Portugal is getting stronger and stronger. How do you explain that?
It seems incredible that such a small country can produce so much talent. But it is. In this year's squad there is so much quality in every department. Roberto Martinez will have plenty of alternatives per role. It is also true, however, that this is one of the best generations ever.
Is Portugal therefore one of the favourites?
Expectations are high, and rightly so. But we know very well that in football anything can happen and favouritism must pass from paper to the field. Many times, in fact, the best do not win. Also because in the end it is only one who wins.
And who would be the best national team in this European Championships?
For me, ahead of them all there are France and England. Then come Germany, Portugal and Spain. But we will also have to watch out for Italy, as always!
The quality of Portugal, however, is unexceptionable. Just see that one between Joao Felix and Rafael Leao will start from the bench in attack.
Ours is a great team and we are arriving in-form and they know how to play good football. But in the end you have to prove everything on the pitch. And Martinez will have a headache to make the starting XI. Because there are so many options.
The match against the Czech Republic is a good test to test your ambitions?
It is a team that can hurt with some good individuals. It will not be easy to face them. I also remember that after the draw I wrote a message to my former teammate Tomas Repka, whom I was with at Fiorentina. I haven't heard from him since. I think before the game I will send him a message to provoke him...
And how do you see Portugal's group?
It's a group that can be dangerous because it can be deceptive. On paper it looks feasible given the absence of strong national teams. But Turkey is a good team and has Montella who will bring experience. I have already spoken about the Czech Republic, while Georgia, although not particularly experienced, has Kvaratskhelia and will certainly give problems. I say we are favourites, but we have to be as focused as possible to go ahead.
Do you see in Kvaratskhelia's movements in comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo?
A little bit, yes. We are talking about a very strong, young player who did very well in Naples. And who, having arrived on this stage, will also want to make his mark at the highest level.
Cristiano, on the other hand, will play his sixth European with the same hunger as always. In previous editions he won the top scorer title twice, but always together with someone else. Will he want to impose himself this year as well?
He will be able to do so because he is now playing as a top scorer. And with the team he has, he will be able to stay near the goal to enjoy the many assists his teammates will provide.
At 39 years of age he could also be replaced, as happened at the World Cup?
Cristiano will start as a starter, then we will see how things go. In the last friendly before the European Championship he scored two goals like the phenomenon he is. And I think he now feels the right confidence in himself to do well. For sure he will start and if he scores one or two goals at the beginning of the tournament he will make it to the end.
Portugal's strength, however, is in midfield. A smart department in which Vitinha has strongly taken the starting place.
He is the one who has made the biggest leap in quality this year. He is experiencing an absolute moment of form, and he finished the season with Paris Saint Germain in spectacular fashion, as demonstrated in the two Champions League semi-finals. He knows how to make his teammates play better and understands the game very well, as well as being able to play in any position in the median. He will be the one playing in the middle alongside Bruno Fernandes and Palhinha, at least from the start. And to think that on the bench there will be other very strong midfielders like Ruben Neves and Joao Neves, a player I like a lot. He is very young but is already ready to play as a starter.
Bruno Fernandes today is among the top midfielders in the world. And to think that eight years ago, when Portugal won, he was semi-unknown to the Portuguese when he played for Udinese.
Bruno is a very strong footballer, who has matured over time using his intelligence. And in recent years he has also added a lot of goals to his repertoire. He has an exceptional shot and can provide enormous balance to the team, as well as being an excellent finisher.
In 2008 you were captain, did you realise that a great era was beginning?
It's true, I was captain before Cristiano. It was a passing of the baton after which he began his very important journey. But, being honest, at the time I didn't think Portugal could become so strong. It was all the result of working from the bottom, with young people. Targeted investment in the youth sector through competence and the results are showing.
Among the Portuguese players playing in Italy, one of the most prominent is Rafael Leao, from AC Milan. At 25 years of age, has the time finally come for him to make the decisive career breakthrough?
He and Joao Felix are two excellent players to play as left wingers in the national team. And it will be up to the coach to decide who to bet on depending on the opponents. But Leao is a very strong player, who can decide a match on his own. And I believe that the European Championship for him can be a springboard into the history of the national team. If he is well, Leao is an advantage for us.