The former Sporting goalkeeper, sadly famous for closing his eyes in crossing situations, has played an important role in his national team's success story this decade.

After losing many players that had been crucial for the team's successes, Portugal are finding it very hard to produce adequate replacements for some positions. Things do not look good for Portugal and their head coach, Carlos Queiroz, with the side on the verge of missing out on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It was the end of an era in Portuguese football: several players of the 'Golden Generation' had decided to retire from international football and, domestically, many had left Champions League winners FC Porto to play abroad.Īt the 2006 World Cup, Portugal sent England and Holland packing once again, only to suffer a defeat to France following a penalty, whereas at Euro 2008, they exited the tournament at the quarter-final stage after losing 3-2 to Germany. Despite being big favourites for the final against Greece, a 1-0 defeat ruined their dream of lifting the trophy at home. With 'Big Phil', things changed for Portugal, who reached the final of Euro 2004, held in their country, after defeating the likes of Spain and England. After the tournament, Antonio Oliveira resigned as coach, being replaced by Luiz Felipe Scolari. Portugal were considered one of the favourites for the 2002 World Cup after their impressive campaign in Belgium and the Netherlands, but they surprisingly crashed out of the tournament in the groups following defeats to the USA and South Korea. This decade has been one of the best in the history of Portugal, who have participated in every Euro and World Cup competition.Īfter missing out on the 1998 World Cup, Portugal were a big hit at Euro 2000, sending both England and Germany out of the tournament at the group stages, and defeating Turkey at the quarter-finals before meeting France, whom they lost to following a controversial penalty after an Abel Xavier handball.

Head soccer world cup 2006