Portugal are just one of the 24 teams who participated in the Euros 2024 in Germany. Here’s everything you need to know about the team and why Ronaldo isn’t the only GOAT to have pulled on their dark red shirt!

1. They played their first game in 1921

Portugal played their first international game against next door neighbours Spain on December 18, 1921. The match, which took place in Madrid, ended in a 3-1 defeat.

2. Their badge features their flag’s coat of arms

The Portuguese badge features a Christian cross and a shield based on the country’s coat of arms. FPF stands for Federação Portuguesa de Futebol, which means Portuguese Football Federation.

3. They play most of their home games at the Estádio Nacional

Portugal play their home fixtures at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras. It was opened in 1944 and designed by Miguel Jacobetty Rosa. Their ground capacity is 37,593 and hosts the Portuguese cup final and Women’s Portuguese Cup final every year.

4. Their captain is Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo began his international career in 2003 as a substitute against Kazakhstan. He was made captain in 2008 and has been ever since.

5. Ronaldo is the team’s highest goal scorer

Ronaldo has played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr and has won 33 senior trophies. It’s no surprise he’s the team’s leading scorer, and has 130 international goals to his name. Siuuuuu!

6. They’ve got a couple of nicknames

Portuguese fans call their national side Seleção das Quinas (The Team of the Escutcheons), which has something to do with a coat of arms. Or, if pressed for time, they call them Lusos. This means Lusitanians, which were an Indo-European tribe who lived in modern day Portugal and was named Lusitania by the Romans. We want to shout at teams kicking a ball around, not get a history lesson, right? Wrong. History is fun!

7. Their biggest win was against Luxembourg

In September 2023, Portugal achieved their biggest win over unlucky Luxembourg at the Estádio Algarve in Almancil. In this Euros qualifying match, the team blasted 9 goals past their opponents.

8. Their biggest defeat was against England

The two teams faced each other in May 1947 at a fixture in Lisbon. England won the game somewhat comfortably, putting 10 goals past their hosts. Not siuuuu.

9. Their women’s team began playing in 1981

The Women’s national team began playing in October 1981 (0-0 away to France) and are currently ranked 21st in the world. While their biggest defeat was a 13-0 drubbing by Germany, they’ve walloped the likes of Armenia and Moldova 8-0 in 2011 and 2017 respectively.

10. They’ve fielded some of the world’s best players

Yes, we all know that Ronaldo is the GOAT (along with Messi and Mbappe), but Portugal had Eusébio da Silva Ferreira first. The player, known simply as Eusébio, was born in Mozambique and began his international career in 1961. He played 64 times for the team and scored 41 goals; he also helped Portugal gain third place at the 1996 World Cup in England and scored 9 goals during the tournament.

11. Their manager is Roberto Martínez

Born in Spain, Roberto Martinez spent some of his playing career at Wigan Athletic, Motherwell, Walsall, Swansea City and Chester City. He also managed Swansea and Wigan, before being made boss at Everton in 2013. He led the Belgian national team between 2016 and 2022, and was made the Portugal head coach in 2023.

12. They won the Euros in 2016

While winning the World Cup is on Ronaldo’s to-do list, they picked up the Euros trophy in 2016 at the French tournament. Not only that, they were winners of the Nations League Finals in 2019.

13. They conceded their fastest goal against Georgia

During their debut Euros appearance in Germany in 2024, Georgia earned a place in the round of 16 after beating Portugal 2-0 in a thrilling game. Within two minutes, their Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia smashed the ball past Diogo Costa in one of the true highlights of the tournament.

14. There’s waxworks of Ronaldo around the world (and in his house)

Cristiano Ronaldo has several waxworks of his likeness dotted around the world, including London, New York and Riyadh. He also paid a lot of money to have one to have in his home and it was sculptured by a British waxwork artist Michael Wade. The GOAT got his own hairdresser to make sure his hair was just right.

15. Ronaldo is also their most-capped player

Not content with captaining Portugal, scoring a record number of goals and having a personal wax work with perfect hair, Ronaldo is also Portugal’s most-capped player. At the end of the Euros 2024, he had represented his country a staggering 212 times.