Roberto Martinez shared that a Premier League star turned down a call-up to play for Portugal before the World Cup.
Roberto Martinez recently shared a story about trying—and failing—to convince a Premier League star to play for Portugal before the World Cup.
Portugal’s 26-man squad was announced on Sunday, featuring plenty of players from England’s top league. Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and captain Cristiano Ronaldo are all heading to the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain stars Joao Neves and Vitinha made the team too, but West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes didn’t make the cut.
One interesting bit from the announcement was Martinez revealing that Portugal had reached out to Bournemouth’s young forward Junior Kroupi. The 19-year-old has been amazing for Bournemouth, scoring 12 Premier League goals as a teenager—the joint record!
Kroupi can play for Portugal because of his mother’s side, but he was born in France and his dad, Eli, played for Ivory Coast. Martinez said they asked him before the March training camp, but Kroupi chose to represent France instead. “We respect that,” Martinez added.
France already announced their squad last week, but Kroupi wasn’t included in the 26 players picked by coach Didier Deschamps. France’s forwards include big names like Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and others. Still, with a new manager soon, Kroupi could have a chance to join France in the future.
Portugal is in Group K for the World Cup, facing DR Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia in the 48-team event. A surprise was that Joao Palhinha from Tottenham, who has 37 caps, didn’t make the squad. But Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, and Rafael Leao will be there for Portugal.