‘We had the quality to win it’ – Bruno Fernandes torn into Portugal’s early World Cup exit to Spain

Portugal came to the World Cup as one of the heavy favorites and the reigning 2025 UEFA Nations League champion, but they are already packing their bags. A narrow 0-1 defeat to Spain in the Round of 16 hit the squad hard. The most honest and self-critical assessment came from the team’s leader, Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes. After a phenomenal club season, Fernandes refused to look for excuses. For him, this tournament is a profound disappointment precisely because of how strong this Portugal generation was. “There’s no point talking too much now because we are already out of the World Cup, but it was a missed opportunity. I know Portugal has never won the World Cup and that we always set very high targets. But I can say with some confidence: this team had the quality to win the tournament. We have a great squad, and I am certain we should have gone further,” Fernandes said emotionally after the match. Coach Roberto Martínez indeed had a galaxy of world‑class talent at his disposal – besides Fernandes, there were Paris Saint‑Germain stars Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Vitinha and Gonçalo Ramos. Yet the team barely scraped through the group stage in second place and in the knockout round could not respond to a late goal by Spain’s Mikel Merino. Fernandes stressed that the squad never managed to extract the maximum from its players. He gave credit to the opponent but also called for a change in Portugal’s footballing identity. “Obviously we were knocked out by a great team – we lost to one of the favorites, just as we were. But the overall assessment cannot be positive. Maybe we didn’t get the best out of everyone, and we were eliminated far too early. “We need to look ahead with a different mindset. We have to be more true to ourselves, use what we have, try to play more in our own style and find a way to make other teams respect us more,” the midfielder emphasized. The painful elimination by Spain was not only a collective tragedy but also a personal one – for 41‑year‑old Cristiano Ronaldo, this was his last World Cup. The legendary forward, who played all 90 minutes against the Spaniards and scored three goals in the tournament, leaves the national team with a sense of duty fulfilled. “Before me, Portugal hadn’t won any trophy. I won three. I leave with a clear conscience because I gave everything I had,” Ronaldo said. After the match, Roberto Martínez announced he would step down as Portugal head coach. His place is expected to be taken by Jorge Jesus.