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Portugal have never been a traditional footballing superior. However, they have produced several incredible players such as Eusebio and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have stolen the show on numerous occasions.
The Portuguese national team’s best finish at a FIFA World Cup came in the 1966 edition, where the Eusebio-inspired side came third. Portugal have since won the UEFA Euros 2016 as well as the 2019 UEFA Nations League, both of which occurred during the Ronaldo era.
Portugal recently earned qualfiification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Portugal have a great squad at the moment, with quality options in every position on the pitch. As mentioned earlier, this has helped them lift two trophies in the past six years. More recently, they qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup by beating North Macedonia 2-0 in the playoff finals. This might be Ronaldo’s last chance at World Cup glory.
Without further ado, let’s check out the five most valuable Portuguese players as of March 2022.
#5 Diogo Jota - €60 million
Diogo Jota’s rise to prominence since joining Liverpool has been well documented. Months before leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers, he was valued at €28 million. Just 18 months later, his market value has increased more than two-fold and is now at €60 million.
Jota took absolutely no time to settle at Anfield. His clinical finishing ability has allowed him to score 32 goals in 69 appearances across all competitions for the six-time UEFA Champions League winners. Despite being relatively new to the club, he has already produced some memorable moments, and the Kop seems to adore him to bits.
Jota is currently second in the race for this season's Premier League Golden Boot with 13 goals.
The Liverpool number 20 has slowly but surely become a regular for the national team as well. The 25-year-old has played 24 times at the international level, recording impressive numbers. In those appearances, Jota has scored nine goals and provided six assists.
He notably scored in Portugal's 2022 World Cup playoff semifinal against Turkey before assisting Bruno Fernandes in the playoff final against North Macedonia.
#4 Joao Felix - €70 million
Joao Felix won the Golden Boy award in 2019. After making the entire world take notice of his talents, Atletico Madrid splurged €127.20 million for the Portuguese international’s services in 2019. It is safe to say that Felix hasn’t come close to repaying that sum with his performances.
Felix has just 27 goals and 15 assists in 106 appearances for the reigning La Liga champions. Currently, the Viseu-born second striker is valued at €70 million. He has scored three times and recorded one assist in 22 national team caps.
The former Benfica wonderkid hasn’t found his feet at Atletico Madrid yet and in all honesty, Felix was never a €127 million player. However, Diego Simeone’s side overpaid for him as they were desperate to sign a replacement for Antoine Griezmann.
Fortunately, Felix still has time on his hands and could become the world-beater many believe he is capable of.
#3 Ruben Dias - €75 million
Ruben Dias is among the best centre-backs in the world. The Portuguese defender joined Manchester City in the summer of 2020 and completely transformed their backline. The €68 million signing from Benfica was pivotal to the Cityzens' Premier League triumph last term.
The Manchester City number 3 currently has a market value of €75 million. His extraordinary displays also earned him the 'Premier League Player of the Season' award at the end of the 2020-21 campaign. The 24-year-old is a leader at the back for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Dias has played 84 times for the Cityzens across all competitions and is a mainstay at the heart of their defense. He made his Portugal debut in 2018 and has earned 37 caps for his national side. Dias will be tasked with organizing and leading the defense for Fernando Santos' side in Qatar later this year.
#2 Bernardo Silva - €75 million
Bernardo Silva is one of the best dribblers in the world right now. The Portuguese international has a market value of €75 million, which puts him on par with club and country teammate Ruben Dias.
Silva joined Manchester City in 2017 for €50 million but hasn’t always been the main man at the Etihad Stadium. However, he has stepped up to the plate whenever the need has arisen. The attacking midfielder was particularly brilliant during the 2018-19 campaign when he didn’t let Kevin De Bruyne’s injury curtail the team’s ambitions.
He scored 13 goals and assisted 14 across all competitions as the Cityzens won the first-ever domestic treble in English football history.
Silva has been excellent once again in the ongoing season and is a major reason for City still harboring hopes of winning the treble.
The three-time Premier League winner has scored 45 goals and recorded 48 assists during his 239 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City. The 27-year-old has also played 66 times for Portugal, during which he has found the net on eight occasions and registered 21 assists.
#1 Bruno Fernandes - €90 million
Bruno Fernandes is the highest-valued Portuguese player at €90 million. Fernandes first came under the limelight at Sporting CP, scoring 63 goals and providing 52 assists in 137 games in all competitions. Manchester United bought him in 2020 for €63 million.
The attacking midfielder was already an incredible footballer when he arrived in Manchester. However, he has taken things up by a notch and has been the Red Devils’ talisman for the past two years. Fernandes has recorded 49 goals and 39 assists in 117 outings for Manchester United.
Fernandes hasn’t been as productive for the national side, registering just eight goals and seven assists in 42 caps. The primary reason for this is that he isn’t allowed the same level of freedom that he enjoys at Old Trafford.
Despite that, the playmaker scored a wonderful brace against North Macedonia on March 29 to help his nation secure a berth at this year’s FIFA World Cup.
