Paulo Bento has named a 30-man Portugal squad ahead of the 2014 World Cup, and it's light on surprises. Bento has some work to do to figure out exactly how to utilize Cristiano Ronaldo and what two forwards he wants to pair with the Real Madrid star, but his options are numerous. And given that he's called up three true center forwards, he probably doesn't plan on experimenting with playing Ronaldo up top.
2014 World Cup squads: Portugal release 30-man roster
Portugal has some time to figure out what center forward to play to the right of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Clive Brunskill
There have been a few big names omitted, but their exclusion isn’t surprising. Bento has indicated in the past that he would not call up Nelson Oliveira and he’s been reluctant to call up Zenit St. Petersburg playmaker Danny, who doesn’t have an obvious fit in his scheme.
FIFA doesn’t require 23-man squads until June, but Portugal is expected to trim this team down just one week from now.
Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Beto (Sevilla), Eduardo (SC Braga), Rui Patrício (Sporting)
Defenders: André Almeida (Benfica), Antunes (Málaga), Bruno Alves (Fenerbahçe), Fábio Coentrão (Real Madrid), João Pereira (Valencia), Neto (Zenit), Pepe (Real Madrid), Ricardo Costa (Valencia), Rolando (Inter)
Midfielders: André Gomes (Benfica), João Mário (Vitória FC), João Moutinho (Mónaco), Miguel Veloso (Dynamo Kiev), Raul Meireles (Fenerbahçe), Rúben Amorim (Benfica), William Carvalho (Sporting)
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Éder (SC Braga), Hélder Postiga (Lazio), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas), Ivan Cavaleiro (Benfica), Nani (Manchester United), Rafa (SC Braga), Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto), Varela (FC Porto), Vieirinha (Wolfsburg)
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