5 greatest Portugal players of all time

#3 Luis Figo

Red Carpet - 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards - Berlin

While Luis Figo's controversial move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000 dominates the discussion around his career, there is no denying that he is one of Portugal's all-time greats.

Figo began his career with Sporting CP, joining Barcelona in 1995. Here the Portugal international made 248 appearances in all competitions, scoring 45 goals and providing 51 assists and establishing himself as one of the best in the world. An elegant player with strong technical abilities, Figo was capable of playing anywhere across the forward line.

57 - Since 1980 (when full data is available), Luís Figo has completed more dribbles than any other player at the European Championship. Breeze. #AskOpta https://t.co/X110uQ0uXQ

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 10, 2021

For Portugal, Figo made 127 appearances and scored 32 goals. Figo and Portugal reached the finals of Euro 2004 but surprisingly lost to Greece. The 48-year old retired in 2009 after a successful spell with Inter Milan.

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#2 Eusebio

Eusébio On The Track

Regarded by many as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Eusebio was a highly-prolific goalscorer who became one of the most recognizable faces in the world during his prime.

Eusebio spent much of his career with Benfica, and is seen as the club's greatest player. He made 440 appearances in all competitions and scored 473 goals, and won 11 Primeira Liga titles with the Portuguese giants.

The striker was phenomenal for Portugal as well. In 64 caps for the senior side, Eusebio scored 41 goals and helped Portugal finish 3rd in 1966 World Cup. He was the top goalscorer in that tournament.

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#1 Cristiano Ronaldo

Spain v Portugal - International Friendly

Portugal's greatest footballer and one of the greatest to have played the game, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to break records on a consistent basis.

The 36-year old is still going strong and comes to Euro 2020 on the back of a brilliant individual campaign with Juventus. Ronaldo scored 29 goals in 33 league games for Juventus, but Andrea Pirlo's side finished a disappointing fourth in the league table.

On this day in 2009, Manchester Utd accepted a world-record £80M/$113M from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo.▪️ 438 games▪️ 450 goals▪️ 4 Champions Leagues▪️ 4 Ballons d’OrLegendary era. ⚪ pic.twitter.com/EYzocpszOv

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 11, 2021

Ronaldo is well and truly a legend of Portugal, and cemented his position by winning the Euro 2016. Portugal are among the favorites to win the tournament this time around, and Ronaldo will certainly have a huge say on how they end up performing. He is Portugal's most capped player and all-time top goalscorer.

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