World Cup 2018: Top 5 dark horses in Russia

Portugal v France - Final: UEFA Euro 2016 — Portugal for the win?

#1 Portugal

TOPSHOT-FBL-EURO-2016-FRIENDLY-POR-EST — Cristiano Ronaldo, the man!

Portugal, often considered a weak team if Cristiano Ronaldo is taken out, have lined up a pretty good squad for this year's World Cup. There is perfect balance between experience and talent in this Portugal side, and could be a strong contender for the trophy despite being the dark horses.

Fernando Santos, who took over as the manager after last World Cup, led the team to glory in the 2016 UEFA Euro held in France. The 63-year-old coach will be highly confident when the tournament kicks-off in Russia and will be hoping to go the distance with the squad he has in hand.

Portugal's attack, constituting of the likes of Gelson Martins, Goncalo Guedes, Bernardo Silva, Andre Silva, Ricardo Quaresma and the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, is definitely a force to reckon with.

Star Player - Cristiano Ronaldo

Well, there are no questions here. After having a slow start to the season, Ronaldo realised the need to step up his game and did so in the latter half of the campaign. The Portuguese forward led Real Madrid to UEFA Champions League victory, also becoming the top scorer in the competition in the process.

Portugal and its fans will be hoping that the 33-year-old brings his A-game with him to Russia and lead the team in the right direction.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith