World Cup 2018: Top 5 dark horses in Russia

#1 Portugal

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.