Mourinho puts pressure on Portugal national team, saying team has responsibility to win 2026 World Cup

Mourinho is back, and the pressure on the Portuguese national team is also coming. Mourinho, who returned to his home country to coach Benfica after two decades, recently publicly shouted out to national team coach Martinez at an awards ceremony. He insisted that the Portuguese team's goal next year must be to win the World Cup.

Mourinho's slogan

Mourinho's confidence comes from the Portuguese team's now luxurious lineup. He believes that in a World Cup year, it would be a blasphemy to dare not say that the goal is to win the championship.

He said: What we are talking about now is a national team composed of top club players, whose reputation and strength are constantly accumulating. The Portuguese Football Federation has created all the conditions for success.

Luxurious lineup

Mourinho's words are not bragging. Today's Portuguese team is indeed star-studded. In the midfield, there are masters of organization such as Vitinha, B Fee, and B Seat, and on the front line, there is the old and strong Cristiano Ronaldo. This team has just won this year's National League Championship and is at its peak in form and strength. Especially Cristiano Ronaldo, although he is over 40 years old, his condition shows no signs of declining. He is determined to give everything he has in his last World Cup.

Madman's Regret

Interestingly, while Mourinho put pressure on the national team, he also revealed a little regret of his own. He admitted that he had always planned to return to Portugal, but he originally thought he would coach the national team.

He said: I always thought that the job of the national team would come to me sooner or later. But the opportunity with Benfica came first and I couldn't refuse. These words also imply that he has always been committed to the national team coaching position.

Common goal

Currently, the Portuguese team has had a perfect start in the World Cup qualifiers, defeating Hungary and Armenia in succession. In the next two games, Martinez's team will strive to maintain a complete victory. Although Mourinho's shouting has brought a certain amount of pressure to the team, it may also be a motivation. After all, winning the World Cup is the ultimate dream shared by Mourinho, Martinez, Ronaldo and all Portuguese players.