mansur 🎾

[IM🇵🇹 @Iconic_Mourinho]

My take on this whole Portugal generation:

It's all about timing in these things. Getting the right set of players, with the right star, managed by the right coach, at the right context. But things never truly aligned for us.

Ronaldo was sandwiched between 2 great generations. When he was too young to be the best, the team was great. When he was too old to do a carry job, the team was great. When he was in his prime, for over a decade, the team was mediocre.

We always believed we could win big tournaments because of Ronaldo, but it was sort of a blind hope. A team whose second most influential player is a Nani, a João Moutinho, or a Pepe at times, can't be a favorite to win a World Cup, or even a Euros. Ronaldo was playing at such a level, touching unprecedented levels of dominance in the Champions League, that it made us believe we could always win. But, again, it was blind hope. From 2008 until 2018, the rest of our squad didn't have enough talent or spark to be the favorites to win anything.

But the blind hope has a reason to it. A solid team who has the best player in the world has a better chance of winning than every very good team whose best player is not quite the best in the world. And that's what worries me about our next generation.

Most World Cup wins have been about a story that feels right, led by a historic player (Messi, Mbappe, Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo Nazario, Zidane…). Portugal had 6 attempts at writing that story, and we fumbled all of them, for different reasons. Sometimes we went with the wrong coach (2010, 2022, 2026), sometimes the team wasn't good enough (2014, 2018).

So now what for us?

When a team wins the World Cup without having a true star, it's always out of such collective superiority that the run just makes sense (Germany, Spain, Italy the most recent examples).

Still, these were stacked squads. Will we have a stacked squad in 2030? 2034? 2038? We can never be sure. Belgium doesn't seem like having another golden generation anytime soon, neither does Italy, neither does the Netherlands, even Germany's future looks uncertain… international football is unpredictable.

For this post-Ronaldo chapter, the coach will probably be Jorge Jesus (since Mourinho took the Madrid job). No stars, no media, no hype. Just a team trying to play good football. I'm more curious than excited. But I think we will keep on having some good moments. Our era as favorites is over, and we begin another era as dark horses.

Conclusion, on Ronaldo's era with Portugal:
It didn't feel like a bust, it didn't feel like a fumble. Sometimes it felt like we underachieved, but we had some really great moments. We are still without a World Cup, but we saw our country win thinhs for the first time ever, and the culture in Portuguese football was changed forever. 2016 was more than just a trophy, it was a statement of change.

We could have won a World Cup, in the end we didn't… maybe some day. Regardless, we saw history be made.

At least we can tell our grandchildren we witnessed this era.

[Seth💎🇵🇸 @SethUnited_]

Rashford and Tielemens telling stories of the Villa days to the boys lol

[Manchester United @ManUtd]

Ready to make his mark.

The Manchester United family welcomes you, @04Andrey 🤝🔴

[(fan) Zaid ✍🏼🇾🇪 @ZaidBalll]

FARKKKKK😭❤️😭❤️😭😭❤️😭❤️

[Manchester United @ManUtd]

Dreams do come true.

@04Andrey is proof of that 🔏

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🔴🔵 Lucas Digne to Paris Saint-Germain, here we go! Verbal agreement done with the French left back.

PSG already informed Aston Villa: they will pay the release clause after the World Cup, fee under €10m. 🇫🇷

Digne accepted role as Nuno Mendes’ backup at PSG. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

[Manchester United @ManUtd]

✍️🇧🇷

[David Ornstein @David_Ornstein]

🚨 Youri Tielemans move from Aston Villa to Manchester United through £35m release clause in midfielder’s contract. #AVFC had no wish to sell + offered new deal but left with little choice due to mechanism & #MUFC set to proceed on transfer @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/KbWwD1jxov

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨💣 BREAKING: Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, HERE WE GO! 🔴🇧🇪

United activate €41m release clause into Tielemans’ contract at Aston Villa, verbal agreement also with Belgian midfielder.

Andrey Santos done + Tielemans next after Éderson deal called off on Friday. 📈

[Sir Dickson @Wizarab10]

Sørloth is the first player to keep him from scoring.

[David Ornstein @David_Ornstein]

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United in advanced talks to sign Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. All parties in contact as #MUFC try to finalise - 29yo midfielder keen on move. Ederson deal off for now; #MUFC may look to revisit later this summer @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/KbWwD1jxov

[Manchester United @ManUtd]

Manchester United play football again on Saturday.

That is all.

[Cristiano Ronaldo @Cristiano]

Michael Carrick was a class act as a player and he can become a great coach as well. Nothing is impossible for this guy. Personally, I’m proud to have played with him by my side as well as with him as a manager on our bench. 🙌🏽👊🏽

[Jay 🍄 @FungalisedJay]

luffy gets a fakeout death nearly every arc dude

[Jannik Sinner @janniksin]

We did it again 🏆 Thank you all for the love and support ❤️❤️❤️

[👼🏽 @vib9y]

Jude Bellingham

[iron impaler @edeh_o_o]

To me my niggas

[SEUN Yk @YKoluwaseun9]

Asake should use his hard-earned money to help p00r Nigerians while politicians keep embezzłing public funds?

E get why our forefathers no dey allow women speak for public.

[Wimbledon @Wimbledon]

Winning here marks greatness. Defence leaves no doubt.

Jannik Sinner is the 2026 Gentlemen's Singles Champion.

#Wimbledon

[José Morgado @josemorgado]

Jannik Sinner’s back to back moment at #Wimbledon .

He now beat Alexander Zverev ten times in a row.