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World Cup Group H: How will Portugal fare given recent controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo?

World Cup 2022 team-by-team guide

David Gorman
Sat Nov 19 2022 - 14:00

Portugal

Plenty of interest will surround Cristiano Ronaldo after his explosive interview that took aim at Manchester United. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/PA
Plenty of interest will surround Cristiano Ronaldo after his explosive interview that took aim at Manchester United. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/PA

Manager: Fernando Santos.

World Cup history: Eighth appearance. Best result – Third place in 1966

Portugal haven’t made the quarter-finals since 2006 despite having one of the world’s best forwards in Cristiano Ronaldo in that time. Having now burned his bridges at a Manchester United side in which he couldn’t command a starting place, there are also question marks over the ageing striker’s impact on a cohesive team structure for Portugal. Now 37, this is likely to be Ronaldo’s final tournament. Will he be going out in a blaze of glory?

Star man: Bernardo Silva. The Manchester City midfielder is a coveted player across Europe for his brilliant technical skills when playing through the lines.

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Ghana

Arsenal's Thomas Partey is a key man in the heart of Ghana's midfield. Photograph: Harriet Lander/Getty Images
Arsenal's Thomas Partey is a key man in the heart of Ghana's midfield. Photograph: Harriet Lander/Getty Images

Manager: Otto Addo

World Cup history: Fourth appearance. Best result – Quarter-finals in 2010

Ghana’s results this year have been poor, with only wins against Madagascar and Nicaragua in 13 matches. They have a decent team on paper, though, with several top league players such as Tariq Lamptey, Mohammad Salisu and Inaki Williams. Ireland’s Chris Hughton is on the staff as technical adviser.

Star man: Thomas Partey. The Arsenal midfielder is dynamic and strong in the tackle and should allow Ghana to compete with the best midfields in the group.

Uruguay

Real Madrid's Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde has been in excellent form so far this season. Photograph: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images
Real Madrid's Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde has been in excellent form so far this season. Photograph: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images

Manager: Diego Alonso

World Cup history: 14th appearance. Best result – Winners in 1930 and 1950

Diego Alonso took over last year from Óscar Tabárez, who had been in the job for 15 years, and Uruguay made a strong finish to South American qualifying, winning their last four matches. They feature a mix of new talent and ageing stars, with the torch up front being passed on from Luis Suarez to Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez.

Star man: Fede Valverde. The Uruguayan midfielder has been in blistering form for Real Madrid this season, netting several excellent long-range strikes and scoring in El Clasico.

South Korea

Tottenham's South Korean striker Son Heung-Min picked up an eye injury on the eve of the tournament. Photograph: Christophe Simon/ AFP via Getty Images
Tottenham's South Korean striker Son Heung-Min picked up an eye injury on the eve of the tournament. Photograph: Christophe Simon/ AFP via Getty Images

Manager: Paulo Bento

World Cup history: 10th appearance. Best result – 4th place in 2002

South Korea qualified quite comfortably for the World Cup, their sole loss in nine games coming to the UAE. In Napoli’s Kim Min-Jae and Wolves’s Hwang Hee-Chan, it’s more than Son Heung-Min and 10 others this time, but it is still a big ask for South Korea to get out of a difficult group.

Star man: Son Heung-min. The darling of South Korean football, the Tottenham forward’s eye injury before the tournament leaves a nation sweating.

David Gorman

David Gorman

David Gorman is a sports journalist with The Irish Times