Vitinha says Portugal are World Cup contenders, but not favorites

Portuguese midfielder Vitinha believes his national team possesses significant talent and is among the contenders for the World Cup, but he cautioned against labeling them as the primary favorites.

"I would say we are contenders for the title, we have a very strong team, but we are not favorites; I wouldn't use those words. We have to keep that in mind. We have a lot of potential and we must put it into practice," the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder stated at a press conference.

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I would say we are contenders for the title, we have a very strong team, but we are not favorites; I wouldn't use those words. We have to keep that in mind. We have a lot of potential and we must put it into practice.

Vitinha's remarks were the first from a Portuguese player since the team arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, their base for the initial phase of the tournament. The recent UEFA Champions League winner with PSG stressed that the key to success lies in "humility, in taking it game by game, thinking about the near future and not too much about the long-term future." He affirmed that the team has the necessary talent.

"We know that we have a national team of the highest quality, with a lot of talent and players who play for the best clubs in the world. I would even say that we have never had a national team like this. But that means nothing in theory," he expressed. The team received a warm welcome in the United States, expressing pride in representing Portugal. The Portuguese team begins their World Cup campaign on Wednesday in Houston against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group K, seeking to win their first World Cup title.

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We know that we have a national team of the highest quality, with a lot of talent and players who play for the best clubs in the world. I would even say that we have never had a national team like this. But that means nothing in theory.