# Portugal national under-21 football team

The Portugal national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Portugal and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). They are nicknamed "Esperanças." Esperança means hope, thus they are Portugal's hopes for the future.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the Portuguese under-21 team was formed. Until 1994, the team had a rather poor record, failing to qualify for each of the first eight UEFA under-21 Championships. Since 1994, the team has improved its record greatly, qualifying for five of the next seven tournaments, including the 2006 finals.
Having qualified for the 2006 tournament finals, UEFA announced that Portugal would host the finals in May and June. From 2007 onwards, host nations will be announced before the qualification stage and will not need to qualify.

## Competitive record
### UEFA European Under-21 Championship

| Year | Round | Position | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA |
| 1978 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1980 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1982 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1984 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1986 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1988 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1990 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1992 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 1994 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| 1996 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2000 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2002 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 2004 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| 2006 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2007 | Group stage | 6th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 2009 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2011 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2013 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2015 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 2017 | Group stage | | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
| 2019 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2021 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 |
| 2023 | Quarter-finals | | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Total | Runners-up | 10/24 | 39 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 56 | 39 |
    *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
    **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.
    ***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

## Player records
### Top appearances

    As of 18 November 2024
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | U-21 Caps |
| 1 | Manuel Fernandes | Benfica, Portsmouth, Everton, Valencia | 2004–2008 | 30 |
| 2 | Silvestre Varela | Sporting CP, Casa Pia, Vitória Setúbal | 2004–2007 | 28 |
| Paulo Bernardo | Benfica, Paços Ferreira, Celtic | 2021– |
| Ricardo Quaresma | Sporting CP, Barcelona, Porto | 2002–2006 |
| João Pereira | Benfica, Gil Vicente, Braga | 2004–2008 |
| 6 | Fernando Brassard | Marítimo, Gil Vicente, Vitória Guimarães | 1991–1994 | 27 |
| Henrique Araújo | Benfica, Watford, Famalicão, Arouca | 2021– |
| Hugo Almeida | Porto, União Leiria, Boavista, Werder Bremen | 2002–2007 |
| 9 | Ednilson | Roma, Benfica | 2000–2003 | 26 |
| Raul Meireles | Aves, Boavista, Porto | 2003–2006 |
| Fábio Silva | Porto, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Anderlecht, PSV Eindhoven, Rangers, Las Palmas | 2021– |
Note: Club(s) represents the clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s.

### Top goalscorers

    As of 18 November 2024
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | U-21 Goals |
| 1 | Hugo Almeida | Porto, União Leiria, Boavista, Werder Bremen | 2002–2007 | 16 |
| 2 | Gonçalo Ramos | Benfica | 2020–2022 | 14 |
| Fábio Silva | Porto, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Anderlecht, PSV Eindhoven, Rangers, Las Palmas | 2021– |
| Fábio Vieira | Porto, Arsenal | 2019–2023 |
| 5 | Toni | Porto, Braga | 1992–1994 | 12 |
| Hélder Postiga | Porto, Tottenham | 2001–2003 |
| 7 | Henrique Araújo | Benfica, Watford, Famalicão, Arouca | 2021– | 11 |
| 8 | Paulo Bernardo | Benfica, Paços Ferreira, Celtic | 2021– | 10 |
| 9 | Diogo Gonçalves | Benfica, Nottingham Forest | 2017–2018 | 8 |
| Paulo Costa | Alverca, Inter Milan, Reggina, Porto | 2000–2002 |
| Simão Sabrosa | Sporting CP, Barcelona | 1998–2001 |
| Diogo Jota | Paços Ferreira, Atlético Madrid, Porto, Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2015–2018 |
| Rui Fonte | Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Sporting CP, Vitória Setúbal, Espanyol | 2008–2012 |
Note: Club(s) represents the clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s.

## Players
### Current squad

Players born on or after 1 January 2002 are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
The following 23 players were called up for the preparation matches against Ukraine and Slovakia on 15 and 18 November 2024, respectively.
Caps and goals correct as of: 18 November 2024, after the match against Slovakia
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| 1 | 1GK | João Carvalho | (2004-04-09) 9 April 2004 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | Braga |
| 12 | 1GK | Diogo Pinto | (2004-06-18) 18 June 2004 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Sporting CP |
| 2 | 2DF | Danilo Veiga | (2002-09-25) 25 September 2002 (age 22) | 2 | 0 | Lecce |
| 3 | 2DF | João Muniz | (2005-06-26) 26 June 2005 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | Rio Ave |
| 4 | 2DF | Eduardo Quaresma | (2002-03-02) 2 March 2002 (age 22) | 11 | 0 | Sporting CP |
| 5 | 2DF | Rafael Rodrigues | (2002-01-27) 27 January 2002 (age 23) | 12 | 1 | AVS |
| 13 | 2DF | Flávio Nazinho | (2003-07-20) 20 July 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Cercle Brugge |
| 14 | 2DF | Chico Lamba | (2003-03-10) 10 March 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Arouca |
| 15 | 2DF | Christian Marques | (2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 (age 22) | 3 | 0 | Yverdon-Sport |
| 23 | 2DF | Rodrigo Gomes | (2003-07-07) 7 July 2003 (age 21) | 11 | 3 | Wolverhampton |
| 6 | 3MF | Dário Essugo | (2005-03-14) 14 March 2005 (age 19) | 7 | 0 | Las Palmas |
| 7 | 3MF | Mateus Fernandes | (2004-07-10) 10 July 2004 (age 20) | 11 | 3 | Southampton |
| 8 | 3MF | Paulo Bernardo (Vice-captain) | (2002-01-24) 24 January 2002 (age 23) | 28 | 10 | Celtic |
| 16 | 3MF | Martim Neto | (2003-01-14) 14 January 2003 (age 22) | 5 | 0 | Rio Ave |
| 18 | 3MF | Gustavo Sá | (2004-11-11) 11 November 2004 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | Famalicão |
| 19 | 3MF | João Marques | (2002-02-13) 13 February 2002 (age 22) | 8 | 1 | Braga |
| 9 | 4FW | Henrique Araújo (Captain) | (2002-01-19) 19 January 2002 (age 23) | 27 | 11 | Arouca |
| 10 | 4FW | Pedro Santos | (2003-02-10) 10 February 2003 (age 22) | 9 | 3 | Moreirense |
| 11 | 4FW | Tiago Tomás | (2002-06-16) 16 June 2002 (age 22) | 19 | 2 | VfL Wolfsburg |
| 21 | 4FW | Carlos Forbs | (2004-03-19) 19 March 2004 (age 20) | 9 | 3 | Wolverhampton |
| 24 | 4FW | Diego Moreira | (2004-08-06) 6 August 2004 (age 20) | 5 | 0 | Strasbourg |

### Recent call-ups

The following players have previously been called up to the under-21 squad and remain eligible for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
| GK | Samuel Soares | (2002-06-15) 15 June 2002 (age 22) | 13 | 0 | Benfica | v. Andorra, 15 October 2024 |
| GK | André Gomes | (2004-10-20) 20 October 2004 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Benfica | v. Andorra, 15 October 2024 |
| GK | Francisco Silva | (2005-11-20) 20 November 2005 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | Sporting CP | v. Croatia, 10 September 2024 |
| GK | Francisco Lemos | (2002-09-13) 13 September 2002 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Atlético CP | v. Greece, 20 November 2023 |
| GK | Gonçalo Ribeiro | (2006-01-15) 15 January 2006 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | Porto | v. Belarus, 12 September 2023 |
| DF | Tiago Santos | (2002-07-23) 23 July 2002 (age 22) | 5 | 0 | Lille | v. Andorra, 15 October 2024 |
| DF | Gabriel Brás | (2004-03-25) 25 March 2004 (age 20) | 2 | 1 | Porto | v. Andorra, 15 October 2024 |
| DF | Rodrigo Pinheiro | (2002-08-28) 28 August 2002 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Famalicão | v. Andorra, 15 October 2024 |
| DF | Tomás Araújo $^{AA}$ | (2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 22) | 10 | 0 | Benfica | v. Faroe Islands, 11 October 2024 |
| DF | Renato Veiga | (2003-07-29) 29 July 2003 (age 21) | 7 | 1 | Juventus | v. Croatia, 26 March 2024 |
| DF | Tomás Esteves | (2002-04-03) 3 April 2002 (age 22) | 5 | 0 | Pisa | v. Croatia, 26 March 2024 |
| DF | Leonardo Buta | (2002-06-05) 5 June 2002 (age 22) | 3 | 0 | Moreirense | v. Croatia, 26 March 2024 |
| DF | Rafael Fernandes $^{INJ}$ | (2002-06-28) 28 June 2002 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Lille | v. Greece, 20 November 2023 |
| DF | André Amaro $^{INJ}$ | (2002-08-13) 13 August 2002 (age 22) | 4 | 0 | Al-Rayyan | v. Andorra, 8 September 2023 |
| MF | Vasco Sousa | (2003-04-03) 3 April 2003 (age 21) | 13 | 0 | Porto | v. Andorra, 15 October 2024 |
| MF | Bernardo Folha $^{INJ}$ | (2002-03-23) 23 March 2002 (age 22) | 3 | 0 | Al Wahda | v. Faroe Islands, 11 October 2024 |
| MF | Hugo Félix | (2004-03-03) 3 March 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Benfica | v. Greece, 17 October 2023 |
| MF | João Neves | (2004-09-27) 27 September 2004 (age 20) | 6 | 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | v. Belarus, 12 September 2023 |
| FW | Fábio Silva $^{AA}$ | (2002-07-19) 19 July 2002 (age 22) | 26 | 14 | Las Palmas | v. Slovakia, 18 November 2024 |
| FW | Geovany Quenda $^{AA}$ | (2007-04-30) 30 April 2007 (age 17) | 3 | 0 | Sporting CP | v. Slovakia, 18 November 2024 |
| FW | Rodrigo Mora | (2007-05-05) 5 May 2007 (age 17) | 2 | 0 | Porto | v. Andorra, 15 October 2024 |
| FW | Youssef Chermiti | (2004-05-24) 24 May 2004 (age 20) | 2 | 1 | Everton | v. Croatia, 26 March 2024 |
| FW | Francisco Conceição | (2002-12-14) 14 December 2002 (age 22) | 23 | 6 | Juventus | v. Greece, 20 November 2023 |
| FW | Tiago Morais | (2003-09-03) 3 September 2003 (age 21) | 3 | 0 | Rio Ave | v. Greece, 20 November 2023 |
| $^{AA}$ Player withdrew from the squad due to a call-up to the senior squad. $^{INJ}$ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. $^{OTH}$ Player withdrew from the squad due to other reasons. $^{PRE}$ Preliminary squad. |||||||

## Head coaches

    As of 14 November 2017
| Manager | Period | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Manager | Period | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| José Alberto Costa | –1993 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 066.67 |
| Nelo Vingada | 1994–1996 | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 14 | +19 | 063.64 |
| Jesualdo Ferreira | 1996–2000 | 33 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 64 | 36 | +28 | 057.58 |
| Agostinho Oliveira | 2000–2002 | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 39 | 21 | +18 | 050.00 |
| Rui Caçador | 2002 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 066.67 |
| José Romão | 2002–2004 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 44 | 27 | +17 | 066.67 |
| Rui Caçador | 2004 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 000.00 |
| Agostinho Oliveira | 2004–2006 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 9 | +27 | 077.78 |
| José Couceiro | 2006–2007 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 053.85 |
| Rui Caçador | 2007–2009 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 54 | 22 | +32 | 055.56 |
| Oceano Cruz | 2009–2010 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 050.00 |
| Rui Jorge | 2010–present | 69 | 47 | 14 | 8 | 154 | 54 | +100 | 068.12 |
Source:

## Honours

* UEFA Under-21 European Championship runners-up: 1994, 2015, 2021