Quaresma, Rúben Dias at odds over Portugal: could've given more (video) | OneFootball

Portugal’s elimination in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup continues to spark reactions, and Ricardo Quaresma remains among the most critical voices regarding the national team’s performance. After the defeat against Spain, the former Portugal international once again voiced his dissatisfaction, this time in a debate with Rúben Dias.

The centre-back was invited to comment on the match during a LiveMode TV broadcast and began by highlighting the quality of the team’s display, believing that Portugal came close to achieving a different outcome: "From my experience with the national team, playing against Spain, it was probably one of the most accomplished matches we played. I felt that we had moments where, sooner or later, we were going to break them down. It’s frustrating to feel that we had the legs for more," he said.

Ricardo Quaresma, who was also part of the discussion, showed total disagreement with Rúben Dias’s analysis and argued that the Portuguese team fell well short of the potential it has: "I don’t really agree with what you’re saying. From the beginning until now, I think you could give much more. You are at a very high level and almost all of you are considered among the best in the world, and I think that, with the quality and talent you have, you could give much more. Spain are a good team, yes. But we have more than enough of a team to beat Spain," said the former winger.

In response to the criticism, Rúben Dias defended himself by arguing that the Portuguese team’s main difficulty lies in the lack of a collective identity as deeply rooted as Spain’s: "You spent enough time in this environment to understand everything that surrounds a national team and the different personalities and mindsets of each player trying to come together. I think it’s well known that, in Portugal, we have very good individuals, but at our core we do not have a playing identity like Spain, for example. In Spain, everyone coming through the new generation thinks the same way," he began to explain.

The Portugal international went on, stressing that modern football demands far more than individual talent: "I know that, in your role, you were always a more skillful player, with the mission of winning your one-on-one duels. But when we talk about playing well, it’s much more than that skill and that direct confrontation. It’s about being able to keep the ball, not spending the whole game running, managing energy and being efficient. It involves having patience and seeking balance. It’s not easy, because each player thinks differently. Even so, I agree that we need to make better use of our teammates’ quality," he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.