Sporting star may miss World Cup, even if called up early | OneFootball

Pedro Gonçalves’ presence at the 2026 World Cup is by no means guaranteed. According to our newspaper, in an Exclusive Leonino, Sporting’s number 8 faces serious risks of missing the important international tournament, even if he is called up by Roberto Martínez to play in the upcoming friendly matches.

Several physical problems presented this season are greatly complicating Pote’s World Cup dream. His current dip in form is worrying Sporting’s management, since the player did not return from injury in the best condition and has not been able to establish himself in the team, despite being one of its main references.

It’s worth remembering that the next call-up for the national team has already been scheduled. Roberto Martínez will announce, at 12:30 pm on March 20th, Friday, the National Team squad for the next training camp, the last one before the start of the 2026 World Cup.

Furthermore, as our newspaper also reported, in Exclusive Leonino, the interest of several European giants in Pote has also been waning. This has happened for exactly the same reasons: injuries and the lack of rhythm shown by the player.

This season, playing for Sporting, Pedro Gonçalves – valued at 30 million euros – has played 27 matches. In the 1,938 minutes played, the footballer, who is protected by an 80 million clause until 2030, has already scored 11 goals and assisted his teammates on seven occasions.

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