National team coach open to scouting Vasco starter: "Doors are open"

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·15 Januari 2026

National team coach open to scouting Vasco starter: "Doors are open"

The 2025 season not only served to consolidate Vasco da Gama as a competitive force but also to individually enhance its players. Proof of this came directly from Europe this Thursday (15). In an exclusive interview with ESPN Brasil, the coach of the Portugal national team, Spaniard Roberto Martínez, revealed that he is closely monitoring the steps of one of Vasco's standout players: forward Nuno Moreira.

+ Where to watch: Vasco starts the season with a new lineup and confirmed departures

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Constant monitoring of Vasco's standout

Martínez, who manages world-class players, was emphatic in praising the evolution of the number 7 player since he landed in Rio de Janeiro. According to the coach, the Portuguese national team's observation team is following Nuno's performance in Brazil "very closely".

“He has always been a player, even when I was already here in Portugal, who has important qualities. I really liked the adaptation period he had, the process he is undergoing in Brazil. I think he has grown a lot as a player,” highlighted Martínez.

The most impactful statement, however, came next:

“In the future, the doors are always open.”

This statement places Nuno Moreira, who previously played for the modest Casa Pia (Portugal), at a new career level, envisioning a possible call-up to represent his country alongside the elite of European football.

Nuno Moreira is catching the attention of Portugal's coach – Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco

Praise for the level of Brazil

The coach also took the opportunity to praise the level of competition in the Brazilian Championship. For Martínez, a player who stands out in the Brasileirão gains a unique competitive edge.

“A player who plays in the Brasileirão is very prepared because it is a very demanding competition (…) I can see that a player who grows in the Brasileirão and in Brazilian teams achieves a very, very, very high level of competitiveness and tactics,” he analyzed.

This perspective further values Nuno's achievement, who in his first season at Vasco scored 11 goals and provided 7 assists in 56 games, being a key player in the runner-up finish of the Copa do Brasil.