Carlos Forbs for Portugal? Martínez on ex-Sporting pick: "A profile..." | OneFootball

Carlos Forbs was one of the big surprises in Roberto Martínez’s squad selection for the upcoming fixtures of the Portuguese national team. The coach of the “quinas” called up the former Sporting player for the first time and explained to journalists his choice of the Club Brugge winger – he also spoke about Quenda’s participation in the 2026 World Cup.

"Carlos Forbs... is a very special type of player. He’s fast, direct, and can play on both wings. He’s a very important player for this training camp. It’s a camp where the players already have minutes, and we need to manage that. Carlos Forbs is at the best moment of his career. He’s young, but with a lot of experience. He’s playing a very important role in his team, which is having a great Champions League campaign. He’s essential at Brugge. He deserves it. He’s a very interesting player," Roberto Martínez began by explaining.

The national coach then gave more details about the decision: "As for Carlos Forbs, he’s a player we’ve been following all season. He’s a player that, since the first time I saw him, in the under-17s, I thought he was different. He’s in the mold of Pedro Neto or Francisco Conceição."

"He’s quick and a game-changer, and can play on both wings. Roger can do that too and we already know Quenda. Scoring two goals against Barcelona in the Champions League and providing an assist weighed heavily in the decision. He can be contagious for the group and shows his quality. When did I decide to call him up? Yesterday. We follow several players, their development, but the decision is made the day before the squad announcement," concluded Roberto Martínez.

To finish, the national team coach regretted the absence of Nuno Mendes due to injury and spoke about another former Sporting player, Matheus Nunes: "Versatility is important. In the context of the national team, it’s good to have players who can play in several positions. Matheus Nunes is really enjoying that position, it allows him to play in a hybrid way—without the ball he’s a full-back, with the ball he uses the interior spaces. He’s important for us in this camp. It’s something that allows us to do what we’ve already done with João Neves."

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