Out of contract at Sporting, Hidemasa Morita finds extra motivation | OneFootball

With the final stretch of the season approaching, the players are accelerating for the Club... and for the national team. In an unusual year, when the usual vacation period will be replaced by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, more than a dozen Sporting athletes have legitimate aspirations to be present at the major competition that will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Some have their spots virtually guaranteed; others need to convince until the very last moment.

Hidemasa Morita falls into this latter group. The 30-year-old midfielder has earned 40 caps for Japan since his debut in 2018, but has recently lost prominence. In 2025, he played only 45 minutes—against Bahrain, on March 20, in a qualifying match—and since then, has not been used again, whether due to physical issues or by decision of coach Hajime Moriyasu.

The ambition to win a third consecutive title with Sporting thus intersects with the need to convince the national team. He himself acknowledged the pressure: "If I'm not called up in March, there’s no World Cup. That is, I need to prove that I’m necessary," he said in January, with an eye on the friendlies against Scotland (March 28) and England (March 31).

For now, the Japanese player seems to be on the right track at Sporting: he started against Porto (80') and Famalicão (76'), and is expected to keep his place for the trip to Moreira de Cónegos. He could make three consecutive starts for the first time since August.

Iván Fresneda, who has recently featured for Spain’s U21s, is also seeking his debut for the senior national team. Souleymane Faye, with one cap for Senegal, is trying to become more prominent in the selection. Among the Portuguese contingent, Eduardo Quaresma, Daniel Bragança, João Simões, and Geovany Quenda—all U21 internationals—are awaiting an opportunity with the senior team, led by Roberto Martínez. The latter, for example, has already been called up, but has yet to make his debut.

Rui Silva, Gonçalo Inácio, Francisco Trincão, and Pedro Gonçalves, on the other hand, are regulars in the Portuguese call-ups. Maxi Araújo (Uruguay), Ousmane Diomande (Ivory Coast), Zeno Debast (Belgium), and Luis Suárez (Colombia) have also been regular presences in their respective national teams.

Morten Hjulmand remains an important part of Denmark’s plans, but unlike the others, he still needs to secure qualification. The Nordics will compete at the end of March for a spot against North Macedonia and, if successful, will face either the Republic of Ireland or the Czech Republic.

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