Portugal's best U23 XI proves they're still going to be brilliant when Cristiano Ronaldo retires

The Cristiano Ronaldo era has been the best in the history of the Portugal national football team.

Sure, there were plenty of great players who represented the nation before the Manchester United superstar became the main man, Eusebio, Rui Costa and Luis Figo in particular.

But not a single member of that trio was able to deliver a major international trophy, with Portugal having to wait until 2016 to get their hands on silverware for the very first time.

Ronaldo was the catalyst for the nation’s memorable triumph at Euro 2016 and he then played a key role in their successful run during the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2018/19.

There’s no denying that Ronaldo is Portugal’s greatest ever player, especially when you remember that as well as winning major honours, he’s scored 117 goals on international duty.

But the former Juventus and Real Madrid forward is now 37 years of age and the 2022 World Cup will probably be the final time we see him donning his country’s famous jersey.

So now we have to start thinking about Portugal’s post-Ronaldo era and it’s safe to say the next generation of players look capable of having a serious impact at major tournaments.

Transfermarkt have named the nation’s best Under-23 XI – which is worth over £300 million – and it is stacked with talent.

Check it out here…

The XI: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Diogo Dalot (Man Utd), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting Lisbon), Carmo (Braga), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Matheus Nunes (Sporting Lisbon), Vitinha (FC Porto), Fabio Vieira (FC Porto), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid) & Rafael Leao (AC Milan)

What. A. Team.

Costa, Inacio and Carmo all thrived in Portuguese top-flight throughout 2021/22, while Dalot was one of United’s better