The Portuguese central Jose Fonte He assured this Thursday that the rivals look at the Portuguese team with more respect since they won the Eurocup in 2016 because they know that they are among the best in the world.
“The teams look at us with more respect because they know that Portugal is one of the best in the world,” he said at a press conference prior to Friday's friendly match against Spain.
The Lille defender He assured that being European champions does not imply “a burden” for Portuguese players: “We know the responsibility we always have when we represent our country.”
What has changed the most is that from the outside they are seen as a team capable of winning, he said, but inside “the atmosphere and culture remain the same: great work, great professionalism and team spirit, all pushing towards the same side.”
The match against Spain is “one more test” on the way to prepare for the Eurocup and, as in all matches, he pointed out that they have to be “focused” and approach it “in the best possible way.”
In the Eurocup, the “quinas” will be one of the teams whose players have an older average age and who have accumulated more minutes in their clubs this season, which Fonte, who is 37 years old, considers “positive”.
“If players with that age manage to do those games, it is because they take care of themselves and have the capacity,” he said.
Fonte, who was proclaimed champion of the French League with Lille and now seeks to revalidate his title at the European Championship, acknowledged that “without a doubt” this has been one of the best years of his long career.
“I had a very good season from the individual point of view, which culminated in a title that I had been pursuing for a long time,” he admitted, adding that now he is “happy in the national team and happy to be able to help.”