Jose Mourinho names Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and 2 other European giants as his favorites to win Euro 2024
Legendary manager Jose Mourinho has picked out England, France and Portugal are the favorites to win the 2024 Euros.
Portugal look to be strong contenders to win the Euros this year after previously lifting the trophy in 2016. They blitzed through their Euros qualification group, winning all 10 of their games. They have been placed in a relatively easy Group F alongside Turkey, Georgia and the Czech Republic.
With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Goncalo Ramos and Rafael Leao in attack supported by Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, the Selecao will be hoping to replicate their success from eight seasons ago.
Speaking at an event in Vila do Conde, Mourinho said (via Metro):
"For me, it’s one of the three strongest teams – Portugal, France and England. Surprises can happen, yes. But looking at the quality and quantity of players, I think Portugal has to go there to win.’
France, meanwhile, will be looking to get over their disappointment from the last edition when they were knocked out by Switzerland in the Round of 16.
Les Blues boast a fantastic squad with talent across the field, headlined by the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jules Kounde. They face a tougher outing in Group D, grouped with Poland, the Netherlands and Austria.
England will be looking to go one step further than last time when they lost to Italy in the finals. They also have a talented squad, led by Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and John Stones. They will face off against Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia in Group C.
Jose Mourinho reveals being offered Portugal job
Mourinho claimed that he was close to taking the Portugal job before Roberto Martinez got the nod. Speaking at an event, he said:
"I had the possibility of taking over the national team, a very real possibility... Now we are at the Euros, with a coach who has done a great job and a great generation of players. I want it to go well, which is to win."
Martinez was appointed as boss of the Portuguese national side in January 2023 after former manager Fernando Santos decided to step down. The Spaniard previously served as Belgium's manager.
Having achieved great success at the club level with the likes of Porto, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid, Mourinho could have been a great option to lead the Selecao. He is currently without a club after leaving AS Roma this season.