Stuttgart: The Portugal squad returned home from the World Cup on Sunday to a reception of cheers from thousands of fans gathered at Lisbon airport to welcome the players.
Luis Felipe Scolari’s Portugal finished fourth after losing 1-3 to Germany on Saturday, after which winger Luis Figo and striker Pedro Pauleta announced their retirements from international soccer.
The fans, wearing the national colours, waved flags and scarves while chanting and shouting their support and thanks. “The team should be congratulated and cheered,” one fan told a Portuguese TV station. “More important than achieving great victories, we must remember we finished ahead of teams like Brazil, Argentina, England and others.
“What Scolari has done for the country in terms of unity, is much more than any politician has ever done for us. He should stay,” he added.
The players attended a large party with more than 7,000 fans to hear live music at the Jamor stadium on the outskirts of Lisbon. Players gathered on the pitch with Scolari, sang the national anthem and then danced to popular Portuguese tunes.
Figo thanked the Portuguese fans for their support. “Thank you for backing us all the way. We wanted to bring you the Cup but we couldn’t. Thank you and long live Portugal,” he said.
Scolari has said he needs a few days to ponder his future. He said before the third-place game with Germany that money was not his main consideration.
“At this stage in my life I want sun, Bermuda shorts and sand,” said Scolari. “If I show you the offers I’ve had in the last three years from clubs and other nationals, then I can say I’ve lost a lot of money.”
Scolari came to Germany in search of a place in the record books as the only coach to win the World Cup with different countries. Scolari guided his native Brazil to their record fifth title four years ago.
Portugal don’t have Brazil’s pedigree nor their depth of talent. For all his motivational skills, Scolari just didn’t have the clay to mould a champion, although he turned Portugal into a challenger to the major soccer nations before they finished fourth in the World Cup.
“It was more difficult to reach a semi-final with Portugal than the final with Brazil, because there are only 10 million people in Portugal compared to 180 million in Brazil,” he said.
Costinha acknowledged that Portugal are not one of the sport’s big hitters. “We’re still one of European soccer’s poor cousins,” he said.
Despite the limitations, Scolari’s Portugal made an impact with their longest run at the World Cup in 40 years. Finishing fourth was their best showing since Eusebio’s 1966 team came in third.
With Scolari at the helm for the past three years, the Portuguese have chalked up their best series of results.
Portugal’s 0-1 loss to France in the semi-finals snapped a 19-game unbeaten streak dating back to early last year and was their first competitive loss since they fell by the same margin against Greece in the final of the 2004 European Championship.
And Portugal’s unbeaten run in their first five games in Germany handed Scolari 12 straight World Cup games without a loss. “Nobody expected us to come this far. We were a long shot,” he said. “We’ve shown here that we’re one of the four best teams in the world.”
The achievement was largely due to Scolari’s influence. Portugal before Scolari were a talented and entertaining team, but one that remained on the fringes of world soccer’s aristocracy. In their only other World Cup appearances, in 1986 and 2002, they didn’t get past the group phase.
There are skilled players left, though, who will carry the torch into the 2008 European Championship. Midfield mastermind Deco, Ronaldo, and Maniche and Tiago play at some of Europe’s biggest clubs and in Germany gained the experience to move up into leadership roles. Will Scolari still be around to see it?
