Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Portugal include Pepe in preliminary World Cup squad

May 11, 2010 20:10 IST

Real Madrid defender Pepe was included in Portugal's preliminary 24-man squad for the World Cup on Monday, proving his recovery from a long-term knee injury.

Brazil-born Pepe, who cost Real Madrid 30 million euros ($40.25 million) from Porto in 2007, damaged knee ligaments in December and has not played since.

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz produced several surprises with Deportivo Coruna central defender Ze Castro called up even though he did not feature in the squad for any of the qualifiers.

"Of course, it's a surprise as this year I hadn't been called up consistently... I would have had more hopes if the season had gone like I thought it could have, I had plenty of physical problems but now I am at my best," Castro told the SportTV channel.

Queiroz called up four other central defenders, including a surprise selection for Lille's Ricardo Costa.

But like Pepe, Castro can also play in front of the defence as he did in his only cap in a friendly last year.

"When I played for the national side against Estonia, I played as a sweeper, and the coach knows I can play in that position," the 27 year-old Castro added.

Queiroz also included two goalkeepers with little international experience, Porto's Beto and Iraklis' Daniel Fernandes keeping Benfica's Quim and Chelsea's Hilario out.

In midfield, Sporting's Joao Moutinho, who played in five qualifiers but had a low-key season, was the main omission.

His club mate Yannick Djalo was left out of Portugal's frontline, with Queiroz calling up Zenit forward Danny who has returned to form after a knee injury.

The list will be reduced to 23 players by June 1.

Portugal's provisional 24-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Beto (Porto), Daniel Fernandes (Iraklis), Eduardo (Braga)

Defenders: Fabio Coentrao (Benfica), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Ze Castro (Deportivo La Coruna), Bruno Alves (Porto), Rolando (Porto), Ricardo Costa (Lille), Duda (Malaga), Pepe (Real Madrid), Miguel (Valencia)

Midfielders: Tiago (Atletico Madrid), Deco (Chelsea), Raul Meireles (Porto), Nani (Manchester United), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Pedro Mendes (Sporting Lisbon)

Forwards: Simao Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Liedson (Sporting Lisbon), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Danny (Zenit St Petersburg).

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.