Bosnia national team is preparing for likely the most difficult match of the EURO 2024 qualifiers, with the Portuguese team as an opponent. Journalist Pedro Pinto, a media professional, former sports anchor for CNN and managing director of communications at UEFA, spoke to N1, commenting on this match and other sports-related topics. Pročitaj više

Asked to describe his nation, the Portuguese, Pinto said they were very passionate and motivated when it comes to football, which is probably the number one among a few things that people enjoy there.

According to him, the Portugal national team, which has many excellent individuals, could have been even more successful in the past if they had played as a team.

He deems that former coach Felipe Scolari had changed that, which is when the team's structure got better.

Speaking about further development of the team, Pinto said that it is fair to say that Portugal is going through a transition phase.

He recalled that coach Santos, who led the team through several qualifying cycles, won the EURO title in 2016 but ever since then Portugal did not manage to use its potential, according to Pinto, who believes that the Portuguese team can achieve a lot more with the talent its players possess.

As for the upcoming match against the Bosnians, he deems that this is the first true test in these qualifiers, with the pressure on the Portuguese.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is an outsider and they could use it, he said, adding that – as a Portuguese, he hopes that won't happen.

He also spoke about Edin Dzeko, Bosnia national team's captain and one of the greatest players in history of Bosnian football.

He is a legend of European football, Pinto said about Dzeko, calling him a “killer” on the pitch and an incredibly talented player.

According to Pinto, Dzeko will be the biggest threat for Portugal and deserves to get to the EURO 2024 in Germany, which he does not mind as long as Portugal goes too.

Speaking about other international athletes coming from Bosnia, he said there are many besides Dzeko, especially in basketball, suggesting that the country could use the sports in its diplomacy.

As for the upcoming Portugal vs Bosnia match on Saturday within the EURO 2024 qualifiers, Pinto believes that Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the starting lineup and that there is a great pressure both on the player but also on the coach, who is expected to put Ronaldo in the starting 11.

According to Pinto, Bernardo Silva is currently Portugal's best player but he has no idea about his shape at the moment, considering the recent celebration of the title with his Manchester City team.

He repeated that Portugal's team is individually strong but in 2016 they were strong as a team, which has not been the case since then.

Speaking about the athletes from the region, he pointed out Croatia's Luka Modric as someone who won prestigious awards but is very modest person. Although Croatia has many successful players, he said, Luka is a true star.

In Serbia, he is impressed by Novak Djokovic and Nikola Jokic, who is, according to Pinto, one of the best players of all time.

We live in the world where the players from the Balkans shine and it is incredible what they do on the world stage, he added.