Cristiano Ronaldo is not having the best of times. The Portuguese captain recently suffered a neck sprain, putting his participation against Al-Hilal at risk. To make matters worse, FIFA has released the latest international teams’ rankings in which Portugal has seen their position slip.

The Portugal national team has been in imperious form recently. They have won 10 out of 10 European qualifiers since their loss against Morocco in the World Cup. Without a doubt, they have a claim to be the most in-form team in Europe right now. However, FIFA does not seem to think that way.

The latest FIFA rankings witness Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal slip down!

As per the latest rankings, Portugal has dropped to the 7th spot from their previous rank of six. Remarkably, teams like Belgium and Brazil are ahead of Portugal despite not being in the best form. Moreover, Brazil has been winless in their last three games, and fans are scratching their heads. The news shocked the Portuguese fans, who saw their team produce top performances. 

The team’s next match will be an international friendly against Sweden in 2024. Hence, it seems Roberto Martinez’s side will probably remain in the 7th rank until March. However, judging from their recent performances, the fans remain optimistic about their progress to the top. 

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Firstly, the team has reduced the dependence on Cr7, and they do not expect him to be the sole goalscorer. Additionally, the appointment of Roberto Martinez has proven to be a masterstroke. The new coach emphasizes more attacking play, thus bringing out the best in his players and satisfying the fans.

Yet, if you wonder how Portugal saw their rankings slip despite winning ten consecutive matches, the ranking procedure works differently.

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Analyzing the FIFA ranking procedure

In simple words, they determine the FIFA ranking by adding the points gained during the last 12 months to the points tally in the previous 36 months. The points per match are dependent on four factors- result (M), importance (I), opposition strength (T), and confederation (C). Unfortunately, with Portugal, the I and C criteria did not favor them.

European qualifiers do not fetch the same points as World Cup games or Euro matches. Moreover, none of Portugal’s recent opponents are a noteworthy opposition. Iceland was probably their strongest rival, and they failed to qualify for Qatar 2022. Hence, one can describe the FIFA rankings as challenging but fair in the case of Portugal.

What are your thoughts on the latest FIFA rankings? Let us know in the comments below.

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