"Aspire, Dare, Dream, and Trust": The Prime Minister's Message

Luís Montenegro, Portugal's Prime Minister, greeted each of the 27 players called up by Roberto Martínez, along with the rest of the Portuguese delegation, with a broad smile during a reception at São Bento Palace this Friday, just minutes before the National Team departed for the United States.

Pedro Dias, Secretary of State for Sport, and Margarida Balseiro Lopes, Minister of Youth and Modernization, who oversees sports, joined the Prime Minister in welcoming the Portuguese squad.

"First and foremost, I wish for you to enjoy yourselves, to relish being in a World Cup final phase with joy, confidence, and enthusiasm. No one can achieve the desired outcome with bitterness and sadness. Secondly, within this spirit, we believe it's important that you have no fear; honor, aspire, dare, dream, and trust, because your talent is extraordinary. This is a generation with capability, a spirit of mutual help, availability, and generosity towards our people. Finally, there's the involvement of an entire country, people, and nation. I know that in the coming days, you will carry a great responsibility, a great pleasure, and the honor of representing us. I know you carry with you the irreplaceable support of your blood families, and also the family that is this National Team, the entire staff. I want you to know that you also carry a wider family: that of Portuguese people living in Portugal and in every corner of the world. We are with you, together, looking at this World Cup with our feet on the ground, but with great confidence and hope, so that these heroes of Portugal can feel that support. This spirit will be spread across so many parts of the world with the same sense of closeness, comparable to those closest to you and to the 28th player, Diogo Jota, who is part of the spirit and soul of this campaign. Good luck, confidence, and a strong spirit of nationality, which is one of friendship and solidarity. Viva Portugal," was Luís Montenegro's message to the Portuguese delegation.

Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, also spoke, expressing gratitude and offering assurances: "It will be done with great humility. Today, we have a capable National Team that has prepared meticulously. This team continues to find joy and pleasure in representing Portugal. With humility, without arrogance, we will embrace our role. We have eight finals ahead of us where we can achieve what has never been done before. We all go with great confidence that this year will be Portugal's year."

A Portuguesa (the Portuguese national anthem) echoed through São Bento as Portugal bid farewell on their way to the United States.