As a young player in Portugal, Pedro Neto grew up dreaming of one day emulating the exploits of his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo and several other of the gameโs greatest players at the World Cup.
Those childhood ambitions became a reality this summer. Neto featured in Portugalโs first two World Cup matches, providing an assist in the opener against DR Congo and starting in a convincing 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.
He participated in these games alongside one of his idols: Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary striker, now 41, is still making his mark on the biggest stage, having scored two goals against Uzbekistan last time out.
Neto remembers watching the 2010 World Cup with a friend in the Portuguese city of Braga and hoping to one day follow in the footsteps of those he supported.
โIt was very motivating,โ he says. โAfter that you start to feel like you want to be there one day. Of course, you dream and say: โI can do this.โ Hopefully (this summer) I can do that and help the team.
At the World Cup that followed, several of the Chelsea strikerโs childhood heroes left their mark on the World Cup.
โOf course, Cristiano Ronaldo,โ Neto replied when asked to remember the players he enjoyed watching in previous tournaments. โLionel Messi and Neymar in 2018 were also incredible. And Eden Hazard with Belgium (at that World Cup).
Portugal will next face already-qualified Colombia in their final group game in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time. A win will make them Group K winners.