His story reminds us that when we believe very strongly in our qualities, we can lift mountains.
At 27, Raphaël Guerreiro is known to be a leading left-back, holder in Dortmund but also with the Portuguese selection which faces Germany this Saturday, in Munich (6 p.m., M 6 and BeIN Sports), for his second Euro match.
Facing Hungary (3-0) four days earlier, Guerreiro freed the Selecçao by opening the scoring at the end of the match.
His deflected shot in the box allowed the reigning European champions to avoid headaches.
The looming 0-0 would have been a poor performance against the supposedly weakest team in the group.
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The double of Cristiano Ronaldo, who became the top scorer in the history of the Euro, took all the media light.
However, after the match, the coach Fernando Santos, did not fail to congratulate Guerreiro for his good performance against the Hungarians: “When he arrived in selection, at 18-19 years old, he was still a kid, he played in France in a team whose name nobody knows…
(Editor's note: Lorient).
But he was already evolving with Portugal among young people (U 21).
I called him and he played several matches before the European Championship.
Then Euro 2016 arrived.
Nothing surprises me in what Raphael does.
What he can do I have already known for years.
He is ready to play against any opponent.
"
Le Roux: "He was already revolutionizing the post"
With 47 caps, and more than 150 matches in Dortmund, including eight this season in the Champions League (1 goal against Lazio), Raphaël Guerreiro is no longer a novice.
The time when he skimmed the grounds at Clairefontaine, in the hope of convincing a professional club, is already far away.
Caen trusted him.
From 2008 to 2013, the defender studied in Normandy, alongside Thomas Lemar in particular.
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Launched very young, he got everyone to agree, compensating for his small size (1.70 m) with an above-average science of the game. His technical qualities and speed greatly pleased Christophe Le Roux, at the origin of his signing in Lorient in 2013. “He corresponded to the DNA of the club, in relation to the player he was and what we were doing. in terms of recruiting with Ligue 2 players that we launched in Ligue 1. Few people would have bet on him but we loved it. He was energizing for his team, he was already revolutionizing the post with this ability to be able to go inside, pass outside with and without the ball… ”
Over the seasons, and even more in Dortmund, Raphaël Guerreiro has proven his reliability and versatility by occupying all positions on the left, even as a runner. Solicited younger by the French selection, and although he was born in Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis), he has never been tempted to wear the Blue jersey. “It was always my decision,” he said a few years ago. The defender is today the pride of his family: a Portuguese father supporting Benfica, a brother fan of Porto, the other of Sporting and a French mother. They dream of seeing him a second time on the roof of Europe.
