‘I Hope That Can Happen’ – Burnley Star Makes World Cup Admission
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Burnley star Florentino Luis has revealed that he is dreaming of making Portugal’s squad for the upcoming World Cup, but he is well aware of the world-class competition he needs to see off in order to achieve that.
The Portuguese midfielder had ample Premier League interest last summer as his long-term admirers, Leeds United, were keen.
David Moyes’ Everton also wanted Florentino, but newly promoted Burnley snapped him up on a season-long loan deal from Benfica with a conditional obligation to buy.
The 26-year-old has been one of Scott Parker’s go-to options in his squad, but Burnley are struggling badly in the Premier League.
The Turf Moor outfit currently sit second-bottom in the league table, a whopping eleven points away from safety.
Florentino, though, is not shying away from his World Cup chances, as he is dreaming of making Roberto Martinez’s Portugal squad in the summer.
The Portugal national team have a superstar-filled engine room as Paris Saint-Germain midfield duo Vitinha and Joao Neves are options, alongside Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, and a handful of other stars around the world are ahead of the Burnley man in the pecking order.
Florentino knows that he needs to be extremely consistent to even have a chance of catching Martinez’s eye.
“I hope that can happen, although it is very difficult, because the range of players that the national team has is of very high quality”, Florentino told Portuguese programme Bola Branca (via Noticias Ao Minuto).
“They are all players who are very consistent at the club.
“I believe that’s the key word, consistency.”
Florentino was born in Angola and he admitted that he wants to do something for the unfortunate people of Angola.
However, he is clear that he wants to represent Portugal, who he has played for at multiple youth levels.
“Of course, Angola was an idea I had in mind, to do social projects, to help people who are a little more needy there, but on the field, I intend to represent Portugal.
“Just as I have done in the past, in the future, I intend to do it again.”
Florentino was considered a top talent when he was young, and his close to 200 senior appearances for Benfica show what his talent levels have been.
However, he last played for the Portugal Under-21s back in 2021, and it remains to be seen if he will get close to reaching his lofty ambition of representing his country in the World Cup later this year.
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