Chelsea are on a roll. They’re scoring goals, winning games and doing well. That means there’s plenty of praise to go around – we’ve seen Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer and various other players given their moment in the sun at different times in the last few weeks.
Last night it looked to be Renato Veiga’s turn. The left back scored the opening goal of the 4-2 win over Gent which brought things into focus, but the praise he got was really more of a holistic appreciation for his progress since joining the club than just for a good game and a good header last night.
Today we hear the news that he’s been called up to the senior Portugal squad. That’s his second callup to the senior squad, having also attended the camp in September. Veiga didn’t get on the pitch in either of those two games, and will be hoping to go one better this time around.
Os 26 convocados de Roberto Martínez! 🇵🇹
Como avalias a convocatória?#sporttvportugal #Portugal #LigadasNações #Seleção pic.twitter.com/NK0tlgWVjq
— sport tv (@sporttvportugal) October 4, 2024
A major chance to continue upwards trajectory
It would be a just reward for a good start to the season. As recently as last season he would have felt pretty distance from the senior team, playing at Basel without much hype. But as we see so often, a move to a top team brings you into the spotlight, and now Roberto Martinez seems to be paying more and more attention.
This break gives him a nice opportunity to bed in further with the national team, and also potentially to make his full debut. The same versatility that is helping him get regular appearances for us should also help his chances of minutes for the national team.
The €14m we paid is starting to look like a bargain, and will look even better once he’s got a full cap from his country.
