"He chose the French national team" - Martinez explains why he left the young talent out of the World Cup squad
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Portugal national team head coach Roberto Martinez has put an end to one of the main transfer sagas of this spring.
Details: The "European Brazilians" boss Roberto Martinez commented on the omission of Bournemouth’s young star Eli Junior Krupi from Portugal’s final World Cup squad. As it turns out, the reason had nothing to do with the player's sporting merits, but rather with his personal choice.
Martinez admitted that the Portuguese Football Federation did everything possible to convince the player to join their ranks:
“Before the March training camp, we reached out and made an official offer. But there’s a big difference between targeting players who are theoretically eligible to wear the Portugal shirt and the player’s own desire. In this case, Junior was clear about his intention to represent France. We fully respect his decision,” the coach stated.
Thus, the 19-year-old wonderkid with Portuguese roots has made a final choice in favor of "Les Bleus," turning down the chance to play at the World Cup alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
It’s worth noting that this season the talented youngster played 33 matches for Bournemouth and scored 12 goals.
Reminder: The Portugal national team has announced its World Cup squad.
