Matheus Nunes assured this Monday, June 15, that the national team players are “ready” for their debut at the 2026 World Cup, scheduled for this Wednesday, against the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Houston.
At a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, the Manchester City player assured that the storm the day before that prevented the team from carrying out the planned training session “in no way” affected the team’s preparation. “We have to look as naturally as possible and try to adapt, I remember well what happened in the Club World Cup,” he said.
“These are unexpected things of nature. It can happen in a game and we have to be prepared for it. If we have to wait half an hour during a game, we have to know what to do”, he highlighted.
Asked about the fact that he could play as a winger or as a midfielder, Matheus Nunes assured that he was “comfortable” in both positions, refusing to reveal which one he likes to play more. “It’s the option of misterwe have full-backs who can play as central defenders, midfielders. We have very versatile players. We have to be ready to play in any position”, he said.
Regarding the tournament, he recalled that “it is a fast competition” in which “all teams have quality”. As such, the corner team has to “face each game with a final”.
On a more personal level, he said that when he was at Ericeirense he “didn’t imagine” that one day he could be in a World Cup, but he “dreamed that it could happen” and that’s what he says he worked “very hard” for. “I’m very proud of my journey, I worked with my head down trying to be better. I always had a circle that gave me a lot of support. Much of who I am is because of them. It’s great to be here, but I want to win”, he highlighted.
Matheus Nunes wants to “make the most of” what he says is “the most beautiful competition in the world”. “We are representing our country, playing for 10 million. It would be nice to leave with the title, I’m not a hypocrite, but if we don’t leave, we have to feel like we gave everything”, he added.
When asked about the players’ trips to the beach, he assured that “it was part of the work plan to adapt to the climate”. “I spend the year in Manchester, where there isn’t this heat… it’s a brutal difference,” he said.
Upon arrival in the USA, Matheus Nunes had Diogo Jota’s biography in his hand and revealed that he started reading it during the trip. “I’m discovering things I didn’t know”, he began by saying, recognizing that the career of the striker who died last year in a car accident in Spain, “was one of overcoming”. “It wasn’t easy for him or for other players. It was a very beautiful career. I’m sure you look at us. We carry him in our hearts”, he highlighted.
Matheus Nunes later recalled his choice to represent the national team and not Brazil, the country where he was born. “I would say it was difficult to make the decision to choose Portugal because I feel like I belong to both equally. In football I owe more to Portugal than to Brazil. That’s where I lived during the period in which I started to play seriously, in Brazil I was never federated. I’m very proud to have chosen Portugal”, he said, not revealing whether he intends to be in a final between the two teams: “It would be special, whatever it is. I want to be in the final. I want to win.”
