List of Portugal national football team captains

The first Portugal captain was Cândido de Oliveira, who captained Portugal in the international match against Spain on 18 December 1921. This was his only international appearance. Vítor Gonçalves captained Portugal in their first international on home soil, on 17 December 1922 against the same opposition. The current individual with the most caps, as captain of the Portugal team is Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the current captain of Portugal

List of captains

As of 23 March 2025

#	Player	Portugal career	Caps as captain[note 1]	Total caps[note 1]	First captaincy	Last captaincy	Ref(s)
1	Cândido de Oliveira	1921	1	1	18 December 1921	18 December 1921	[1]
2	Vítor Gonçalves	1921–1922	1	2	17 December 1922	17 December 1922	[2]
3	Alberto Rio	1922–1923	1	2	16 December 1923	16 December 1923	[3]
4	Jorge Vieira	1921–1928	13 (15)[note 2]	15 (17)[note 2]	17 May 1925	4 June 1928	[4]
5	Augusto Silva	1925–1934	8	20 (21)[note 3]	17 March 1929	18 March 1934	[5]
6	Francisco Serra e Moura	1928–1930	1	3	12 January 1930	12 January 1930	[6]
7	Tamanqueiro	1925–1930	1	15 (17)[note 2]	23 February 1930	23 February 1930	[7]
8	António Roquete	1926–1933	1	15 (16)[note 3]	8 June 1930	8 June 1930	[8]
9	João Santos	1926–1931	1	9 (11)[note 2]	30 November 1930	30 November 1930	[9]
10	Valdemar Mota	1928–1936	2	21	12 April 1931	31 May 1931	[10]
11	Gustavo Teixeira	1930–1938	7 (9)[note 4]	8 (10)[note 4]	5 May 1935	6 November 1938	[11]
12	Adolfo Mourão	1934–1942	2	13 (15)[note 4]	12 February 1939	12 January 1941	[12]
13	Gaspar Pinto	1934–1942	1	6 (7)[note 5]	28 January 1940	28 January 1940	[13]
14	Pinga	1930–1942	2	19 (21)[note 4]	16 March 1941	1 January 1942	[14]
15	Álvaro Cardoso	1941–1947	10	13	11 March 1945	25 May 1947	[15]
16	Fernando Peyroteo	1938–1949	1	20	23 November 1947	23 November 1947	[16]
17	Francisco Ferreira	1940–1951	12	25	21 March 1948	17 June 1951	[17]
18	Octávio Barrosa	1945–1950	1	7	21 May 1950	21 May 1950	[18]
19	José Travassos	1947–1958	2	35	8 April 1951	18 December 1955	[19]
20	Serafim Neves	1945–1953	1	18	20 April 1952	20 April 1952	[20]
21	Ângelo Carvalho	1950–1955	2	15	23 November 1952	14 December 1952	[21]
22	Serafim Baptista	1950–1953	1	6	27 September 1953	27 September 1953	[22]
23	Manuel Passos	1952–1957	15	17	21 November 1953	24 March 1957	[23]
24	José Maria Pedroto	1952–1957	4	17	1 May 1957	16 June 1957	[24]
25	Virgílio Mendes	1949–1960	9	39	22 December 1957	8 May 1960	[25]
26	Fernando Mendes	1959–1965	5	21	21 June 1959	7 June 1964	[26]
27	José Águas	1952–1962	7	25	11 November 1959	17 May 1962	[27]
28	Hernâni da Silva	1953–1964	1	28	7 November 1962	7 November 1962	[28]
29	Mário Coluna	1955–1968	21	57	16 December 1962	11 December 1968	[29]
30	Germano de Figueiredo	1953–1966	9	24	15 November 1964	16 July 1966	[30]
31	José Augusto	1958–1968	7	45	25 January 1965	17 December 1967	[31]
32	Fernando Peres	1964–1972	2	27	6 April 1969	10 May 1972	[32]
33	Hilário da Conceição	1959–1971	5	40	16 April 1969	17 February 1971	[33]
34	Eusébio	1961–1973	16	64	4 May 1969	13 October 1973	[34]
35	José Carlos	1961–1971	4	36	10 December 1969	12 May 1971	[35]
36	Humberto Coelho	1968–1983	40 (41)[note 6]	63 (64)[note 6]	14 November 1973	27 April 1983	[36]
37	Toni	1969–1978	4	32 (33)[note 6]	19 November 1975	16 October 1976	[37]
38	Nené	1971–1984	6	65 (66)[note 6]	5 December 1976	28 October 1983	[38]
39	João Alves	1974–1983	1	35 (36)[note 6]	24 September 1980	24 September 1980	[39]
40	Manuel Bento	1976–1986	26	63	15 October 1980	3 June 1986	[40]
41	Fernando Gomes	1975–1988	6	47 (48)[note 6]	23 February 1983	16 November 1988	[41]
42	Carlos Coelho	1982–1983	1	3	8 June 1983	8 June 1983	[42]
43	Manuel Fernandes	1975–1987	5	30 (31)[note 6]	12 October 1986	29 March 1987	[43]
44	Álvaro Magalhães	1981–1988	1	20	4 February 1987	4 February 1987	[44]
45	João Domingos Pinto	1983–1996	44	70	11 November 1987	9 November 1996	[45]
46	Dito	1981–1987	1	17	5 December 1987	5 December 1987	[46]
47	Frederico Rosa	1985–1989	1	18	20 December 1987	20 December 1987	[47]
48	Rui Jordão	1972–1989	2	43	12 October 1988	25 January 1989	[48]
49	António Veloso	1981–1994	1	40	29 August 1990	29 August 1990	[49]
50	Paulo Futre	1983–1995	4	41	31 March 1993	10 November 1993	[50]
51	Oceano	1985–1998	4	54	19 June 1993	11 October 1997	[51]
52	Vítor Paneira	1988–1996	1	44	20 April 1994	20 April 1994	[52]
53	Nelo	1990–1995	1 (2)[note 7]	10 (11)[note 7]	26 January 1995	29 January 1995	[53]
54	Jorge Costa	1992–2002	1	49 (50)[note 7]	3 June 1995	3 June 1995	[54]
55	Vítor Baía	1990–2002	40	80	3 September 1995	25 May 2002	[55]
56	Fernando Couto	1990–2004	44	110	12 December 1995	12 June 2004	[56]
57	Luís Figo	1991–2006	23	127	2 June 2001	5 July 2006	[57]
58	João Vieira Pinto	1991–2002	1	81	6 June 2001	6 June 2001	[58]
59	Pauleta	1997–2006	9	88	4 September 2004	8 July 2006	[59]
60	Costinha	1998–2006	8	53	8 September 2004	11 October 2006	[60]
61	Nuno Gomes	1996–2011	9	79	15 November 2006	19 June 2008	[61]
62	Cristiano Ronaldo	2003–present	158	219	6 February 2007	23 March 2025	[62]
63	Jorge Andrade	2001–2007	4	51	24 March 2007	22 August 2009	[63]
64	Deco	2003–2010	2	75	5 June 2007	31 March 2009	[64]
65	Fernando Meira	2000–2008	1	54	15 June 2008	15 June 2008	[65]
66	Simão Sabrosa	1998–2010	8	85	20 August 2008	8 June 2010	[66]
67	Ricardo Carvalho	2003–2016	5	89	10 June 2009	29 May 2016	[67]
68	Bruno Alves	2007–2018	6	96	29 March 2011	16 June 2015	[68]
69	Pepe	2007–2024	14	141	14 November 2012	21 March 2024	[69]
70	Nani	2006–2017	9	112	15 October 2013	2 July 2017	[70]
71	Vieirinha	2013–2016	1	25	17 November 2015	17 November 2015	[71]
72	João Moutinho	2005–2022	6	146	2 June 2018	2 June 2022	[72]
73	Beto	2009–2018	1	16	14 October 2018	14 October 2018	[73]
74	Rui Patrício	2010–present	2	108	17 November 2018	17 November 2022	[74]
75	Bernardo Silva	2015–present	3	100	11 September 2023	8 September 2024	[75]
76	Rúben Dias	2018–present	1	66	4 June 2024	4 June 2024	[76]
77	João Cancelo	2016–present	1	60	18 November 2024	18 November 2024	[77]

Unofficial captaincies

The following players captained a side in a FIFA-declared unofficial match. Nevertheless, the Portuguese Football Federation has decided to award caps to the intervening footballers and as a result these matches were taken into account in the above table.

#	Captain	Opponent	Score[note 8]	Venue	Date	Ref(s)
1	Jorge Vieira	Czechoslovakia Amateurs	1–1	Campo do Ameal, Porto	24 January 1926	[78]
2	Jorge Vieira	Spain B	0–2	Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid, Madrid	29 May 1927	[79]
3	Gustavo Teixeira	Spain Nationalists	2–1	Balaídos, Vigo	28 November 1937	[80]
4	Gustavo Teixeira	Spain Nationalists	1–0	Campo das Salésias, Lisbon	30 January 1938	[81]
5	Humberto Coelho	Goiás	1–2	Estádio Serra Dourada, Goiânia	9 March 1975	[82]
6	Nelo	Denmark League	1–0	SkyDome, Toronto	29 January 1995	[83]

Footnotes

1. When applicable, the columns sort the number of caps recognized by the Portuguese Football Federation, written in parentheses. The 2007 friendly in Kuwait was in fact an against Al-Salmiya although FIFA at the time recognized the team as a legitimate representative of the Kuwait Football Association and sanctioned the game which resulted in being accepted as a full international match and as such FIFA awarded caps.
2. Includes two caps recognized by the Portuguese Football Federation but not by FIFA, against Czechoslovakia Amateurs and Spain B played in 1926 and 1927 respectively.
3. Includes one cap recognized by the Portuguese Football Federation but not by FIFA, against Spain B played in 1927.
4. Includes two caps recognized by the Portuguese Football Federation but not by FIFA, both against Spain Nationalist played in 1937 and 1938.
5. Includes one cap recognized by the Portuguese Football Federation but not by FIFA, against Spain Nationalist played in 1937.
6. Includes one cap recognized by the Portuguese Football Federation but not by FIFA, against Goiás played in 1975.
7. Includes one cap recognized by the Portuguese Football Federation but not by FIFA, against a team representing the Danish league played in 1995 for the SkyDome Cup.
8. Portugal's score is shown first.