Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says that the mere presence of Lionel Messi in Argentina squad and Ronaldo in Portugal squad make both strong contenders for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will start on June 14 and end July 15. Argentina are in Group D alongside Nigeria, Croatia and debutant Iceland.
Aside from Messi, Mourinho also tipped Portugal to go for the title in Russia because of the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi almost led Argentina to World Cup glory in 2014 in Brazil only to see his side lose 1-0 to Germany in the final after extra-time.
On his part, Ronaldo’s closes chance of winning the World Cup was in 2006 in Germany with Portugal getting to the semi-final.
“Portugal has an interesting squad. Without Cristiano, it would be impossible,” Mourinho told ESPN Brazil.
“But with him nothing is impossible. I believe that the Argentinian national team without Lionel Messi wouldn’t be a contender. But with him, it is one of the favourites.”
The former Chelsea boss also tipped Spain as a team that must not be overlooked.
He added: “We have the traditional teams of Europe, but I believe Spain is once again a real team. They were able to get together players with the same game philosophy, adapted to that playing style.
“I would say that Spain is in better condition than any other European rivals. But let’s see. It is going to be entertaining to me, I’ll be in Russia for a week to follow the games and then finally vacation.”
