Can this winking, walking hair-gel ad inspire Portugal to Euro glory? Photograph: Francisco Leong/AFP/Getty Images

The challenge is to get as far into this piece as possible without mentioning his name. It’s not easy: Portugal’s hopes of completing their European Championship odyssey (quarter-final in 1996, semi-final in 2000, final in 2004, winners in 2008) depend on something career-defining from the Portuguese player. If he is not the best player in the world then he is surely the best at these championships (England didn’t qualify).

Nobody will wear fingerless gloves this summer, unless in a higher state of irony. Bronski Beat’s peerless synth-pop will not be infiltrating the upper echelons of the hit parade. Ferris Bueller will not be taking a day off. Yet in Portugal it is 1986, as there is sincere expectation that the 42-goal Manchester United wide forward can ape Maradona and single-handedly lead his side to victory at a major tournament. This month’s FourFourTwo even devoted an entire article to the subject.

Besides the fact that the so-called winker is not yet in Maradona’s class, there is little modern precedent for the one-man team at the highest level. When Alan Ball, in his first training session at Southampton, told the rest of the squad that they were now basically servants to Matt Le Tissier, that was fine: he was talking to Francis Benali, Simon Charlton and Iain Dowie. Telling Deco and Simão Sabrosa the same is another matter entirely. Not that Luiz Felipe Scolari would say or even think as much. Officially, Portugal are all about collective responsibility. But everybody knows the truth.

If the dream is to eventuate, the walking hair-gel advert will enjoy the side effect of obliterating the idea that he is a big-game bottler. That perception may have been given minimal credence in a Manchester United shirt for two seasons between 2005 and 2007, but for Portugal there should be no such accusations. He was their best player at the World Cup. In the semi-final, when his team-mates had accepted their fate, the former Mr Gemma Atkinson was still demanding the ball and making crucial incisions, despite his every touch being booed. At Euro 2004, a tournament that could easily have passed off as anonymously as his namesake’s first major tournament, the 1994 World Cup, he became the (ultimately tearful) face of a nation’s hopes, scoring in the semi-final and stretching England to breaking point in the quarters.

Portugal will depend on the alleged prostitution-industry benefactor for inspiration, but more importantly for the almost mundane commodity of goals: he scored eight in qualification, and the next best were Nuno Gomes and Simão with three. The Pauleta Problem - the lack of a top-class centre-forward to head their familiar 4-2-3-1 formation - continues to dog Portugal. Against England at the World Cup they gave up and played a vaguely shambolic 4-2-4-0. There is an option to play him up front rather than on the wing, but compromising any strength to cover a weakness is bad sporting practice. To compromise the ultimate strength makes no sense at all.

Instead he will play on the wing, with Deco the schemer behind either Werder Bremen’s Hugo Almeida or the faithful old dog Nuno Gomes. There are significant doubts over Deco, whose hunger for the game has diminished as his girth has increased, but on the field he remains mischief personified, a playmaker of the richest quality. Almeida and Gomes deserve sympathy: in terms of scrutiny and job security, playing up front for Portugal is up there with being the England wicketkeeper or a Sugababe. The other wide player will be either Simão, Nani or Ricardo Quaresma: all wildly gifted, all, at times, wildly exasperating in their decision-making. Simão is probably the safest bet, Nani the most intriguing. Whoever is picked will be given licence to roam in a contemporary structure designed to facilitate individual expression.

The midfield protection will come from Armando Petit, a world-weary shield who is to retire from international football after this tournament, and probably one of Sporting Lisbon’s much-touted youngsters, Miguel Veloso and João Moutinho. Porto’s Raul Meireles, an accomplished passer, may also sneak in. There is no place even in the squad for Maniche, who has gone on a European tour (Moscow, London, Madrid, Milan) over the last four years but failed to find the mojo he had on home soil during Euro 2004. The back four will probably only have one survivor from the first XI at that tournament, the splendid Ricardo Carvalho, but remains solid enough with the likes of Real Madrid’s Pepe, the humble Paulo Ferreira, who may play at left-back, and Chelsea’s new right-back Jose Bosingwa.

It’s a decent enough package, but whether it justifies Portugal’s status as bona fide contenders is open to debate. They reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, but were not particularly impressive in doing so: they scored only one goal in the knockout stages and failed to impress against England and France. (It was difficult to discern much from the Holland game.) And they made a bit of a meal of qualifying, finishing behind Poland and winning only half their 14 games. They even failed to win away to Armenia. They have lost both friendlies since then: to Italy and - a feeling they know all too well - to Greece, although in the latter game Portugal were missing a few players, including him.

On the plus side, Scolari so far has guaranteed at least a semi-final place, even if his returns have diminished with each tournament: winner in 2002, finalist in 2004 and semi-finalist in 2006. The semis seem the likeliest outcome; anything more depends on Cristiano Ronaldo. For the rest of the squad, the challenge is to get as far as possible without the world mentioning only his name.

About this articleCloseThis article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Wednesday May 28 2008. It was last updated at 14:53 on May 28 2008.

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