Flávio Nazinho will train with Portugal’s senior team for the first time on Monday evening, less than 24 hours after Nuno Tavares came off injured in Naples.
The Lazio defender was substituted at the interval of Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Napoli, leaving Jorge Jesus without a specialist left-back in his original 28-man squad. Nazinho, formed at Sporting CP and now 23, is the replacement.
Monaco confirmed the call-up on their own website before the Portuguese federation did, announcing him as a reinforcement for the final two Group A4 fixtures of the Nations League. Portugal host Denmark at the Estádio Municipal de Braga on 14 November, kick-off 8:45pm local time, before travelling to Cardiff three days later.
From Cercle Brugge to the Principality
Nazinho made 11 senior appearances at Sporting before moving on, spent three seasons at Belgian club Cercle Brugge, and arrived at Monaco in the summer transfer window for a reported €5m. Filipe Luís has used him as first-choice on the left since the departure of Caio Henrique, and he has 14 appearances, one goal and two assists this season.
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The goal came in a 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
First squad since Ronaldo stepped away
This is Jesus’s first squad since Cristiano Ronaldo’s international retirement, and the seven changes he made last week were already Portugal’s heaviest turnover of the cycle before the Tavares problem forced another.
Jesus was appointed on a four-year contract in July, replacing Roberto Martínez after Portugal’s last-16 exit at the 2026 World Cup. His first window leans young and local: Alberto Costa, António Silva, Matheus Fernandes, Carlos Forbes, Geovany Quenda, Rodrigo Mora and Gustavo Varela were already new to the group before Nazinho arrived from Monaco.
Francisco Conceição is unavailable through a three-match UEFA suspension for his red card against Norway. Paris Saint-Germain’s Nuno Mendes is out injured. Gonçalo Inácio is also absent. With Tavares now a doubt, Nazinho is the only natural left-back in the group, and one of the few names in it carrying 23 youth caps for Portugal rather than senior minutes.
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Speaking to Monaco’s club media, Nazinho said he was in no hurry.
“It’s a dream, certainly! But I’m not the type of person who wants to rush things. I want to do things step by step,” he told the club.
Portugal lead Group A4 by six points over Denmark going into the double-header. The squad meet in Braga on Monday evening.
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