Soso. With the golden generation, they did not qualify for any world cups in the 90s and went out in the group stage in 2002 (losing to South Korea and USA). They did well in 2004 and 2006 but that was already with Ronaldo. Before Ronaldo they only qualified for 3 world cups and 3 euros throughout their history. They were not really a powerhouse even with the golden generation tbf.
![[ESPNFC] Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr’s International Stats.](https://alien.top/pictrs/image/bf00c9e0-8bde-4828-8b67-c9b1eb3f2bb4.webp){kind=link}
Soso. With the golden generation, they did not qualify for any world cups in the 90s and went out in the group stage in 2002 (losing to South Korea and USA). They did well in 2004 and 2006 but that was already with Ronaldo. Before Ronaldo they only qualified for 3 world cups and 3 euros throughout their history. They were not really a powerhouse even with the golden generation tbf.