"Our commitment is always to the first game, which greatly influences the rest of the journey and is essential. Our focus is on the first game and then we'll see what will happen in the future, but we're not making any predictions. Our goal is to be in the last game, of any stage, to be able to compete," said the coach, in an interview with Lusa.

The Portuguese team comes to the European Championship seeking its seventh title, with two won after 2002, already in the under-17s, and four in the European Championship that occupies the calendar and was for the under-16s.

Portugal has on its record two under-17 champion titles, in 2003 and 2016, after having already won four other trophies, in 1989, 1995, 1996 and 2000, when the competition was still limited to young athletes up to 16 years old, something that occurred until 2001.

Portugal will face Spain, England and France in Group D, in a cast of teams "European champions and with a lot of experience", with players lining up in higher competitive echelons.

"What I have been transmitting to them, since the under-15s, is that we have to and like to play against these top teams, even to see how we are doing. Outside we can say that we are all very good players, but on the pitch is where we will have to show our worth. Fortunately, we have had some success against these teams," the coach stressed.

The 'quinas' team has young footballers "with talent and mainly with a lot of desire to succeed", a factor based on the collective spirit and the image that João Santos conveyed to the group after the confirmation of their presence in the continental competition.

"I showed them an image with two mountains: a lower one, above the clouds, and another even higher one. I told them that we had reached our dream, but we still have a slightly higher mountain, which is a greater challenge. Do we have the capacity? We will try and that is the motto. We are not obliged to do anything. The only thing we are obliged to do is, every time we finish a game, to be aware that we gave everything for the country, for the federation and for our families and friends," he said.

In this way, João Santos appeals to the maximum intensity of his players, aware of the attacking power he has, based on a qualifying phase with 10 goals in three matches, although he considers the need to improve defensive issues.

"From what we have already shown, we have the capacity to compete in any game with any team. If we are as intense and compete in the duels as our opponents, we are ahead in technique and tactics. My fear is when we lower the rotations and the pointer is no longer in the red. However, we are not afraid, because we recognise that we are at the same level as the other teams," sentenced the 66-year-old coach.

The team captain is João Simões, a 17-year-old athlete who plays in Sporting's junior team and is, along with Geovany Quenda, one of the repeat players in the under-17 European Championships, as he had already been part of the generation that, last year, was eliminated in the group stage.

"As captain, the responsibility always increases, but just by playing in a European Championship we already have a great responsibility. We are representing our nation and I think it will be very good. We are going to enjoy it and make the most of it. It is an important competition and we are going to try to do our best, without thinking too much about the future, trying to play game by game and focused on the three points in each match," the young midfielder highlighted to Lusa.

The under-17 European Championship takes place this year in Cyprus and Portugal's first match is against their Spanish counterparts, on Tuesday, in Achnas, followed by matches with England, on Friday, and with France, on 27 May, both in the city of Larnaca.

The top two teams from each group qualify for the quarter-finals, which will be played on 29 and 30 May, while the semi-finals are on 2 June and the decisive match of the European Championship will be held on 5 June, at the Limassol Stadium.