Nuno Tavares’ Lazio Revival Sparks Portugal Recall
Nuno Tavares has fought his way back from the margins at Lazio to the heart of the Portugal conversation. Not with noise. With performances.
Twelve months ago, the left-back looked like an exit waiting to happen. A difficult season under Maurizio Sarri had left his confidence frayed and his future in Rome uncertain. Lazio moved for Alfonso Pedraza in the summer, and the message seemed clear enough: Tavares would either watch from the bench or find a new club.
He chose a third option. He reinvented himself.
Gattuso’s Gamble
Gennaro Gattuso walked into the job and saw something worth salvaging. Where Sarri had demanded rigid positional discipline, Gattuso has given Tavares a different kind of framework: defend with aggression, attack with conviction.
The Italian has not only kept him in the XI, he has built a lane for him. Tavares has sharpened the defensive side of his game, learning from the bruising lessons of last year, but he has also been handed the freedom to surge forward, to play on instinct, to stretch matches down the left flank.
The 26-year-old has responded. His display in the 2-2 draw with AC Milan summed up this new version of Tavares. He was relentless, constantly involved, and crucial in the moves that led to goals for Matteo Cancellieri and Tijjani Noslin. On a pitch full of star names, he was Lazio’s standout performer.
Those 90 minutes did not disappear into the usual blur of a long season. They travelled.
Back in the Portugal Frame
Jorge Jesus, newly in charge of the national team, has taken note. For the first time since 2025, Nuno Tavares is back in a Portugal squad.
His role is clearly defined. He arrives as understudy to Nuno Mendes, the Paris Saint-Germain full-back widely regarded as the premier left-back in the modern game. On paper, Tavares is the deputy. On the grass, he has a window.
Portugal face a demanding run of four group-stage fixtures in the latest UEFA Nations League cycle: Wales, Norway twice, and Denmark. With that schedule, rotation is inevitable. Opportunities will come, even if they start with a whistle from the fourth official and a number on the board rather than the national anthem as a starter.
For a player with just three caps – all from the bench – that still matters. His last appearance came against Hungary in October 2025. Then the door closed. For almost a year, his name disappeared from squad lists and discussion panels alike.
Now it is back. And not by accident.
A Squad with Old Stars and New Angles
Tavares’ recall would usually be a headline in itself. This time, it shares space with a familiar figure: Cristiano Ronaldo. The veteran forward remains in the squad, still part of the national picture under Jesus, still impossible to ignore.
Around them, the group has a distinctly modern look. Diogo Costa, Rui Silva and Samuel Soares cover the goalkeeping positions. At the back, Diogo Dalot, João Cancelo, Gonçalo Inácio, Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes, Tomás Araújo and Nuno Tavares form a back line that blends experience, Champions League pedigree and emerging talent.
Midfield offers a mix of steel and silk: Rúben Neves, João Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and João Palhinha. In attack, João Félix, Francisco Trincão, Francisco Conceição, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leão, Gonçalo Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo and Fábio Silva give Jesus options across every profile – from wide dribblers to penalty-box specialists.
Within that depth, Tavares is not a central figure. Not yet. But he is no longer an afterthought either.
A Second Chance on the Biggest Stage
For a Lisbon-born full-back who once seemed destined to drift after leaving Arsenal, this call-up carries weight. It validates the hard work under Gattuso, the defensive improvement, the maturity that has turned raw potential into something more reliable.
Portugal’s Nations League campaign will test the squad’s balance, Jesus’ ideas, and the pecking order in several positions. On the left, the hierarchy is clear: Nuno Mendes first, Nuno Tavares behind him.
The real question now is simple: with form on his side and confidence restored in Rome, how long will he be content with that view from the back of the queue?
