Trincão hungry to prove his worth for Portugal

That Martinez has used him only for 199 minutes of his reign since affording a recall doesn’t bother him, particularly as he’s rebuilt his club career since joining Sporting three years ago.

STARTING SPOT: Francisco Trincãois hungry for a starting spot for Portugal. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Francisco Trincão once had the third largest buyout clause at Barcelona - €500m - but the passing of time means he would be content with a starting place for Portugal.

He was the wonderkid who Barca thought highly enough to place behind Lionel Messi (€700m) and Antoine Griezmann (€800m) in the ranking of fees required to prise away from the Camp Nou.