Nuno Tavares Revives Portugal Career After Lazio Success

Nuno Tavares has dragged his international career back to life. Not with noise, not with quotes, but with performances that Gennaro Gattuso simply couldn’t ignore – and now neither can Jorge Jesus.

From Sarri’s Shadow to Gattuso’s Trust

A year ago, the Lazio full-back looked stuck. Maurizio Sarri’s final months in Rome were unforgiving for him: defensive lapses, confidence shaken, his future at the club very much in doubt. When Alfonso Pedraza arrived, most expected Tavares to be pushed aside or pushed out.

Instead, he adapted.

The 26-year-old leaned on what he had learned under Sarri, tightening his defensive positioning and decision-making. Then Gattuso walked in and flipped the script. The new coach restored him to the starting XI and handed him a clear mandate: defend with discipline, attack with aggression, and own that left flank for 90 minutes.

Tavares has responded with the kind of energy and authority that once made him a headline signing for Arsenal.

Statement Display Against AC Milan

The turning point came in a chaotic 2–2 draw with AC Milan. On a night full of big names, Tavares was arguably Lazio’s standout player.

He drove forward relentlessly, stretching Milan’s back line and playing a key part in both of Lazio’s goals, finished by Matteo Cancellieri and Tijjani Noslin. It was the sort of all-action display that leaves an impression – not just on fans in the Olimpico, but on national team selectors watching from afar.

The performance did not slip past Portugal’s new head coach. Jorge Jesus has rewarded Tavares’ resurgence by recalling him to the national squad for the upcoming extended international break.

Back in the Portugal Setup

Tavares returns to a Portugal group that already boasts one of the game’s elite in his position. Nuno Mendes, the Paris Saint-Germain star, is widely viewed as the best left-back in the world, and he remains the undisputed first choice.

That means Tavares will likely operate as understudy. But this is no token call-up. Portugal face a heavy schedule in the latest edition of the UEFA Nations League, with four group-stage fixtures against Wales, Norway (twice), and Denmark. Rotation will be essential, and the Lazio defender is expected to see the pitch at some stage.

For a player who has had to fight his way back into relevance, even that opportunity carries weight.

A Modest International Record – For Now

So far, Tavares’ international résumé is brief. The Lisbon native owns just three caps for Portugal, all as a substitute. His last appearance came in October 2025 against Hungary, a short cameo that was followed by a long silence from national team selectors.

That silence has now been broken.

Yet even with his recall, one name still dominates the conversation around this squad: Cristiano Ronaldo. The veteran forward, now at Al Nassr, remains part of Jorge Jesus’ plans and once again headlines a group that mixes established stars with emerging talent.

Portugal Squad in Full

Jorge Jesus has named the following squad for the international break:

• Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), Samuel Soares (Benfica).
• Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), João Cancelo (Barcelona), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Tomás Araújo (Benfica), Nuno Tavares (Lazio).
• Midfielders: Rúben Neves (Al Hilal), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid), João Palhinha (Benfica).
• Forwards: João Félix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trincão (Al Ahli), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leão (Galatasaray), Gonçalo Ramos (AC Milan), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Fábio Silva (Borussia Dortmund).

For Tavares, this list is more than a roll call. It is proof that his resurgence in Rome has real consequences. Now comes the harder part: turning a recall into a permanent place in a Portugal squad that expects to compete for every trophy it enters.