The likelihood of Portugal’s ‘financial Ronaldo’ taking over the leadership of the Eurogroup seems to be growing.
Spain’s economy minister has let drop that if minister of finance Mário Centeno gets the job, Spain will support him.
Luis de Guindos cited “Iberian solidarity” which Portugal showed recently by supporting the Spanish stance against Catalonia’s independence movement.
Says Expresso, de Guindos’ approval is the first one so far “given out loud”.
It has also seen Centeno say that he too would give his approval if de Guindos was chosen for the top job.
Voting for the Eurogroup presidency – to be vacated by Holland’s Jeroen Dijsselbloem – will be going ahead on December 4.
This far, there are no official candidates.
Centeno was dubbed Portugal’s “financial Ronaldo” in an unexpected burst of bonhomie earlier this year from former German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble.
The complement – it was meant to signify financial ‘superpowers’ akin to those shown by Portugal’s living football legend CR7 – came as Portugal exited Brussels’ excessive deficit programme.
