When Ronaldo was playing in Europe, we could easily fall back on him being one of the favourites to live in the Champions League. However, another year has gone by and Ronaldo is loving life in Saudi Arabia.
His absence has left the door open for a new Portuguese star to take over the mantle as the best Portuguese player in the world.
Each year we are seeing teams with Portuguese stars go far into the Champions League and even win it. This year will be no different and because we are so proud to be from Portugal, we love celebrating our national heroes winning the biggest trophy in club football.
Players Who Will Miss Out
Not every single one of Portugal's best stars can compete for the trophy however, and having already mentioned Ronaldo, we feel it is only fair to mention the other players who can't compete.
Starting with the best of this bunch, Bruno Fernandes can't compete due to Manchester United not making it to the Champions League last season. In fairness to Bruno and Man United, if they did make it, the Champions League betting odds for winning the competition would not be in their favour as they’ve had a poor start to the season. Even their odds for league games have taken a hit due to bad form and a lack of trust in the manager from fans and players.
Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo
These two have unfortunately both signed for teams in Saudi Arabia which is great for them and their money but bad for fans who liked watching these two play as they are very talented.
Manchester City’s Boys
Having won the Champions League already for City, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva will be eager to add another one to their collection having some close twice now and only coming away with one.
When City start their full-strength team, these two will be featured every time as they are key players and have been since joining the blue side of Manchester. Ruben Dias is one of Manchester City’s captains and has been at the Blues now for four years, winning the Premier League in each one of them.
Paulinha With Bayern Munich
After a few windows of trying, Bayern Munich finally signed the midfielder they were interested in but his move, so far, has been lacklustre. The defensive midfielder left Fulham as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League but Vincent Kompany has not picked him as much as we thought.
Despite this, Bayern Munich are flying under Kompany and his position and heavy metal football has proved successful so far in his German career. With this form and the clear trust and respect the Bayern players have for Belgium, we may see them go far or maybe even win the Champions League trophy.
Vitinha With PSG
Losing Mbappe was a massive loss for PSG, especially with them losing him on a free. However, their squad is now a bit more cohesive and strong with the Frenchman's exit, Vitinha has been one of their best players this season and despite the lack of Neymar, Messi and Mbappe, we think counting PSG out of the Champions League may be a mistake.
Leao With AC Milan
Now onto Leao, the rapid winger has been one of my favourite players to watch for a few years now and although AC Milan may have the weakest squad here, they have been to a Champions League semi-final in recent memory so who's to say they can't go that one step further?
With Leao's blistering pace, they are very strong with their counterattacks and despite the lack of a world-class squad, I think AC Milan have a chance, even if it's a tiny one.
Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
