Ricardo Mangas seizes his chance after bad luck, living the Sporting dream | OneFootball

Ricardo Mangas was signed by Sporting from Spartak Moscow in the summer of 2025 to reunite with Rui Borges.

Ricardo Mangas is on the verge of fulfilling a dream at Sporting and playing his first Champions League match, all due to the misfortune of Maxi Araújo. The left-back was signed by the Lions from Spartak Moscow and arrived at Alvalade in the summer of 2025.

Mangas is a trusted man of Rui Borges and came to be an alternative to Maxi Araújo on the left wing of the Lions' defense and to add depth to the green and white squad. But a muscle injury to the Uruguayan player changed the plans of the Lions' coach.

Rui Borges was forced to start Ricardo Mangas, especially since Nuno Santos is still injured and Matheus Reis is in limbo between staying or leaving this season. The left-back responded in the best way, with goals and assists, and established himself as the owner of the position, at least until the return of Maxi Araújo.

Now, that return is not far off, as Maxi Araújo himself explained that he would already be authorized to play about 30 minutes in the next Sporting match, against Famalicão. However, this likely means that Ricardo Mangas will once again earn the starting spot from Rui Borges in the Sporting team.

The same goes for the next match, against Kairat Almaty, counting for the first matchday of the Champions League group stage. With Maxi unavailable to play the full 90 minutes, Ricardo Mangas should start - fulfilling a dream, in green and white, in the prestigious competition - while the Uruguayan international might come off the bench during the match.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.