Which Portuguese players can win the UEFA Champions League? | OneFootball

Over the past few years, we’ve seen quite a few Portuguese players lay claim to the biggest prize in European football. Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe led Real Madrid to an unprecedented three straight UEFA Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018, whilst Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias helped Manchester City secure their first-ever Champions League title in 2023. And this past summer, Paris Saint-Germain got their hands on their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy thanks to the efforts of four different Portuguese players: João Neves, Gonçalo Ramos, Vitinha and Nuno Mendes.

As the UEFA Champions League returns for a captivating Matchday Five, there are more than a few Portuguese players who are worth paying attention to. Today, let’s take a look at the Portuguese players who are competing in Europe’s premier competition.

Benfica

José Mourinho made history in 2004 when he led Porto to the UEFA Champions League title – he’s since won a Champions League with Inter, a Europa League with Manchester United, and a Conference League with Roma. Today, he’s back in Portugal, where he’s seeking to guide Benfica from the cellar to the Champions League playoff spots. He’ll be counting on a number of Portuguese players from vice-captain António Silva to fellow defensive rising star Tomás Araújo, as well as a number of promising homegrown talents like João Veloso, João Rego, Rodrigo Rego, Henrique Araújo and Samu Soares, as they look to vanquish a disastrous start that sees them sitting third in Liga Portugal and 35th in the Champions League table.

Juventus

Juventus have two Portuguese players in their squad. João Mário is plying his trade in Turin after arriving in a swap deal for fellow Portuguese fullback Alberto Costa, and he’s now linking up with his fellow Porto academy graduate Francisco Conceição. Similarly to other players like Rayan Cherki, Carlos Alberto Pintinho, and Ángel Di María, Conceição has a penchant for the extraordinary and is capable of generating danger at a moment’s notice with his quick changes of direction and elusive dribbling, and he looks set to be included in next summer’s Portugal squad in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Manchester City

If Manchester City are the most successful English team of the past decade, it’s thanks to their Portuguese influence. Whilst ex-Benfica stars Ederson and João Cancelo are no longer there, City are still reaping the rewards of two veteran cogs in Bernardo Silva (captain) and Rúben Dias (vice-captain). Silva and Dias are proving instrumental as the team’s midfield playmaker and defensive talisman, but as for Matheus Nunes, he’s gone from midfield metronome at Sporting and Wolves to the team’s right-back following the exit of Kyle Walker, and he’s pushing Cancelo and Nélson Semedo for Portugal’s starting right-back position.

Borussia Dortmund

Six years after breaking onto the scene for Porto and shattering a number of records, it’s fair to say that Fábio Silva hasn’t lived up to the hype. After struggling to convince following a club-record £35 million move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Silva bounced around from Anderlecht to PSV Eindhoven to Rangers before being loaned out to Las Palmas, where he scored 10 goals in 25 appearances. His impressive form in the Canary Islands led to a maiden Portugal cap as well as a permanent transfer to Borussia Dortmund. So far, however, Silva’s development has been limited by an adductor injury as well as the stellar form of Serhou Guirassy up top.

Chelsea

As opposed to summer arrival Dário Essugo, who is yet to play for Chelsea since making his debut vs. Palmeiras, one Portuguese player who is making his mark for the Blues is Pedro Neto. Neto emerged as one of the deadliest wingers outside of the Premier League’s top six with Wolves before making the move to Chelsea in 2024, where he initially struggled for consistency. However, after a world-class summer which saw him lead Portugal to victory in the UEFA Nations League Finals and spearhead Chelsea to glory in the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, Neto has been able to build on this momentum and emerge as a decisive figure in Enzo Maresca’s attack as well as a regular contributor in the final third.

Kairat Almaty

Kairat Almaty made history by making it through four rounds of qualifying and becoming the first Kazakh team in a decade in the main draw of the UEFA Champions League. And after suffering blowout defeats to Sporting and Real Madrid, they’ve rebounded with a draw vs. Pafos and a narrow 2-1 defeat at Inter. Kairat are punching above their weight thanks to two Portuguese players, both of whom have enjoyed circuitous paths. Having plied his trade in Portugal’s lower leagues and Luxembourgian side Differdange, Jorginho has emerged as a key figure at the attacking midfield role since joining in January, whilst Luís Mata has gone from Porto’s B team to sojourns in Spain and Poland before eventually excelling at left-back for Kairat since his July arrival.

Pafos

Pafos are walking on sunshine thanks to their Portuguese gems like Pedro ‘Pêpê’ Rodrigues, who led them to their first-ever title in their 10-year history with the 2024 Cypriot Cup, and Domingos Quina, who proved exceptional in Pafos’ league title last summer. And whilst Alexandre Brito has struggled for minutes since joining from Sporting on loan, there are a number of Pafos players who, despite not representing the Seleção, have ample experience in Portuguese football, such as João Correia, Anderson Silva, Bruno Langa, and David Luiz. Currently 20th in the table, Pafos currently boast a superior Champions League record to the likes of Napoli, Juventus and Marseille.

Olympiacos

Pafos may have a strong Portuguese influence, but they don’t even lay a finger on Olympiacos in this regard. Chiquinho, Daniel Podence and Gelson Martins have formed a fearsome attacking trio behind Moroccan centre-forward Ayoub El Kaabi, whilst Diogo Nascimento has emerged as a vital cog in midfield following his summer arrival from Vizela. And whilst Rúben Vezo has been phased out of the team, one Portuguese defender who is playing a big role in the backline is Costinha. That’s not even to mention the plethora of ex-Primeira stars like Mehdi Taremi, Bruno Onyemaechi and Roman Yaremchuk who are now plying their trade in Piraeus.

Villarreal

It has been a rollercoaster few years for Renato Veiga. After struggling for playing time at boyhood club Sporting as well as Augsburg, Veiga made the permanent move to Basel, where he helped them avoid relegation. Veiga then traded Switzerland for England, where he became a regular at Chelsea but nevertheless grew unhappy at having to play at left back instead of his preferred centre-back role. It’s why, after forcing a January loan to Juventus, Veiga departed the Blues and joined Spanish side Villarreal for a club-record £26 million, where he has emerged as a pivotal figure in central defence alongside Juan Foyth and recently Rafa Marín. Many leading Spanish football journalists like Sid Lowe and Álvaro Romeo have praised him as one of the top young defenders in Spain, and it could very well catapult him to a successful Portugal career.

Club Brugge

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that’s proven to be the case with Carlos Forbs. Born in Sintra to Guinea-Bissau parents, Forbs left for England at an early age and ascended Manchester City’s academy before making the move to Ajax in 2023. After one year in Amsterdam, Forbs joined Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he struggled to impose himself before making the move to Club Brugge. He has quickly emerged as one of the best players in Belgium thanks to his electrifying pace and sensational dribbling prowess, earning himself a maiden call-up to the Portuguese national team. And after bagging a brace and an assist in his last match vs. Barcelona, he’ll be looking to make it back-to-back Champions League matches with a goal contribution.

Sporting

Forbs will be facing off against a Sporting side that is teeming with Portuguese talent; Francisco Trincão and Pedro Gonçalves have stepped up and delivered in attack following the exit of sharpshooter Viktor Gyökeres, Rui Silva has impressed between the sticks, Gonçalo Inácio has cemented himself as a vital cog in defence, whilst João Simões has proven to be a revelation in the middle of the pitch. Even with veterans like Daniel Bragança and Nuno Santos missing out due to injury, Sporting manager Rui Borges can still count on a number of Portuguese players like Geovany Quenda, Eduardo Quaresma, Rodrigo Ribeiro, Ricardo Mangas and João Virgínia.

Bayern Munich

Out of the 23 players from Portugal’s title-winning 2016 Euro squad, only one player is still playing in the UEFA Champions League: Raphaël Guerreiro. After leading Portugal to victory, Guerreiro left France for the first time and joined Borussia Dortmund, where he emerged as one of the best left-backs in Germany before eventually making the move to Bayern Munich in 2023 on a free transfer. Having watched in despair as Bayer Leverkusen put an end to Bayern’s dynasty, Guerreiro helped the Bavarians return to the zenith of the Bundesliga last season thanks to his versatile, composed performances. And while he’s finding regular starts hard to come by, he nevertheless remains a valued performer under Vincent Kompany.

Tottenham Hotspur

Last but not least, João Palhinha is yet another Portuguese player who is looking to get his hands on the UEFA Champions League trophy. Having spearheaded Sporting to a long-awaited championship under Rúben Amorim, Palhinha established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in world football during his time at Fulham before making the move to Bayern Munich in 2024. After struggling for minutes in Germany, Palhinha has since thrived on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, where he is combining his tenacious tackling and physical brute force with a newfound prowess in the final third; he’s already grabbed as many goal contributions (7) in 19 appearances with Tottenham as he did in his 95 appearances with Sporting.

Paris Saint-Germain

Last but certainly not least, we cannot fail to mention the Portuguese contribution of the current holders of the trophy, PSG. You can make a valid argument that central midfielder Vitinha and left-back Nuno Mendes are the best players in the world in their respective positions, and Vitinha’s partner in crime in the centre of the pitch, João Neves, is not that far behind. Striker Gonçalo Ramos, a regular goal-getter despite largely being confined to a role off the bench, completes a magical quartet that not only helped the French club become European champions, but also potentially hold the key to Portugal’s World Cup aspirations next summer.