With most of Europe enjoying a hard-earned summer break, these are critical times for some of Portugal’s biggest managerial exports around the globe. Leading the stories is Carlos Queiroz, who is remaining positive while counting the cost of a penalty shootout defeat to Chile in the Copa America which saw his Colombia side eliminated at the quarter final stage.

Elsewhere, Vítor Pereira’s Shanghai SIPG are hitting form after a Champions League knockout tie win over José Morais was followed by an impressive victory in the Chinese Super League this weekend, while Jorge Jesus continues to charm the Brazilian media as he uses a break in the calendar to prepare his new team Flamengo.

News of João Félix’s imminent switch to Atlético Madrid has many Portuguese fans concerned. Memory is still fresh of another Benfica starlet tipped for superstardom, Renato Sanches, whose career has nosedived since his high-profile move to Bayern Munich. But can we really criticise João Félix himself? He has before him a 5-year contract with a salary of €6 million per year minimum, while at Benfica he currently earns around €1m per annum.

Whether we like it or not, money is a huge factor in footballers’ career decisions nowadays. With high-quality Portuguese professional footballers in abundance, including the one who many believe to be the greatest of them all, Cristiano Ronaldo, we have gathered together the current top-five earning Portuguese footballers along with a comparison between the world’s other top-earning footballers to see how they rank. 

Portugal international André Gomes says it was an easy decision to agree a permanent deal with Everton, after signing a five-year contract at Goodison Park this week. Gomes, who spent last season on-loan with The Toffees, left Barcelona for Marco Silva’s side in a €24.5m deal.

Meanwhile, fellow Seleção international Bruma looks set to join Dutch giants PSV, while the flurry of Portuguese moving to Greece continues with Rúben Semedo joining Francisco Geraldes in confirming his move. On the speculation front, Anthony Lopes’ future at Lyon remains in doubt and João Mário is tipped to make a switch to Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco.

Carlos Queiroz is enjoying a strong start to life as manager of Colombia, with two wins and no goals conceded from their opening two games seeing his side into the quarter finals of the Copa America with one group match to spare.

Meanwhile in the world of Portuguese bosses abroad, Jorge Jesus took his first training session at Brazilian giants Flamengo on Thursday and gave an impassioned speech at his press conference. In Asia, José Morais and Vítor Pereira are battling it out in the Champions League, while José Mourinho has hinted he may take up a job in international management.