The Champions League group phase kicked off this week and already Portuguese players were among the scorers on an entertaining first Matchday across Europe’s premier club competition.

Raphaël Guerreiro was on the scoresheet as Borussia Dortmund made a winning start by beating Copenhagen 3-0 in Germany, while Rúben Dias notched his first goal of 2022 in Manchester City’s convincing 4-0 hammering of Sevilla away from home, in a match which saw João Cancelo register two assists.

Nowhere in the world will a discussion on footballing heritage be complete without proper exaltation of the legendary career of Cristiano Ronaldo.

In fact, only a handful of players, active or retired, can match the achievements of  CR7, as he is more fondly called. 

• Rafael Leão

Portugal forward Rafael Leão was the undisputed star of the show in the Milan derby this weekend, with a performance which thoroughly justified the hype around the Rossoneri man.

Leão scored twice and registered an assist as AC Milan beat city rivals Inter 3-2 at San Siro. For Leão, the showing not only adds to his value in the market amid growing interest from abroad, but strengthens his hand in negotiations over a long overdue extension with the Italian champions.

Portuguese youngster Fábio Carvalho has already produced a moment to remember in his young Liverpool career, after scoring a 98^th-minute winner for Liverpool to beat Newcastle 2-1 at Anfield.

Also on Wednesday night’s Premier League action, Seleção full-back João Cancelo scored an outstanding goal for Manchester City as the champions hammered Nottingham Forest 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium.