"He will be one of the best in the world." No, he won't

The year was 2016. Renato Junior Luz Sanches had the world at his feet. He made his debut for Benfica, won the league title, then the League Cup, and even found himself on Portugal's squad for the European Championship that same year. But not only that—he played a key role in winning Portugal’s first-ever major international trophy.

In the Round of 16, he pulled off a stunning match against Luka Modric. In the quarterfinal, he scored a crucial goal against Poland that took the game to extra time—later converting his penalty in the shootout. He was named the tournament’s Best Young Player and later won the "Golden Boy" award. Meanwhile, he secured a 35 million euros transfer to Bayern Munich.

Considering all this, it’s no surprise that Benfica’s former coach Filipe Vieira once said: "He will be one of the best in the world."

But Sanches never quite reached those expectations.

In four seasons at Bayern— including a loan spell at Swansea in 2017/18—he played just 53 games, scoring only two goals and providing three assists. Frustrated with his situation, Sanches spoke out: "I'm not happy here. I want to play more, maybe at another club." Bayern’s Karl-Heinz Rummenigge later admitted in 2019 that the club had probably signed him "a year or two too early."

At Lille, despite injury struggles, Sanches played a key role in the club’s surprise Ligue 1 title win in 2020/21. According to him, that season nearly led to a dream transfer to Barcelona, his opponent tonight:

"If I hadn't been injured, I would have signed for Barça this summer. The clubs were already in agreement."

In 2022, he finally secured a move to PSG for 15 million. But his loan spell in the 2023/24 season did little to revive his career—he played just 262 minutes, scoring one goal. Even Jose Mourinho commented on his persistent injuries:

"Renato Sanches is always at risk of getting injured. It's difficult to understand. They didn't understand why at Bayern or at PSG, and we're trying to figure it out... In the previous game, he played 45 minutes, rested for three days, and got injured again. He felt something in his muscles and had to come off."

With a PSG contract until 2027, Renato was sent on loan to Benfica last July, with a 10 million buyout clause. And whether it’s fate or irony, tonight he will face Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16—the team that could have catapulted him to superstardom had he signed with them years ago.

But now, it seems like it’s already too late.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - ROUND OF 16

First leg

Tuesday

Club Brugge - Aston Villa 1-3 (1-1)

/De Cuyper 12 - Bailey 3, Mechele 82 (og), Asensio 88 pen/

Dortmund - Lille 1-1 (1-0)

/Adeyemi 22 - Haraldsson 68/

PSV - Arsenal 1-7 (1-3)

/Lang 43 - Timber 18, Nwaneri 21, Merino 31, Odegaard 47, 73 Trossard 48, Calafiori/

Real Madrid - Atl. Madrid 2-1 (1-1)

/Rodrygo 4, Diaz 55 - Alvarez 32/

Wednesday

20.45: (5.60) Feyenoord (3.70) Inter (1.65)

23.00: (1.82) Bayern (3.60) Leverkusen (4.40)

23.00: (3.80) Benfica (3.60) Barcelona (1.95)

23.00: (2.45) PSG (3.45) Liverpool (2.80)

***odds are subject to change***