Portugal might not be the first place that comes to mind when considering the contributing factors to Manchester City's recent success. Spain is perhaps the clear contender, Barcelona more obvious than that, but Portugal has and will continue to be an important source of resources in City's quest for continued success - as it will in Manchester United's attempts to return to European football's top table.
Take Ederson, the Brazilian goalkeeper, whose ability with the ball at his feet has redefined the expectations of the modern stopper. His development took place at Benfica's academy. In the year below him there, Bernardo Silva, the midfielder, was mastering the technique that would later consolidate the notion set by his namesake David that size and speed are far from essential in dominating the middle of Premier League pitches.
At Old Trafford, meanwhile, Victor Lindelof has asserted himself as the club's most accomplished centre-back under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after flourishing in the freedom to exhibit his ability on the ball and play through the thirds. The Swede spent five years at Benfica. Diogo Dalot, meanwhile, has shown the potential in his forays down United's right flank to suggest that Jose Mourinho's assertion that the Reds were signing the world's best young full-back on his £19 million move from Porto last summer was far from hyperbole.
Perhaps the biggest compliment that can be handed to Porto is the claim by those close to Dalot that his transition to United was 'straightforward' - 'simple', even - as a result of the quality of the infrastructure that has been put in place at Porto over the past decade. Porto, along with Benfica, have ensured that there is no longer a gap for their exports to bridge when moving to England and Spain and that has led to the respective clubs' matching, if not bettering, of Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese development stakes.
Sporting, where Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani learnt their trade, were previously the only club in Portugal to foster and distribute talent to any great effect but they have stalled in doing so amid Porto and Benfica's progression. English clubs, meanwhile, have grown more and more attracted to the players on their production lines and the market dictates that Portuguese players are often the most affordable.
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Premier League sides, often out-priced in the market for top-quality English talent, have become increasingly eager to acquire the technical players to which Benfica and Porto are adept at producing and the efficiency of Portuguese systems is at an all-time high, as demonstrated by its alumni at City and United.
There is more to come. João Félix, the 19-year-old Benfica forward, is the most exciting Portuguese talent yet to secure a move to one of the so-called top five leagues and those in the loop in Portugal suggest he is just as likely to join a club of United and City's stature as he is Wolverhampton Wanderers - thanks to the 'super' agent Jorge Mendes' influence.
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João Filipe, Benfica's 20-year-old striker, is courting admiring glances from Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Arsenal, though Bayern Munich are said to be his most likely destination when the transfer window opens.
City sent scouts to watch Porto's 16-year-old right-back Tomás Esteves in their UEFA Youth League game against Tottenham last month, and were present again for to observe his showings during Portugal's Uefa Euro under-17 elite round games in Scotland. Speculation linking United with João Félix refuses to go away.
