It's a well-trodden route from Portugal's Primeira Liga to the English Premier League.
Of the 26 players and two coaches who played in the recent Manchester derby, billed as the game of the season in the world's most high-profile league, no fewer than nine of them came to prominence in Portugal: Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Nemanja Matic, Victor Lindelof, Eliaquim Mangala, Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Danilo and Jose Mourinho.
To put it another way, a remarkable 32 percent of the protagonists that day came from the hotbed of football talent that is Portugal.
Judging by what we have seen in 2017-18, the talent well shows no sign of running dry. Despite Portugal's top teams' desperate attempts to hold on to their biggest stars against the backdrop of the tightest title race in years, money talks. Cash-strapped clubs rely on transfer windfalls, and for the players the financial rewards and opportunity for global recognition are light years ahead of what the Liga NOS can offer.
Here are five players and one manager whose performances suggest a move to the big time is a matter of when, and not if, in some cases possibly as soon as the January transfer window.
Gelson Martins
Sporting are famed for producing some of the game's great wingers -- Paulo Futre, Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo -- and the Cape Verde-born Martins increasingly looks like he has the talent to uphold the club tradition. Real Madrid and Brazil left-back Marcelo conceded: "You gave me a tough time," to Martins on the final whistle after being given the run-around by the devilishly zippy dribbler in the Champions League. Only 22, the electric winger has already racked up 100 games for Sporting, is a full Portugal international and is improving his end product all the time, as attested by his eight goals (already beating his best haul in a season) and six assists in 2017-18.
Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes took the courageous decision to move to Italy as a teenager, making progress at Novara, Udinese and Sampdoria before being snapped up by Sporting in the summer for a fee of €8.5m. The club knew they were getting a player of immense potential, duly inserting an eye-watering buyout clause of €100m into his contract. Nevertheless, he has spectacularly exceeded all expectations, scoring eight goals in 26 games, becoming the creative hub of Sporting's attacking play while displaying impressive tactical awareness and stamina levels, either positioned behind the striker or further back as a dynamic No. 8.
Yacine Brahimi
The Algerian forward is another mesmeric dribbler who is almost impossible to dispossess when on his game -- which he has been all season. Usually deployed on the left but with licence to drift inside, Brahimi can create something out of nothing with his incredible close control and ability to beat defenders one-on-one, but he also has the eye for a killer pass, regularly providing assists with perfectly weighted through balls. The talent has always been there, at times let down by a suspect attitude, but Porto coach Sergio Conceicao has got him consistently performing at his very best.
Danilo
A formidable defensive midfielder, Danilo was the one bright spot in an under-performing Porto side of recent seasons. With a revitalised team now around him, the powerful holder has benefited enormously, with Conceicao successfully encouraging him to add to his offensive threat and utilise a greater range of passing than previously shown. His forceful aerial game at both ends of the pitch makes him a huge asset at set pieces and a player who is seemingly built for the EPL.
William Carvalho
No list of transfer targets from Portugal would be complete without Carvalho. The Sporting and Portugal holding midfielder is an unusual combination of brute force and dazzling guile, and has been the subject of transfer rumours ever since a brilliant debut season for the Lions in 2013-14. He faced a stern test of his abilities in the opening months of this season as Sporting faced Barcelona and Juventus in their Champions League group, and William's assured performances proved he is more than ready for the next challenge.
Sergio Conceicao
A fiery competitor during his brilliant playing career, Conceicao gets his teams playing with the same passion for the game and desire to win he displayed as an explosive winger for Porto, Lazio and Portugal.
Fiercely competitive and never less than colourful, he has impressed as he has made his way up the managerial ladder (five different teams in five years). A forward-thinking coach, he is especially adept at galvanising attacking players, with the likes of Eder at Braga and Porto's formidable African trio of Vincent Aboubakar, Moussa Marega and Brahimi having the best seasons of their careers under Conceicao.
The job he has done at his last two posts, where he was landed with distinctly unpromising playing hands, is particularly noteworthy. Conceicao completely transformed the fortunes of Nantes, taking the French outfit from relegation fodder to the edge of Europe. Tempted back home when the club where he made his name came calling, he has got Porto to the top of the league, into the round of 16 in the Champions League and still going strong in the domestic cups, playing with power and panache not seen for years.