As Portugal prepares to take on France in the UEFA Euro 2016 Final on Sunday in Saint-Denis (2 p.m. CT kickoff), Swope Park Rangers midfielder Kevin Oliveira will keep a close eye on the matchup – and Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches in particular.
Oliveira and Sanches came through the system together at Benfica, with Sanches enjoying a breakout campaign in the 2015-16 season, earning himself a move to Bayern Munich and appearing in five of Portugal’s six games at this summer’s European Championships.
“Renato Sanches is a good guy, I’ve known him a long time, he’s my best friend from Benfica,” Oliveira said this week from the sidelines of training after suffering a season-ending ACL tear late last month.