Catalan Harry Potter Quaresma: If I had played at Barca like I did at Porto, I would have been in line for the Ballon d'Or

Many will agree - an overwhelming talent, an underwhelming career compared to that raw potential. Ricardo Quaresma, a man who, from appearing in the senior team of Sporting Lisbon, arriving in Barcelona, then moving to Porto, for a moment, but not constantly, looked like a magician ready to conquer the football planet.

But instead of a magic wand, the Catalan Harry Potter (as the then and current president of the club Joan Laporta christened him) brought football boots from which the magic had disappeared to Camp Nou. And that's why he stayed in the heart of Catalonia for only one year, that's why he was never even close to his then teammate Ronaldinho, that's why he scored only one and set up only two goals in 28 appearances for Barça in all competitions.

The journalists of the Portuguese A Bola, of course, did not forget the recent footballer Vitoria Guimaraes, a 40-year-old who ended his professional career in July and is one of the most attractive players in the history of Portuguese football. They decided that he is the ideal person to turn to before the match between Barcelona and Porto in the 5th round of the group stage of the Champions League.

"According to the name and reputation, Porto is big, but Barcelona is the club that every player dreams of. I am proud to have played for both, but as I said, it has always been my dream to play for Barca. One of the reasons I have a lump in my throat is because I wasn't able to succeed at Barcelona. That was my dream," said Quaresma and continued: "If I had done the things I did in Porto in Barcelona, I would have been toe to toe with the best and in line to win the Ballon d'Or. But that's life, it gives you chances and you take them or you don't... So there's no need for any regrets. Today I'm happy because I played for Porto, a big club too, where I was warmly welcomed."

And then the Portuguese touched on the uniqueness of the great teams from the Iberian Peninsula.

"When you find yourself in cities like Barcelona and Porto, you immediately notice that they are different from others. Barcelona is Catalonia, they want to be a country, not a city, and you immediately understand that the mentality of the people is different. And Porto is, as you know, Porto is different from all the cities in Portugal. People live for the club, breathe for Porto and see nothing but it. I usually like to say that to succeed at Porto you have to have character because the demands are huge. Sometimes there are too many players in the competition, and it's not that they lack quality, it's that they can't handle the pressure."

The current coach of Barca Xavi was his teammate in the 2003/04 competition.

"Xavi was a player who, while you were training and playing with him, you knew that sooner or later he would become a coach. There are players who are also coaches on the field. He talked to all his teammates, always tried to help the one next to him and that's how it was seen that he has the profile for a coach."

Tomorrow after the match at Montjuic, which starts at 11.00 PM EAT - we will find out what kind of predictor Quaresma is.

"From my point of view, I would like to see a draw because these are my former clubs and because with such an outcome both clubs would proceed further in the competition. That would be great," Quaresma concluded.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Group stage - Round 5

Tuesday

20:45: (1.55) Lazio (4.10) Celtic (6.00)

20:45: (2.05) Shakhtar (3.60) Antwerp (3.90)

23:00: (2.70) Feyenoord (3.35) Atl.Madrid (2.80)

23:00: (2.10) AC Milan (3.50) Dortmund (3.80)

23:00: (1.65) PSG (4.10) Newcastle (5.80)

23:00: (1.33) Man.City (5.50) RB Leipzig (8.50)

23:00: (2.15) Young Boys (3.60) Crvena Zvezda (3.50)

23:00: (1.50) Barcelona (4.30) Porto (6.50)

Wednesday

20:45: (2.80) Galatasaray (3.40) Man.Utd. (2.65)

20:45: (2.65) Sevilla (3.40) PSV (2.80)

23:00: (1.25) Bayern (7.00) Copenhagen (12.0)

23:00: (1.33) Arsenal (5.10) Lens (9.50)

23:00: (2.20) Braga (3.45) Union Berlin (3.25)

23:00: (1.90) Real Madrid (3.70) Napoli (4.40)

23:00: (2.75) Benfica (3.30) Inter (2.60)

23:00: (1.52) Sociedad (4.10) Salzburg (6.50)

***odds are subject to change***