The most Portuguese team in the history of English top-flight football as five are named in Wolves' starting lineup
Nuno Espirito Santo's Wolves have named five Portuguese players in their starting lineup as they take on Everton in their first Premier League match since earning promotion back to the top flight last season.
The five players named in Wolves' starting eleven are Sporting's legendary goalkeeper Rui Patricio, Portugal's third most capped player in history João Moutinho, former Porto duo Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves, and former Benfica forward Helder Costa.
Wolves' starting XI is record-breaking from a Portuguese perspective, with no side in the history of England's top flight ever naming as many as five players in the initial lineup, with Wolves' Portuguese contingent reaching new heights this summer after the signings of Portuguese internationals Moutinho and Patricio.
Chelsea, it should be remembered, had as many as six Portuguese players in their squad in the 2008-09 Premier League season, under the stewardship of former Portugal national team manager Luiz Felipe Scolari for the first half of the season, with Ricardo Carvalho, Jose Bosingwa, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Quaresma, Deco and Hilario all in the squad.
However, despite the influx of Portuguese talent, never did at least five of the natives start in a league game at the same time for Chelsea.
What's more exciting from a Portuguese perspective is that this is not the end of the Portuguese talent currently at Wolves, with young leftback Ruben Vinagre, who helped Portugal won the U19 European Championship last month, and forward Ivan Cavaleiro also in and amongst the first team of the newly promoted club, which means that we could see more than half of Wolves' starting lineup taken up with Portuguese players at some point this season, a simply extraordinary feat which has never been achieved in Premier League history and one which could be just one step in what is an exciting journey for this Portuguese contingent now plying their trade in England's top flight.
Everton, Wolves' opponents on their opening day, themselves have a Portuguese manager currently at the healm in Marco Silva, who has since brought compatriot - and European Champions - Andre Gomes to the club, who will not be starting the fixture having only arrived at the club on deadline day.
