Ronaldo's 2014 World Cup teammate, 36, now history-making Champions League boss

This season's Champions League has seen a Portuguese star in his mid-thirties taking Europe by storm - and we're not talking about Cristiano Ronaldo.

While Manchester United 's number seven has hit a number of late strikes to keep the Red Devils' Champions League hopes alive, back at his former club Sporting Lisbon, an old teammate is also making waves across Europe.

Ruben Amorim only took up his first managerial job in 2018, but a meteoric rise has seen the former Portugal midfielder take the Sporting reins and already create history.

After delivering a first Portuguese league title for the Lisbon club in 19 years last season, Amorim now finds himself battling it out with the European heavyweights Ajax and Borussia Dortmund in his quest to secure Champions League knockout football with Sporting.

A 4-0 thumping of Besiktas on Wednesday night has put Amorim and his Sporting side on the brink of yet more history, but who exactly is the man at the helm?

From playing with Ronaldo at the 2014 World Cup to establishing himself as one of Europe's most promising young coaches, Mirror Football profiles Sporting's latest sensation: Ruben Amorim.

Glittering playing career

Despite his Sporting success as manager, Amorim spent most of his playing days at Lisbon city rivals Benfica.

Born and raised in the Portuguese capital, Amorim started his senior career at hometown club Belenenses before impressive performances on the way to helping the club achieve an eighth-place finish in the 2007-08 campaign saw Benfica come calling.

After featuring regularly in a midfield containing the former Premier League pairing of Manchester City 's Javi Garcia and Chelsea 's Ramires, Amorim helped The Eagles to a league title - and the League Cup - in the 2009-10 season as Benfica ended a five-year drought.

After then clashing with controversial coach Jorge Jesus, who he now comes up against in the current Benfica dugout, Amorim was shipped out on an 18-month to Braga where he reignited his career and impressed in the Europa League.

In 2013-14, Amorim returned to the capital and played an instrumental role in securing an unprecedented Portuguese treble of league, Taca de Portugal and Taca de Liga with Benfica.

Serious injury hampered the latter years of his career before a 32-year-old Amorim called time on his playing days in 2017 following more than a year without kicking a ball after a loan spell at Qatari side Al-Wakrah came to an end.

During his club career, Amorim amassed eleven major titles, including three Primeira Liga championships and featured at the 2014 World Cup alongside Ronaldo on his way to 14 caps for his country.

Getting the Sporting job

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Despite his recent Sporting exploits, it hasn't always been an easy ride in the managerial hotseat for Amorim.

A first coaching role with third division side Casa Pia AC was short-lived as Amorim resigned in January 2019 soon after taking up the position as his side were deducted six points and he was suspended from all activity for a year after giving instructions during a match without having the required coaching level to do so.

His next opportunity arose with Braga's reserves in mid-September of 2019 before he was put in charge of the first team three months later following the sacking of Ricardo Sa Pinto.

After winning his finish match against old playing side Belenenses 7-1, Amorim didn't look back. League Cup success against Porto a few weeks later then led to Sporting snapping him up in March 2020 despite only two months of top-flight managerial experience.

Ending Sporting's 19-year title wait

Sporting's decision to take a punt on the Portuguese prodigy certainly paid off.

Amorim guided the Lions to a League Cup triumph over former team Braga in January 2021 before ending Sporting's 19-year wait for a Portuguese league title.

On 11 May 2021, Amorim delivered a 19th national championship following a 1-0 win over Boavista, Sporting's first since the 2001-02 season to end the dominance of Benfica and Porto who had won every league title between them since.

Incredibly, Sporting were only beaten once in the league all season, suffering a 4-3 defeat away to city rivals Benfica in the penultimate game of the campaign having already secured the league crown on the previous matchday.

Sporting set a league record for the longest unbeaten run in a single season having gone 32 matches in a row without defeat as Amorim well and truly announced himself of the managerial scene.

Picking up where they left off

This campaign, Amorim's Lions have continued their impressive form from last season.

Sporting currently sit second in the league table only trailing Porto on goal difference having amassed 26 points from their opening 10 league fixtures, with the Lisbon side yet to taste defeat.

Amorim has also seen his side transfer their impressive league form into Europe, collecting six points from their opening four Champions League group games.

A demolition at the hands of Ajax and a narrow defeat to Dortmund set Sporting back, but two resounding victories over Besiktas have put Amorim's men in contention to make the knockout stages in the New Year.

Captained by ex-Liverpool centre back Sebastian Coates and fired to glory by former Wolves reject Pedro Goncalves, who netted 23 league goals last term, Sporting host Dortmund next before finishing the group stage with a trip to Amsterdam to face Ajax.

Amorim will be hoping Goncalves, who has been widely dubbed as Sporting's new Bruno Fernandes, can help him write another chapter in the history books.