FC Barcelona fans were treated to another entertaining performance at the Montjuic last night as the Blaugranes won 3-1 against SL Benfica in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Several players stood out for the Catalan team in this match. For instance, Raphinha scored a brace and now stands atop the scoring table in the UCL. Similarly, Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to have scored and assisted in a single UCL game after his two meaningful contributions last night.
Thus, selecting the Man of the Match for this game would have been a highly difficult decision, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, this responsibility fell on the shoulders of one of the more notable coaches in Europe, Roberto Martinez, who ultimately gave this award to Barcelona midfielder star Pedri.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 15: Roberto Martinez, Head Coach of Portugal, looks on prior to the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A1 match between Scotland and Portugal at on October 15, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Photo by Euan Cherry/Getty Images
The current Portuguese national team coach was present at the Montjuic as a UEFA Technical Observer, and one of the duties that he had to perform in this capacity last night was to select the Man of the Match.
Furthermore, these technical directors also select the two best players from both teams and also the best eleven for the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season at the end of a campaign. On a specific matchday, they also have to present a report on the technical performance and the variables used by the involved teams.
Roberto Martinez is only one of the members of this technical observer group for UEFA, which includes some other high-profile names as well. One such name is the former Real Madrid coaches Fabio Capello and Rafael Benitez, while the former Merengue player and now coach Aitor Karanka is also a part of this group.
Other notable members of this group include former players and coaches like Robbie Keane, David Moyes, Frank de Boer, and Cosmin Contra.