By Alfredo Echenique Lugo
Aug 29, 2024, 4:38 PM EDT
The 2024-2025 edition of the UEFA Champions League will have a new format, more teams and more matches. The draw for the matches was even held this Thursday and among its participants there will be two players of Panamanian nationality who will make history.
This will be the first time in the history of the European Cup that a Panamanian footballer will compete. This time, it will be a double match, with César Blackman playing for Slovan Bratislava and José Luis Rodríguez for Red Star.
Blackman had to go through a difficult road to make history in Panamanian football. His team had to overcome four previous rounds to qualify for the group stage. They beat Midtjylland 4-3 on aggregate, Apoel 2-0 on aggregate, Celje 6-1 on aggregate and Struga 6-3 on aggregate.
Blackman is a right-back who played for Panama in the 2024 Copa América and this is his second season with Slovan Bratislava. He has already played 46 matches for the team, 21 of them as a starter, scoring four goals and providing two assists.
On the other hand, José Luis Rodríguez had an easier path to the Champions League with Red Star. They only made it through in the last round after beating Bodo Glimt of Norway with an aggregate score of 3-2.
Rodríguez plays as a left winger and this will be his first year with the Serbian team after being transferred from Famalicao in Portugal for $2.4 million dollars. With Panama, he has six goals in 48 matches.
Rivals of the Panamanians
Blackman’s Slovan Bratislava are drawn in pot four and will face Manchester City, Milan, Dinamo and Stuttgart at home in this edition of the Champions League, and Bayern, Atlético de Madrid, Celtic and Girona away from home.
His compatriot José Luis Rodríguez and Red Star will start with FC Barcelona, Benfica, PSV and Stuttgart at home and Inter, Milan, Young Boys and Monaco away.
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