Tauranga's Tyler Boyd might be New Zealand's most under the radar footballer.
He'd certainly be a candidate for a "whatever happened to ..?" file, as little has been heard of the former Phoenix winger since he left this country in early 2015.
For the past two-and-a-half years, Boyd, 22, haschased his football dream in Portugal. That's some jump. It's the country of Eusebio and Cristiano Ronaldo, and their national team are the reigning European champions. The Primeira Liga is rated Europe's sixth-strongest league, and Portuguese clubs have featured in the European Cup final nine times, with Benfica and Porto lifting the trophy twice each.
In terms of a challenge, it's a bit like a young Georgian rugby player venturing to Christchurch or Wellington to make his mark. It's been a steep learning curve but the former All White could make a breakthrough this year.
"Tyler has grown a lot as a player," said Vitor Campelos, who has coached Boyd at Vitoria Guimaraes B for the past two years. "He's young but has improved a lot."
Boyd has been loaned to first division CD Tondela this season, a move Campelos wasn't completely in favour of.
"If I could, I would keep him with me for one more season," said Campelos. "But the club think it is better for him if he plays in the first league and for this reason, they have loaned Tyler."
Boyd has already made his mark, with two goals in pre-season for Tondela.
