A Letter to NBA GMs by Victor Oladipo

Oladipo TITLE TW 97a7516928f06803f1707bd44152d41e

Dear NBA GMs,

I want to tell you about two dreams.

The first dream is my mom’s, and she had it way back when she was pregnant with me and my twin sister, in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in 1992. In this dream, she saw Hakeem Olajuwon, the greatest Nigerian hooper who’s ever lived. He was giving her an autographed basketball. And … that’s it! That’s the full dream. But that’s all my mom needed. We’re a very spiritual family. We love God. And she took this as a message from a higher power, that one of her kids was supposed to grow up to play the game of basketball.

You have to understand: My parents aren’t athletes by any means. They’re Nigerian immigrants through and through. And like many Nigerian immigrants, they believed that our opportunities in this country would come from educating ourselves, and using our minds. We weren’t part of a culture where it was normal for someone to make the NBA … or at least we didn’t see it that often, you know? So my mom wasn’t trying to impress anyone with this. But still. She told me from day one, she had this dream.

So when I fell in love with the game at an early age, just from sitting in the bleachers watching my older sister play … and from staying up late watching those Bulls and Lakers teams in the Finals … and from imitating my three GOATs (MJ, Kobe, my sister) on my uncle’s hoop in his driveway after church on Sundays…… and then I started to show signs of having some actual ability??? Man, I have to be honest with you. It felt like destiny.

Then move ahead to 2013 … it’s Draft Night. I’m 21. Been on an amazing journey just to get to this moment. My agent turns to me and he says, “Hey Vic, it’s gonna be you at #2 to Orlando.” But there’s TV cameras on us so I’m trying not to act too excited. Don’t want to give it away. And I’m just sitting there for a minute, in between him saying that and the pick coming in … and it’s like my whole journey is flashing before my eyes.

I’m thinking about how my dad worked three jobs, and my mom went to nursing school, just so my sisters and I could have the best education possible. I’m thinking about how people clowned on my offensive game at first, since it was slower to develop, because I didn’t have the resources a lot of other kids had (so I did things like build my own hoop, and then accidentally made it nine feet tall … smh). I’m thinking about how Coach Crean asked a reporter in private once if they thought I could be a pro, and they were like, Nah come on. He’s just an athlete. What’s he doing that 200 other athletes can’t do? I’m thinking about ALL of that.

But then it’s David Stern at the podium, “…..with the second pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic select Victor Oladipo, of Indiana University.” And then it’s me up there shaking his hand. And then it’s a whirlwind of media. And then it’s…… man, it’s the craziest thing that happened.

I finish up my media, and I’m walking backstage toward the green room to meet my family. But before I can get there, I see them about halfway down the hall. And my mom, she’s standing there with this strange expression on her face. Almost frantic. I’m kind of worried for a second. I motion over to my twin sister, and I’m like, “Hey, is she OK?!? What’s going on?!?” And my sister is like, “No….. Victor. LOOK.” And she points to my right, past my mom. It’s Hakeem Olajuwon. He was there because this was David Stern’s last draft as commissioner, and Hakeem was the first pick that Stern ever announced — so they brought him back to help celebrate. And my mom had just run into him, backstage, on her way to meet me after I got picked. And of course she told Hakeem about her dream. And he autographed a basketball for her, just like she dreamt he did.

That was my first night in the NBA.

A lot has happened since then.

Victor Oladipo | A Letter to NBA GMs | The Players' Tribune

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Those first few years in the league, I was still finding myself. I had been a 4-man in high school, and only moved to the guard spot in college … but even at Indiana, I never really played point guard. So when the Magic put me at the point, right out the gate as I was starting my NBA career … that was almost like an adjustment on top of an adjustment, you know?

I also think it was a tough situation for us in general, where we were losing a lot … went through multiple head coaches … I actually think if the play-in had existed back then, maybe we’d have gotten some playoff reps, and the energy could’ve been different. But it just felt like we never quite got that arrow pointed up…… and then suddenly I’m getting traded to OKC. Then the next summer, just like that, I’m getting traded out of OKC. Whew!!! It was a lot. To tell you the truth, I still look at that whole chapter so positively, though. Being a young player in this league….. It’s just an exciting thing. And I think a lot of my so-called failures from those years, they ended up being building blocks for me down the road.

Then that first season with the Pacers…… what can I even say??? It was perfect. It was like they had a job opening, where there’s a lot of responsibility but it’s this great opportunity, and I was the exact right candidate with the exact right experience for it. Those turnovers that I made too many of in Orlando, while trying to learn point guard? I feel like each one of them taught me something. How to become a better ball handler, a better passer … how to find my spots on the floor … how to change speeds with purpose. I also learned a lot from getting to play with Russ during his MVP year. Dude is such a special player and human. The way that he willed us into being a winning program….. honestly, for me, it was so profound. So when I got to Indy, and the message was Vic, it’s your team. High usage, ball in your hands, keys to the car … I was like, say less.

And the fact that it was Indiana just made it that much sweeter. I’m an emotional player, which is something I take a lot of pride in. I feed off connection, I feed off energy. And Indy showing me love, and treating me like their own, I think it played a real part in the heights I was able to reach there. I remember our playoff series against the Cavs, in 2018, we were down 3–2 and it’s Game 6 at home. So the night before, I went to the movies. And a Cavs fan spotted me at the theater, and was like, “HEY BRO. Y’ALL ARE GOING HOME TOMORROW NIGHT.” Of course my first thought was, Wait. Does this guy know he’s not in Cleveland right now? But I just shouted back to him, at the top of my lungs, “NO WE AIN’T!!!!! NO WE AIN’T!!!!!” And honestly….. It really was like that, my first year in Indiana. I felt an amazing connection with that city, that state, those fans. Then I went out there in Game 6 and had probably the game of my life, putting up a triple double, going bucket for bucket with maybe the greatest of all time, defending our home court, and forcing a Game 7. Man, no lie……… I thought the roof was going to come off the building that night. I wish that feeling could have lasted forever.

Victor Oladipo | The Players' Tribune | A Letter to NBA GMs

Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images

Unfortunately, it couldn’t last forever.

When I ruptured my quad tendon, it was a tough thing to accept. I was coming off the best year of my career: made my first All Star, got MVP votes, won Most Improved … and we were also having team success. Fifth in the East, then took the Cavs to the limit. And in my mind? My NBA greatness, it still felt like destiny. But then I was having a little knee trouble early on during my second Pacers season. And although it was “one in a million” to rupture my quad tendon from playing through it … I guess I was that one in that million.

So I got surgery, I rehabbed like crazy, and I came back a year later … right before the pandemic. Then I played in the Bubble, because I just wanted to get out there so badly. But in the Bubble it’s like I was on one leg. Any force on my knee, it felt like knives going through. And yet at the same time, it was sounding like everything should be OK. Which really messed with my head. I started to doubt myself, then I started to blame myself. And I think by my fourth season with the Pacers, where I STILL wasn’t feeling right??? Man. By that point I was so low. And when they traded me in January 2021, almost two years from the day I got injured….…. I didn’t have nothing left to do but cry.

Then in 2023, with Miami, I tore my patellar tendon. And to be honest, I actually think that injury was a blessing in disguise. Because from the moment my injuries first started, it’s like I’d been on this chase. I’d been chasing the idea of what we were so close to achieving as a team in Indy, and who I was so close to becoming as a player in the league. And it’s like ever since then … I’d just been trying so hard to get BACK there, you know?? So hard that I think I was rushing the process, and trying to make up for lost time. But my patella injury changed all that. Like to me that was God’s way of saying, Victor. You need to slow down, and get right, and stop chasing the ghost of what could have been. Then you need to build yourself back up into something that’s real.

And for the last three years, that’s what I’ve been doing. It’s taken a LOT of work. In my rehab … in the gym … and yeah, I’ll keep it a million with you: in therapy as well. I think as NBA players, we’re taught to put so much love into this game. And of course that’s a beautiful thing. But it can also make it hard to cope, or to find peace, if the game ever stops loving you back. And the game definitely broke my heart there for a while. Honestly, there’s times when I think about these past almost eight years … and my heart still aches. But I know there’s no reward at the end of regret. And I know I’m one of God’s angels. And I KNOW I’m still my mother’s son.

So I figure it’s time to play basketball again.

Jessica Foley for The Players’ Tribune

Now I want to tell you about the second dream.

This dream…….. it’s mine, and I had it about my daughter. Actually, I have it about my daughter — pretty much every day. Her name is Naomi, but I call her Nomi. She’s four and a half. And this dream isn’t about what she’s supposed to do, or what she’s destined to accomplish.

It’s about what type of person I want her to feel like she can be in this world.

And when I think about the version of me that’s most going to set that example for her?? Well … it ain’t the version that you last saw on an NBA court, at 30: a guy who was at war with his own body and mind, and struggling to understand why these bad things kept happening to him. But I’ll tell you something else……. It also ain’t the version that you saw walking to that podium, with his whole career in front of him, after shaking David Stern’s hand at 21. Or the version that you saw climbing toward the mountain top, after going toe to toe with LeBron in the playoffs at 25. Nah.

It’s this version, right now, that I want Nomi to see.

Me, in this moment of my life, at 34 years old. The version of her dad that got kicked all the way down the mountain, then spent years trying to climb back up, only to get kicked back down, again and again … but never once quit trying to climb. The version of her dad that, let’s be real, is probably getting counted out by a lot of people, and is probably getting laughed at by a few of them … but has managed to keep his faith, and keep his purpose. The version of her dad that’s finally found the perspective, and the humility, to write a letter like this one. To say to any GM who’s willing to listen: I believe my body is finally right. I believe I still have GREAT (and more importantly, WINNING) basketball in front of me. I believe I can be a valuable contributor to an NBA locker room. And what I’m asking for right now is an opportunity to prove it.

Nomi, man…… she’s still so young. But as she grows up, and if she’s ever in a place where she wants to take lessons from my life, or bookmark pages from my story … I really just hope that this is the one she comes back to the most. I hope that this is the page she can turn to when it’s tough times. And I hope that when she does turn to it, she realizes she’s strong like her dad … but also that she’s allowed to show weakness like her dad. Because if it’s coming from a feeling that’s true, it’s all strength. And I’m already so proud of her.

I hope she’s proud of me, too.

So that’s where I’m at with everything. I don’t know how my journey here is going to end……. Maybe a team out there will give me a chance. Maybe no team will. That’s really up to you all. But if you’re in an NBA front office, and you took the time to read this: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I can promise you one thing, always, about my basketball story … from the first page to the last.

It’s a love story.

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Eric Swalwell seen surrounded by FBI agents at SFO in new video

Former Rep. Eric Swalwell was surrounded by FBI agents at San Francisco International Airport as he deboarded a plane, leading to the seizure of his cellphone and laptop as part of a federal criminal investigation, newly obtained video shows.

The California Post exclusively obtained surveillance footage of the Aug. 15 encounter, providing the first look at the dramatic airport search that unfolded after Swalwell arrived in California.

The footage shows Swalwell — dressed incognito in a hat, black sweatshirt and sneakers — speaking with several agents at his flight gate as travelers pass nearby. The former Democratic congressman appears calm and cooperative throughout the encounter.

Video footage of the encounter then shows Swalwell, wearing a backpack and dragging a rollbag, being escorted throughout San Francisco’s airport. He’s taken up an escalator and eventually arrives in a hallway with a sign that says “restricted area.” He then enters a room with multiple people.

Agents served Swalwell with a search warrant at about 8:25 p.m. and seized a white Apple iPhone, its charging cable and wall adapter, and an Apple MacBook Pro, according to an inventory filed with the warrant.

The FBI left Swalwell with a copy of the warrant and an inventory of the property taken, records show.

The video does not show agents placing Swalwell under arrest, and he was reportedly allowed to leave after the search.

Agents executed additional warrants the following day at Swalwell’s Washington, D.C., home, where they seized other potential evidence, a source previously told The Post.

The FBI warrant used to seize Swalwell’s phone and laptop cited a federal civil-rights statute that can be used to prosecute public officials who abuse their government power — suggesting the feds may suspect Swalwell used his official role to silence women who accused him of sexual misconduct.

One former staffer has accused Swalwell of raping her when she was too intoxicated to consent, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Another woman has accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2018, while two others have alleged he sent them unsolicited images of his genitals.

Swalwell has denied wrongdoing.

The allegations prompted Swalwell to end his campaign for California governor and resign from Congress on April 14 as he faced a looming House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged misconduct and sexual assault involving an employee under his supervision.

Before ending his campaign, however, Swalwell’s lawyer sent a threatening letter to individuals accusing him of “nonconsensual sexual encounters” — warning that the then-congressman could sue for defamation over rampant online rumors about alleged inappropriate behavior with women.

The Department of Justice opened an investigation into Swalwell in April as the former congressman faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

Swalwell, who is also the subject of a state ethics invetigation, represented California in Congress for seven terms and previously served in local government and as a prosecutor. He also briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

Swalwell and his representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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‘Stuart Fails’ Stars Reveal Filming Episode 6 Episode “Was Terrifying”

SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about Episode 6 of HBO Max‘s Stuart Fails To Save the Universe.

In Episode 6 of HBO Max’s Stuart Fails To Save the Universe, the quartet of accidental heroes Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman), Denise (Lauren Lapkus), Bert (Brian Posehn) and Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie) find themselves in a universe where people have descended from cows; they eat plants and chew their cud.

Kripke and Bert want to leave, Stuart and Denise opt to stay, leading to the former duo being stuck falling in an endless void in-between universes. After meeting a new version of Raj (Kunal Nayyar) — who does not mention the broken device his post-apocalyptic self almost fixed in the first episode — and getting scolded by Stuart from another dimension, Stuart and Denise somehow order a second copy of the machine and soon find themselves falling through the void alongside Kripke and Bert.

Turns out the horror on their faces was not just acting but the screams were hard to muster, Sussman and Lapkus told Deadline.

“There were so many things that were crazy, I think being in the Matrix was insane, we were all with our bald caps in goo pods, and then we were on high wires, like flying, being dropped 30 feet in the air to shoot the falling-through-the-void scene, that was very scary,” Lapkus said about their experience filming Season 1 of the Big Bang Theory spinoff.

“The high wire one in particular, the scene was we’re being dropped, falling through the air, and we’re supposed to be screaming,” Sussman said. “And what Lauren and I discovered both simultaneously the first time we were dropped, it was so much faster and scarier than we thought that neither of us were able to scream.”

Added Lapkus, “When you’re actually scared, you can’t scream. It’s kind of like those nightmares that I’ve had over and over again, where I’m trying to scream and I can’t. When you’re falling and you’re actually scared, you just swallow it, we’re choking. Yeah, it was terrifying.” (You can watch the video below.)

Speaking of choking, there was a lot of that in the episode with all the food regurgitating.

“Lots of hay, lots of grass, yeah, lots of choking,” Lapkus said.

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Champions League draw: Predictions, key games, star players and surprise packages

Club football’s most prestigious competition is almost here again.

The draw for the league phase of the 2026-27 edition of the Champions League took place in Monaco this evening, with some glorious-looking fixtures in store over the next few months, beginning with matchday one on September 8-10.

With the draw fresh in their minds, The Athletic’s experts break down what they are looking forward to seeing, who might flourish or fail, and make their top-eight predictions.

Which league phase game caught your eye in today’s draw?

James Horncastle: Roma vs Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho returns to the Eternal City. He left the club’s Trigoria in tears after the Friedkins flew in under the cover of darkness and sacked him two and a half years ago. It is hard to overstate how loved Mourinho is in Rome. While outsiders don’t consider it much of an achievement, the Conference League he won in his first season was the club’s first trophy in 14 years.

He then took Roma to the Europa League final the following year. Gian Piero Gasperini has achieved what the Friedkins dearly desired: long-overdue Champions League qualification. This should be a magnificent occasion at the Olimpico, although I’m also looking forward to Champions League debutants Como welcoming PSG to the lake and their coach Cesc Fabregas returning to the Camp Nou.

Seb Stafford-Bloor: Arsenal vs Real Madrid. An obvious pick, but a worthy one. Whether Yan Diomande has been properly woven into the side by then remains to be seen, but think about that front-three — Diomande, Vinicius Junior, Mbappe — if he has. Arsenal’s defence can expect to face the fire that night. It’s a game that does not need any jeopardy to be compelling.

A game against Real Madrid will bring back good memories for Declan Rice and Arsenal (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Cerys Jones: Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona. Yes, we’ve seen it before, but that doesn’t make it any less tasty. Their goalfest of a quarter-final in 2024 was one to remember, with PSG coming from behind to win over two legs. And there’s a nice little striker subplot this year: Ferran Torres opened the scoring against PSG for Barca last year. Goncalo Ramos scored the Parisians’ last-minute winner. Now, Torres has effectively taken his place in Paris and will be stepping out with a point to prove.

Tim Spiers: Away from some of the more obvious match-ups, Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain at Villa Park will be very rowdy and very fun. It’s a repeat of the Super Cup from the other week, of course, but it’s also a repeat of that brilliant quarter-final in 2025 when Villa gave the eventual champions a huge fright, coming from 2-0 down on the night to win 3-2, but falling one goal short of forcing extra time. The atmosphere that night was otherworldly.

Emma Paton: Arsenal vs Real Madrid. With all the talk of Vinicius Jr potentially heading to the Emirates earlier the summer the fact they’ve drawn each other is a fixture from the gods. Arsenal’s fixtures are tough in general but that game, for me, is the sort of test where we might get some answers… do they have what it takes to go one better this time around?

Which big team is most at risk of not qualifying for the last 32?

Liam Tharme: Aston Villa, which would be a real shame given they earned their place by winning the Europa League last year. So many departures and squad churn manifested horribly on matchday one, when they were down 4-0 away to Brighton & Hove Albion, also seeing debutant midfielder Joao Gomes sent off. They had issues playing out, twice conceding from turnovers, and struggled defending their box too. Emery is known for his cup and European prowess, but this will be a huge test.

Horncastle: Since the new format began, only Newcastle and Man City, among Premier League teams, have needed a play-off to reach the round of 16. Last season, four of five English representatives, including Thomas Frank’s Tottenham, finished in the top eight. It offered a reminder of the league’s strength as derived from its unmatched financial muscle.

Bundesliga teams, outside of Bayern and Dortmund, have, by contrast, had discreet shockers. Take Eintracht Frankfurt last year. RB Leipzig the year before. I am inclined to go with Leipzig again here. New coach Martin Demichelis was hounded out of River Plate. He could not keep Mallorca up either. Can you tell I’m not convinced?

Jones: I think Villa could be in real trouble. I recognise James’ point about how Premier League teams seem to glide through this format, even against expectations — hello, Thomas Frank’s Tottenham — but their issue is twofold. After so many changes to the spine of the team, right from the goalkeeper all the way through to the striker, they risk lacking cohesion. I also think their squad depth is going to be seriously tested.

Can Unai Emery guide Aston Villa to the Champions League knockout stages again? (Glyn Kirk / AFP via Getty Images)

Spiers: Of the English clubs involved, Aston Villa would appear to be most at risk in theory — but in Unai Emery they have a master of European football in charge, so I’m not concerned about them yet. By contrast, given this is Michael Carrick’s first-ever European campaign in the dugout (and Andoni Iraola’s too, at Liverpool), I’d have question marks over how deep they can go in the competition, particularly as their squad depth is also a bit whiffy.

Stafford-Bloor: Manchester United could have had an easier draw. Without meaning to overreact to their Premier League defeat to Hull City, it’s difficult to imagine them getting much from Bayern or Atletico Madrid, both of whom are superior sides, and those trips to face Como and Sporting Club look full of peril.

Paton: Atletico Madrid. Particularly if they lose Julian Alvarez. They have some really tough fixtures in there — Bayern Munich at home, Liverpool at Anfield, and even a trip inside the Arctic Circle to face Bodo/Glimt doesn’t look easy these days. With the final at the Estadio Metropolitano on June 5, Diego Simeone’s side will be hoping they stay in the competition as long as possible but I’m not convinced.

Who’s your dark horse for this season?

Tharme: Looking outside of the top five European leagues, PSV. They are Dutch champions in the past three seasons and have a good record of reinvention under head coach Peter Bosz, something to be tested again following the departure of star boy Ismael Saibari to Bayern Munich. They scored as many goals as they conceded in the league phase last year (16), recording big wins away to Liverpool (4-1) and at home over Napoli (6-2), though four defeats meant they did not progress.

Horncastle: True to form, I will pick a Serie A club. Como are making their debut in the competition. Fabregas is one of the brightest coaches in Europe. Every year he finds a way to kick this team on. My only doubt is that Como are in pot four. Pre-season games against Arsenal and Liverpool will have prepared them a little for what’s to come.

But I’m going to go with Roma. This team still has a core group of players who won the Conference League and reached the Europa League final. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini has winning experience in Europe with Atalanta. It’s year two of his project in the capital. The summer transfer window looks to have upgraded the squad. Choose the Lupi.

Could Roma be a dark horse in this season’s Champions League? (Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Jones: In terms of who could actually make a surprise push for the final, Atletico Madrid. They haven’t reached the final since 2016, but away from the incessant (and last weekend, literal) noise around Julian Alvarez’s future, they have done good business this summer.

Cristian Romero adds to their already formidable knack for no-nonsense defending, and while they’re not exactly renowned as great entertainers in attack, Lee Kang-in — who can finally grab the spotlight for himself after leaving Paris Saint-Germain — is a fantastic addition. Bayer Leverkusen’s flying full-back Alejandro Grimaldo adds further quality. Atletico made it to the semi-finals last year, and I think they have the best chance of upsetting PSG, Bayern, Arsenal, or Real to go one better in 2027.

Spiers: Fenerbahce, back in the Champions League proper for the first time since 2009, incredibly, should deliver entertainment and will be an outside bet, certainly not to win the competition, but to enjoy a decent run. They can almost put out an XI of former Premier League players in Romelu Lukaku, Ederson, N’Golo Kante, Mason Greenwood, Marco Asensio, Matteo Guendouzi, Nathan Ake and Nelson Semedo, and Fener should be fun, although the length of Guendouzi and possibly Greenwood’s bans after their Lyon antics in midweek could be decisive.

Paton: I’ll take the mantle from James and stick my neck on the line by picking Como. A club promoted from Serie B in 2024 to then playing Champions League football just two years later — it’s been some fairytale already. Cesc Fabregas’s side finished fourth in Serie A last season, their best finish since 1952, and they’re a team with absolutely nothing to lose but plenty to enjoy (especially in the form of Nico Paz).

Give us the name of one unsung talent who will emerge as a star?

Jones: I know that choosing a player who has scored in a Champions League final really, really pushes the boundaries of ‘unsung’ — but I wonder if this is the season where Senny Mayulu establishes himself as a starting presence in the Champions League for PSG. He’s played just shy of 500 minutes in the competition over two seasons and managed four goals in that time, including the fifth in PSG’s rout of Inter in the 2025 final. He flies under the radar compared to the bona fide global superstars around him and I would like to see more of him.

Tharme: Inter’s Pio Esposito is one to watch. The 21-year-old came up through their academy and is a proven goalscorer. He netted twice in this competition last year — against Union Saint-Gilloise in the league phase and in their first-leg play-off round defeat to Bodo/Glimt — and has just signed a new contract. Head coach Cristian Chivu plays the same 3-5-2 that Inter have used for years and reached two finals using, so there should be minutes for Esposito.

Pio Esposito will be one of Inter’s chief goal threats in this season’s Champions League (Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Horncastle: Dortmund have spent big on Greek talent this summer. They cut PAOK a €26m cheque for Giannis Konstantelias then paid €30m for KRC Genk’s Konstantinos Karetsas. A Belgian youth international until he chose to represent Greece, Karetsas has a wand of a left foot and is an outrageous chance-creator. The teenager laid on 15 assists in all competitions last season. Is it any wonder Dortmund feel good about beating Milan to his signature?

Stafford-Bloor: James has taken Dortmund’s new Greek duo — they are scandalously talented — so I’ll pick Bayern Munich’s Nathaniel Brown. He made his competitive debut in the German Super Cup last weekend and looked as if he had been playing for the club for years. Brown is so versatile, he can play as a left-back, a right-back, and further forward, but he will push into midfield in a way that will not only make Bayern better in that area, but also highlight what a good player he is.

Paton: I’ve also gone with Esposito. The youngest of three footballing brothers and the only one Inter flatly refused to sell. The 21-year-old was one of the standout players as Inter began their Serie A title defence against Monza last weekend and I’m looking forward to seeing him on the biggest stage. He’s quick, strong, a great reader of the game, and, crucially, he scores goals too.

Which World Cup star are you looking forward to watching in the Champions League?

Jones: Ismael Saibari. His dink for Morocco against Brazil was one of my favourite goals of the tournament. He has tasted Champions League football before with PSV, but never past the round of 16. I’m excited to see if he can help push on a Bayern side that keeps going out in the most thrilling but agonising ways.

Tharme: Johan Manzambi for Aston Villa. Partly because Unai Emery’s squad is so threadbare, but mostly because of how talented and versatile he is. Still only 20, he brought Switzerland’s attack to life at the World Cup, filling the Xherdan Shaqiri void in their attack. Now he needs to do something similar for the Europa League winners, who are seeing Ollie Watkins follow Morgan Rogers out the door, albeit with Nicolas Jackson set to come in. Manzambi is still nursing a knee injury, so he might miss the first gameweek.

Horncastle: I was in Bergamo when Bayern kind of ended an era for Atalanta with a 6-1 win. The locals gave up on finding Gasperini disciples to carry on his work and have since broken completely with the past by hiring Maurizio Sarri. I wonder how much of that was down to Michael Olise causing Atalanta’s tried-and-tested man-marking system to collapse with his silky dribbling and incisive passing. Every Bayern game thereafter became appointment viewing for me. Olise was sensational for France at the World Cup too.

If you enjoyed Olise at the World Cup, he’ll be back for Bayern for the Champions League (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Stafford-Bloor: Saibari. He’s precisely the sort of versatile forward who should profit from playing for Vincent Kompany and within a system which depends on attacking players jiving with one another. He’s an excellent forward, we knew that already, but that talent now has some proper weight behind it.

Spiers: Yan Diomande’s first foray into the Champions League with Real Madrid should be box office. As we saw both in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig last season and with Ivory Coast at the World Cup in the summer, he’s an elite-level forward.

Paton: Johan Manzambi. He was a joy to watch for Switzerland at the World Cup. I know Villa are going through a lot of change but Unai Emery is football’s great European obsessive, a man who has never met a Thursday evening he didn’t want to dominate. Let’s see how those Tuesdays and Wednesdays go.

This is year three of the new format. Do you like it?

Horncastle: People fixate on whether the jeopardy is real or not. I concentrate on the Champions League continuing into January. There is no break. I also like the play-off round even if the Italians keep making a mess of it.

Tharme: Yes and no. I quite enjoy seeing more big teams matched up early on, though the lack of jeopardy is quite jarring, as is the fact that so many clubs being involved means the table does not really make any sense until the final round of games. The extra play-off round is a bit of a yawn too, while the no-repeat format has thrown up some inequitable fixtures — Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has been very vocal about his side being given tougher league-phase opponents than most, not that it has stopped them winning consecutive European crowns.

Jones: I know I’m likely in a minority here, but I do. Not having the same opponents twice in the first stage keeps teams guessing more than if they face the same opponents home and away, and there is more movement on the final matchdays. The gap between the richest and most established clubs and the minnows still leads to some predictable results, and that’s a wider issue for the game — but it’s still not as predictable as watching a side beat the same team at home in the group stage that they already beat away in the group stage.

The play-off ‘punishment’ round has already produced some great ties (Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP via Getty Images)

Stafford-Bloor: It’s fine. It’s too long and the individual games in the group stage mean too little, but I’m bored of hearing myself complain about it. I do like the play-off-punishment round, which has already created some wonderful memories, and the knockout rounds are unaffected. It’s like everything in the modern world: it’s a bit worse than it used to be, but it’s better than it probably will be in five years.

Spiers: I think overall it’s been a success, which is annoying because it was only introduced for scurrilous financial reasons. The madcap final day of 18 simultaneous group matches is ludicrously entertaining and gave us that jaw-dropping moment last season when Benfica ’keeper Anatoliy Trubin put them through in the 98th minute of their final match against Real Madrid. I miss home/away match-ups in the group stages, but the bonus knockout round probably makes up for that.

Paton: Honestly, yes. Can I say that out loud?! I don’t mind seeing big teams face each other early on. Yes, there’s a relative lack of jeopardy, but how can you not enjoy watching the best teams in Europe go head to head? Plus, I think the play-off round provides chaos, which I’m always here for.

Which team do you wish was in the competition but missed out?

Horncastle: It’s been stunning to see Hearts fall out of the Champions League play-offs, the Europa League preliminaries and only make the Conference League after a penalty shootout against Rapid Vienna. They were such a great story last season. I like Amsterdam, though. As a traditionalist, I want Ajax in the competition. After teaching the Spanish how to play football in the 70s, the reverse is happening. Xavi is the Netherlands coach. Michel is in charge of Ajax.

Jones: Milan, because the more opportunities for Champions League nights at the San Siro before it’s knocked down, the better. Thankfully Inter’s participation means there will be at least four this season. Also Bayer Leverkusen, who were perhaps unlucky to meet Arsenal in the round of 16 last season; they’ve dropped down into the Europa League.

Tharme: Marseille. I know they have not made it into the knockout rounds since 2011-12, but there’s something special about the cauldron of noise that is the Velodrome. Last year, they somehow conspired to finish 25th and go out after the league phase, losing their final two matches by 3-0 scorelines. Defeat in Bruges opened the door for that remarkable late Benfica goal to qualify at home to Real Madrid. The Champions League is always more entertaining and chaotic with Marseille involved.

Marseille’s magnificent Stade Velodrome will be missed in this season’s Champions League (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Spiers: We all really miss Chelsea. Only joking. Any Champions League without big clubs such as Milan, Ajax and Juventus and big atmospheres like Celtic Park or the Stade Velodrome feels worse off for it, but Bodo/Glimt showed last year how important it is to open things up for other nations and clubs. Sabah and Viking all the way.

Paton: Chelsea. And no, not because they finished sixth in the Champions League league phase last season, but because gifting Xabi Alonso a season of empty midweeks might be a worrying prospect for anyone who isn’t a Chelsea fan. Somewhere in west London, a very calm Basque man is using the quiet to build something.

And finally, predict the top eight in the league stage

Tharme: Arsenal, Bayern, Inter, Barcelona, Man City, Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain. (An outside shout for me would be Lens, while I think Liverpool have a lot of question marks.)

Horncastle: Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern, Barcelona, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Roma.

Jones: Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Bayern, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico, Inter, Borussia Dortmund.

Stafford-Bloor: Bayern, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid.

Spiers: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Inter, Lens.

Paton: Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter, Man City, Borussia Dortmund

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