Potter is actually one of three former Swansea managers at the World Cup.
There will be reason to cling to reflective glory if Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil triumph given Paul Clement – who staved off Premier League relegation in 2017 before being sacked a few months later – is the Don’s assistant.
And then there is Portugal, led by Roberto Martinez – a former Swansea captain and boss and still beloved in that part of south Wales.
As well as helping the club stay in the Football League in 2003, Martinez took his first steps in management at the Swans four years later, bringing with him a style of football he has already taken to a third-placed finish at the World Cup with Belgium in 2018.
He would wear a Welsh flag as an armband while skippering Swansea and has kept close ties with his old home, studying for his coaching qualifications in Wales, and speaking to prospective candidates in Newport on the same course via video link in the last few weeks.
Perhaps most significantly, he has a Welshman as a key member of his dugout.
The son of former Wales and Swansea winger Brian, Richie Evans spent a decade as physio at the Swans – including the cash-strapped days at the Vetch – but has been a trusted lieutenant of Martinez at Swansea, Wigan, Everton and now Portugal, serving as head of performance in their bid for tournament glory.
As well as his Swansea ties, Evans was a winger in the first Newport line-ups after the club reformed following liquidation in 1989.
But away from that Cymru connection, there is another reason for Wales fans to keep an eye on Portugal and perhaps hope they lift the trophy.
Because once the World Cup is done and dusted, the Nations League kicks-off in the autumn, with Portugal’s first fixture after north America a home game with Wales.
It could give Craig Bellamy’s side the chance to beat them and try and lay claim to being unofficial world champions.
Or perhaps backing the hosts is more your thing. If the US are successful, perhaps there can be a nod to Caersws where former Bangor City and Aberystwyth Town player Phil Woosnam was born. After retiring from a playing career including West Ham and Aston Villa, he headed to the States where – as well as coaching the national side – he was commissioner of the NASL and helped with the formation of Pele’s New York Cosmos before playing a part in securing the staging of the 1994 World Cup.
He is in the US Soccer’s Hall of Fame and has been described as the father of the professional game in the country.
So, as the World Cup continues without Wales, be safe in the knowledge that there’s always a link if you look hard enough.
Either that, or just sit back and enjoy the World Cup, let football be the winner – and just hope that there’s no need to try and work out who to back in 2030.
