Most newcomers to Portugal are keen to immerse themselves in the wonderful culture of this country. Exploring the country, the incredible cities, discovering the different food and drink specialties – these are all things that will help you instantly fall in love with Portugal.
A big part of that culture is the nation’s love for sports. Even if you know almost nothing about the country’s sporting achievements you will probably have heard of Cristiano Ronaldo and how he has helped the national football team to great success over the last 20 years or so. But you may not know quite so much about the domestic football scene.
You may think that life in the Algarve has enough going for it without the need for football. But once you discover the passion that Portuguese people have for the world’s favorite game, you may find yourself following one of the big teams and placing your own moneyline bets. Here is a quick beginner’s guide to Portuguese football to get you started.
Players Around the World
We have already alluded to the fact that many of the big names in Portuguese football don’t actually play in the country itself. Although the youth teams of all the big clubs regularly produce outstanding talents, the wealthier leagues in Europe tend to snap up the best players once they graduate to senior football.
Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the most obvious Portugal football player to graduate from a domestic team to global superstardom. But the squad for the recent European Championship consisted of players from all the top leagues, including Rafael Leão at Milan in Italy and Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United of the English Premier League, among many others.
Big Three
There are still always a number of players in the Portugal national team who ply their trade in the top tier at home – the Primeira Liga. But it is rare that those players ever come from a team outside of the Big Three. Porto, Sporting, and Benfica are the biggest and most successful clubs in the country and dominate the game.
In fact, since the top tier of professional football began in Portugal in 1934, there have only been two occasions when one of those three clubs has not won the championship. Belenenses won the league in 1946 and Boavista were triumphant in 2001. Porto or the one of the two big Lisbon teams has won every other title – and Benfica has never even finished lower than sixth in the table since records began.
So, if you are looking to get behind a successful team, you should probably not be thinking too far away from Sporting, Benfica, or Porto. Many Portuguese people support one of the three, no matter where they live, and you will soon get to know that the sports media concentrates heavily on the goings-on at those three clubs over anything else that happens.
Algarve Representation
That being said, if you want to show some local pride and really show your love for the Algarve, you should really get along to a Farense game. Based in Faro, the club has only played in the top tier for four years since the year 2000 but will be looking forward to a second consecutive campaign in the Primeira Liga in 2024.
Obviously, Farense has never won the league but it does have some minor success in its history and finished a very creditable 10th last season. There have also been some very notable players turning out in the black and white colors. The team plays its home games at the Estádio de São Luís, which was recently renovated and refurbished to the delight of local fans.
Recent Champions
In recent years, Braga has also challenged at the top of the Portuguese league but the three big clubs continue to dominate. Sporting won the title last season. It was the 20th time the team in green and white had lifted the trophy. But it still has a way to go before it catches up with Porto, which has won the league 30 times – and Benfica, which is the most successful Portuguese team of all time, with 38 titles to its name.
The power in Portuguese club football tends to happen in waves. Benfica will be successful for a few years and then it will be the turn of Porto or Sporting. It has been a little more exciting in recent years, however, with three different champions in the last three seasons.
Big League
Although Benfica, Sporting, and Porto all have a strong and famous history in European club competition history, the domestic league is not always shown in a very strong light across the rest of the continent. The Big Five European leagues are in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France and the Primeira Liga is not usually regarded as competitive because of the Big Three’s domination.
But those three different champions in recent years should really be seen as proof of the league becoming more competitive. Although it is virtually inconceivable that anyone outside of the Big Three will win the title, there are typically fewer realistic challengers for the championships in any of the five leagues deemed to be bigger and better.
So, if you are looking to fully enjoy everything that Portugal has to offer, you should really think about taking notice, at least, of what is happening in the football world. As with everything in this great country, you will be taken aback by the passion and love shown by everyone involved – and you may just discover that you have finally found your own favorite team once you get along to a game.
