... that the biggest win in the Portuguese top flight was Sporting's 14-0 thrashing of Leça
in the 1941-42 season. Sporting legend Peyroteo got nine goals!... that Pauleta is Portugal's top scorer at national team level with 42 goals? (as at 12/10/05). He beat the legendary Eusébio's
record of 41 goals on 12 October 2005 versus Latvia in a World Cup qualifying game at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto. Nené is third top scorer with 22.
... that Ricardo Carvalho, the Portuguese international
central defender, who was transferred from FC Porto to Chelsea in July 2004, set a record for transfers involving a Portuguese club? He was sold for 30 million euros.
... that Portugal
's appearance in the final of Euro 2004
was their best performance ever in a major tournament? They had reached the semi-finals before: they lost to England in the World Cup of 1966 and to France at Euro 1984 and 2000.
... that Benfica
(see below) is the only club to have gone the whole season in the league without defeat? ... they won 28 out of 30, and drew two, in the 72/73 season under Jimmy Hagan. Eusébio
won the European Golden Boot with his 40 goals in what was his penultimate season as a Benfica player. The team scored 101 goals, breaking 100 for only the second time in their history.
... that the record for the longest run of straight league wins belongs to Benfica? They won 23 on the trot in the 72/73 season under Jimmy Hagan, in a season in which they only
dropped two points with two away draws (at FC Porto and Atlético). The next best record is held by Sporting, 16 wins in the 46/47 season, when the cinco violinos
helped the Lions to 16 straight wins under Robert Kelly. FC Porto managed 13 wins under José Mourinho in the 2002/2003 season.
... that FC Porto's biggest defeat of local rivals Boavista
was in the 1953/54 season? Boavista took the lead but then shipped nine!
... that the only player to have represented all five clubs that have ever won the Portuguese league title (Benfica, Sporting, FC Porto,
Belenenses and Boavista) is Fernando Mendes?
... that one of the nicknames of Académica is Os Estudantes, and that their kit is all-black? There is a famous university in Coimbra
(Académica's home town) and the students there typically wear black gowns.
... that FC Porto have not been out of the top three in the Liga since the 1975/76 season, when they were fourth?
... that Sporting's first European game was against Partizan Belgrade on September 4th, 1955 in the then Inter Cities Fairs Cup.
... that Benfica
had not won the title for ten seasons (as at February 2004 - 93/94 was the last time), the worst run in their history?
... that Mário Jardel was top scorer in the Primeira
for the fifth time (FC Porto x4, Sporting x1) in the 2001/02 season. Other players who have been top scorer five times are: Peyroteo (Sporting, '30s and '40s), Águas (Benfica, '50s and '60s) and Gomes (FC Porto, '70s and '80s)
... that goalkeeper Moreira
became the youngest ´keeper ever to play for Benfica when he came on as sub for the injured Robert Enke in the 0-0 home draw against Vitória de Guimarães 03/11/01. José Moreira was just 19.
... that a bad
goalkeeping mistake (letting the ball slip through your hands, through your legs, etc) is called 'a chicken' in Portugal? The full expression is cometer um frango ('to commit a chicken')
... that when Boavista play well or get a good result, they are referred to as Boavistão ('Mighty Boavista')?
... that the last time FC Porto went two consecutive seasons without winning the title was in 82/83
and 83/84?
... that Luís Figo's full name is Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo?
... that two Portuguese clubs have won European Cups?: Benfica twice (1960/61 and 61/62) and FC Porto twice (1986/87 and 2003/04).
... that the player who was top scorer in Portugal the second greatest number of times (after Eusébio, of course) was Fernando Gomes of FC Porto, six times between 1975 and 1985?
... that the country Portugal has
played the most times at international level is Spain? (played 32, won 6, drawn 11, lost 15, 47 for, 70 against.)
... that supporters of clubs who pay annual (or monthly) fees are called sócios?
... that Sporting's main claque (fan group) is called Juventude Leonina ('Lion Youth'), or Juve Leo for short?
... that Sporting Braga are nicknamed 'Os Arsenalistas' because of their
shirts - red with white sleeves?
... that Eusébio played 715 games for Benfica?
... that the nickname of Boavista is As Panteras ('The Panthers')? They are also sometimes called Os Axadrezados
('The Chequereds') because of their chequered shirts.
... that the southernmost clubs in the Liga are Marítimo and Nacional ... from the island of Madeira?
... that the oldest club in the Liga
is FC Porto? It was founded in 1893.
... and that the newest club in the Liga is União de Leiria, founded in 1966? (relegated 2008)
... that the name of Benfica's biggest and most militant claque
(fan group) is 'The No Name Boys' (with the 'N's reversed)?
... that Eusébio (Benfica) was the top scorer in Portugal seven times, five times in a row between 1963 and 1968? Fernando Gomes (FC Porto) was top six
times in the late seventies/ early eighties.
... that the adjective for clubs normally has an -ista (pronounced like 'Easter') on the end, so we get Benfiquista, Sportinguista, Portista,
etc?. This is also the name for the fans of the clubs. There are some exceptions, notably ... Boavisteiro.
... that you pronounce 'Guimarães' (as in 'Vitória de Guimarães') more or less like this?: /gee/ (as
in 'geek'; /mer/ (as in murder); /ine/ (as in pine); /sh/ (as in 'sh'). so, it's /gee-mer-ine-sh/ (with the emphasis on the third syllable)
... that Eusébio's full name is Eusébio da Silva Ferreira?
... that Portugal has three national daily sports papers? They are A Bola and Record (published from the south) and O Jogo (published from the north)
... that Sporting Lisbon's official name is actually Sporting Clube de Portugal?
... that Benfica's official name is actually Sport Lisboa e Benfica?
... that the nicknames of the so-called
Três Grandes ('The Big Three') of Benfica, Sporting and Porto, are respectively As Águias ('The Eagles'), Os Leões ('The Lions') and Os Dragões ('The Dragons')?
... that only two clubs, apart
from 'The Big Three' of Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting, have ever won the league championship in Portugal? These were Belenenses in the 1945-46 season and Boavista in the 2000-01 season
