Former Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa has been confirmed as the new manager of the Poland national team to take the country into the summer’s delayed European Championships.
Meanwhile, Ricardo Sá Pinto has wasted little time finding a new job after leaving Vasco da Gama, with the well-travelled coach appointed by Turkish high-flyers Gaziantep.
Cristiano Ronaldo reached the much-anticipated 760-goal mark on Wednesday night as Juventus won the Italian Supercup with a 2-0 victory over Napoli at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia.
Ronaldo’s goal is regarded by some to have seen him become the all-time highest goalscorer in the history of football, but one statistic which is indisputable is the Portugal captain’s tally of 31 career trophies after his latest medal.
Manchester City 2-0 Aston Villa
Bernardo Silva offered further evidence that he is rediscovering his best form with the crucial goal as Manchester City finally overcame Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.
The visitors held out for 79 minutes with the match goalless before the Portugal international broke the deadlock with a superb finish, setting City on their way to a sixth straight league victory.
Football is the world’s most popular sport, and Portugal is no exception. Its domestic league features fierce rivalries and prestigious clubs that have prospered in European competition, and its national team has increasingly made itself an elite performer on the world stage.
It is no surprise, therefore, that Portugal has produced some of the best players on the planet who play for the leading clubs in Italy, England, and Spain. Add in the fact that Jorge Mendes is the most powerful agent in the world and most of his clients are, like him, Portuguese, and the ingredients are in place for some of the biggest (and in some cases most controversial) transfers of footballers over recent years.
PortuGOAL focuses on three astronomical transfers of Portuguese players that made headlines all over the world.
Sp. Braga 2-1 Benfica
Sporting de Braga have eliminated Benfica to secure back-to-back Allianz League Cup final appearances, following Sporting into Saturday’s showdown with a 2-1 victory in Leiria, tonight.
The Arsenalistas took advantage of a weakened Benfica backline to take the lead midway through the first half through Abel Ruiz in the 27th minute, despite encouraging play from the Eagles.
Pizzi levelled things for Benfica from the penalty spot before the break but Braga were again on hand to peg the Lisbon outfit back, regaining advantage in the 58th minute and seeing out the semi-final with a 2-1 victory.
Braga 2-1 Benfica match report and video highlights
Jaime Pacheco’s Zamalek are the early pace-setters in the Egyptian Premier League, with five straight wins taking the club to the top of the standings after seven matches played.
Tuesday’s 1-0 win against El Gouna gives Zamalek a two-point lead over eternal rivals and defending champions Al Ahly, who won the Egyptian title by a remarkable 21 points last season.
Sporting 2-1 FC Porto
Sporting are through to the Allianz League Cup final after a late Jovane Cabral double turned an imminent elimination at the hands of FC Porto into a 2-1 victory, this Tuesday.
The two rivals endured a cagey affair until the 80th minute, where the Dragons edged ahead courtesy of a Moussa Marega strike past Antonio Adan.
Jovane, fresh from the bench, provided the Lions with a clutch moment just six minutes later with the equaliser before the forward’s 94th-minute finish, on the stroke of full time, turned the tie on its head.
Sporting 2-1 FC Porto match report and video highlights
Fábio Martins is enjoying a fine start to life in Saudi Arabian football with Al Shabab, following his summer move from Sporting Braga.
The attacking midfielder headed to the Middle East on loan in September, having impressed last season with Famalicão, and since landing in the Saudi capital Riyadh Martins has already been recognised with an individual award.
Round 14 of the Liga NOS season was notable for it featuring the campaign’s first domestic “Clássico” between Porto and Benfica, the pair unable to be separated in a 1-1 draw at Estádio do Dragão, in doing so failing to capitalise on league leaders Sporting dropping points against Rio Ave.
Paços Ferreira continued their superb season with an impressive triumph over Braga, whilst there were vital victories for struggling sides Portimonense and Famalicão, overcoming Belenenses SAD and Santa Clara respectively.
Another team at the wrong end of the table to gain a significant boost was Tondela as they faced another struggler in Boavista. The star of the show was PortuGOAL Figure of the Week Salvador Agra, who was in top form to score twice in an impressive display.
For a country of little over 10 million people, Portugal has long punched above its weight in the world’s most popular sport when it comes to producing the finest players to grace the game. Eusébio, Paulo Futre, Luís Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo are just four footballers who enjoyed global acclaim spanning generations from the 1960s onwards.
A relatively new phenomenon, however, has seen Portuguese managers follow in the footsteps of the great players past and present to achieve incredible success both at home and abroad. In no particular order, here are five of the greatest Portuguese football managers over the past two decades.
“Rúben lives with football 24 hours and he is giving us something special.”
