FC Porto’s relentless march to a first Primeira Liga title in four years continued on January 18th as the Dragons duly swept aside Vitória de Guimarães and extended their lead at the division’s summit. Alan Varela’s late penalty was the difference between the two sides, converting five minutes from full time after his striker Samu Aghehowa missed a spot kick in the first half.
The result? The 1-0 win means that Francesco Farioli’s side have now won 17 of their opening 18 games this season and are seven points clear of reigning champions Sporting CP. They remain unbeaten and are unsurprisingly the overwhelming favourites with online betting sites to reclaim the title at long last. The bookies currently list the table toppers as a mightily short 1/5 frontrunner to get over the line, with a popular betting tool showing just how likely the triumph seemingly is.
When we went to calculate implied probability at Thunderpick, the calculation tool showed us that the Portuguese club has a mighty 83.33% chance of claiming the title this term. In footballing terms, that is as close as you’re ever going to get to a certainty.
Porto’s dominance this term doesn’t just have the Estádio do Dragão faithful dreaming of returning to the top step of the podium. As well as the inevitable coronation, those supporters are dreaming of their club setting a new record points total. But what are the current biggest points totals ever set in the Primeira Liga? Let’s take a look.
Porto’s 91-Point Masterpiece
Porto haven’t won the title since the 2021/22 season, a surprising fact considering that the triumph was the most dominant in the history of Portuguese football. The Dragons’ triumph that year was suffocating: Twenty-nine wins, four draws, one solitary defeat across 34 matches. They scored 86 goals and conceded just 22, boasting the league’s most lethal attack and its most impenetrable defence simultaneously.
Sérgio Conceição’s side went a whopping 58 consecutive league matches unbeaten—a run that began the campaign prior, matching records set by AC Milan and Olympiacos. They finally stumbled with just four games remaining, losing away at Braga courtesy of Ricardo Horta’s second-half winner. But by then, it barely mattered.
Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi was the star of the show, leading the way with 20 goals and a further 13 assists to help his side finish six points clear of Benfica, but the beauty of this Porto side was its depth of weapons. Luis Díaz netted 14 times before his January move to Liverpool. Evanilson chipped in another 14. Fabio Vieira pulled strings from midfield with six goals and 14 assists after returning from Arsenal, thriving as the creative heartbeat that made everything tick.
The title was clinched in the most Porto way possible: a last-gasp winner at the Estádio da Luz, Zaidu Sanusi scoring in stoppage time to seal the championship on Benfica’s turf. Had the hosts won, not much would have changed; a 2-0 win against Estoril a week later on home turf moved the Dragons to a mighty 91 points, setting a national record and giving Conceição his third league title as manager.
Gyökeres Powers Sporting to Glory
Sporting’s 2023/24 campaign reads like a beautiful tragedy. Ninety points. Twenty-nine wins, three draws, two defeats. They scored 96 goals —more than any side in history —and captured their 20th league title with swagger.
The Lions turned their José Alvalade Stadium home into an impenetrable fortress, winning all 17 of their home games. Sixteen league games alone produced 54 goals scored and just 11 conceded, with current Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres proving to be the difference.
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when manager Ruben Amorim forked out €20 million for the Swedish hitman from English second-tier side Coventry City, with many wondering how he could command such a transfer fee despite never playing at the elite level. The former Brighton youngster silenced the doubters and then some, terrorising defences as he racked up a mighty 29 goals en route to the crown.
The title was confirmed with two matches remaining after Benfica suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at Famalicão, allowing Sporting to exhale before the final whistle of the season. They proceeded to win their final three games without conceding a single goal, leading many to wonder whether Amorim’s men were the greatest team the Primeira Liga had ever seen.
Benfica’s Golden Standard
Rui Vitória’s Benfica set the benchmark in 2015/16 as they amassed 88 points en route to claiming a third straight title, their first “tricampeonato” since the mid-1970s. The Eagles were powered by a menacing attack, with a front three of Jonas, Kostas Mitroglou, and Raul Jimenez netting a blistering 57 goals between them—Jonas netting 32 of them in just 34 games.
There was also plenty of talent in midfield. Nico Gaitan remained the chief tormentor, while his partner in crime, Pizzi, created from deep. Teenage midfielder Renato Sanches provided the legs, shining as he burst onto the scene before going on to play a crucial role in leading Portugal to Euro 2016 glory weeks after the season finished.
Sporting managed to take the title fight down to the wire, reeling off win after win to somehow keep pace with the eventual champions. But the title was duly claimed on the final day of the season, demolishing Nacional 4-1 at the Estádio da Luz, courtesy of a brace from Gaitán, as well as strikes from Jonas and Pizzi.
