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May 20, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Portugal (UEFA), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Portugal, with 4 other player-options listed).

Filed under: Portugal — admin @ 6:52 pm



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Portugal national team. UEFA (Europe). Nickname: A Selecção (the Selection). Home jersey: deep red with green trim.
-Portugal is in Group G (with Germany, Ghana, and United States), ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Group G‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 6th qualification out of 19 tries (1930, did not enter). Portugal has qualified for the World Cup in: 1966, 1986, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014.
Previous WC finish: 2010, Round of 16 (1-2-1). Highest finish: 1960, Third Place (5-0-1).

Population of Portugal: 10.4 million {2012 estimate}. Capital and largest city: Lisbon, metro area pop. 3.0 million {2011 est.}.

-Portugal coach, Paulo Bento. Paulo Bento.
-Portugal squad captain, LW Cristiano Ronaldo (of Real Madrid). Cristiano Ronaldo.

Below: Theoretical Best XI for Portugal (with 4 other player-options further below) -
portugal_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_alternate-options_e_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Portugal 2014 jersey, photo from store.nike.com.
Portugal/EU map, by NuclearVacuum at ‘File:EU-Portugal with islands circled.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Portugal map by NordNordWest at ‘File:Portugal location map.svg‘; Madeira (Portugal) map also by NordNordWest at ‘File:Portugal Madeira location map.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Coach,
Paulo Bento, photo by Mario Cruz/EPA via theguardian.com/football.
Goalkeeper,
Rui Patrício (Sporting CP), photo unattributed at svpn.blogspot.com.
Defenders,
João Pereira RB (Valencia), photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Pepe CB/DCM (Real Madrid), photo by David Ramos/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Bruno Alves CB (Fenerbahçe), photo unattributed at sporting-heroes.net/football/fenerbahce.
Fábio Coentrão LB/DCM/LMF (Real Madrid), photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Midfielders,
João Moutinho DM (AS Monaco), photo by EPA via dailymail.co.uk.
Raul Meireles CM (Fenerbahçe), photo by EuroFootball/Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
Miguel Veloso DM (Dynamo Kyiv), photo unattributed cdn.record.xl.pt.
Forwards/Wingers,
Nani RW (Manchester United), photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Hélder Postiga FW (Valencia/Lazio), photo by sslazio.it.
Christiano Ronaldo LW (Real Madrid), photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Other player-options,
Josué AMF/RW/LW (Porto), photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Neto CB (Zenit), photo by Anna Volkova at demotix.com.
Hugo Almeida FW (Beşiktaş), photo by Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk/sport/football.
Silvestre Varela LW (Porto), photo by George Herringshaw via sporting-heroes.net.
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Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Portugal national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, for recent squad line-ups (with positions-on-the-field graphics), at int.soccerway.com/international/europe/wc-qualifying-europe/2014-brazil/1st-round/r15653/.

November 9, 2009

Portugal: 2009-10 Liga season: Map, with 2008-09 attendances.

Filed under: Portugal — admin @ 6:35 pm

portugal_liga2009-10_attendances08-09_post_.gif

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Reigning champions are FC Porto,  who have now won four straight Portuguese titles.  Porto have won 24 Portuguese championships overall,  second only to the 31 titles won by Benfica. 

This season,  Sporting Braga are the surprise club so far,  though the northern club just lost ground Monday to Portuguese giants Benfica,  who beat Naval 1 May 1-0,  to go even on points with Braga.  Braga had defeated Benfica 2-0 on 31st October,  so they remain in first,  because tie-breakers in Portugal are head-to-head results,  not goal difference (like in Spain’s La Liga)  {click here for ‘Tie-breakers for football teams on level points’, by Daryl at The Offside.com}. 

 sporting-club-de-braga_estadio-municipal-de-braga_aka-estadio-axa.gif

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Porto and Benfica both draw very well…38,700 per game for Porto last season;  35,700 per game for Benfica.  The third club in the Portuguese big 3, Sporting CP [Lisbon] drew 26,500 per game last season.  Sporting CP haven’t won a title since 2002.  The only other two clubs that have decent sized fan bases are Sporting Braga,  and another club from the Norte region’s greater metropolitan area of Minho {see this},  Vitória [Guimarães].  Guimarãres drew 16,500 per game last season;  Braga drew 10,500.

Attendances are up this season 4.5%,  but it’s still early  {2009-10 attendances,  here),

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Porto are in the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League Group Stage,  and have clinched passage to the First Knockout Round.

There are 3 Portuguese clubs in the 2009-10 UEFA Europa League Group stage…Benfica and Sporting CP look set to clinch spots in the Round of 32,  while the small Madeira Islands club Nacional will most likely miss out on advancement.  Nacional punched above their weight last season,  equalling their best-ever league finish,  fourth place.  The club only draws in the 2,000s.

Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org {click here (set at Portuguese Liga 2009-10)}.   Thanks to the E-F-S site,  for attendance figures {click here}.   Thanks to www.demis.nl ,  for the base map.

Thanks to  http://redboys1992.blogspot.com

September 11, 2008

Portugal: Clubs in the 2008-’09 Liga (with 07/08 attendances).

Filed under: Portugal — admin @ 4:18 am

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The Portuguese Liga is currently playing it’s 71st season.  Reigning champions FC Porto have won 5 of the last 6 titles.

There are currently 2 clubs from Portugal in the 08/09 Champions League:  Porto, and Sporting Club Portugal (widely known as Sporting Lisbon).   Porto is in Group G, with Arsenal,  Fenerbahce,  and Dynamo Kyiv.   Sporting is in Group C, with Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Basel.  The Group Stage starts 16th September {Click here,  (UEFA site) }.

Four Portuguese clubs are in the first round of the 08/09 UEFA Cup:  Vitoria Guimaraes,  Benfica,  Martimo,  and Vitoria Setubal.   Here are the two-legged match-ups (scheduled for 18th September, and 2nd October):  Portsmouth v. Guimaraes,  Napoli v. Benfica,  Maritimo v. Valencia,  and Vitoria Setubal v. Heerenveen.  { Click here, for the whole 1st Round Fixture List  (Wikipedia) }  

{Click to the right, for a overview of  07/08 season, and a preview of 08/09:   http://www.bet.inf.com/prev_portugal.htm }.

Thanks to European Football Statistics, for the gate figures {Click here}.

Thanks to Demis, at http://www.demis.nl, for the base maps.

June 5, 2008

UEFA Euro 2008: Portugal. National Team- Squad Map.

Filed under: Portugal,UEFA Euro 2008 — admin @ 4:02 pm

euro2008_portugal_post.gif


Saturday, 7th June, Portugal will face Turkey, in one of the two games which will kick off the first day of Euro 2008.

{Click here, for Portugal’s page, from the UEFA site.}

Thanks to the UEFA site, for the Potugal kits; UEFA site  {click here}.

April 13, 2008

Portuguese Liga: 2007-’08 Zoom Map.

Filed under: Portugal,Zoom Maps — admin @ 10:41 am

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In Portugal, Porto has already clinched the Title.  It is Porto’s third straight championship, and fifth in the last six seasons {click here for Wikipedia’s entry on FC Porto}.

This weekend is the 26th of 30, in the Portuguese football season.  One interesting development this is that newly promoted Vitoria Guimaraes, the club with the country’s fourth largest fan base (but absolutely zero major titles), has a real chance of making it to the Champions League Qualifiers.  It could be at the expense of Sporting [Lisbon], who were just eliminated in the UEFA Cup Semi-Finals, by [the Glasgow] Rangers.  One has to think Sporting’s European run has eroded their domestic form, as the club has lost 3 of their last 8 league games.  Vitoria Guimaraes’ famously rabid fans will be screaming themselves hoarse, urging on their team to maintain their slim 2 point lead over Sporting.  **{Click here, for a video compilation of Vitoria Guimaraes’ fans in action  (@youtube).}.     {Click here, for Wikipedia’s entry on Vitoria Guimaraes.}

Update: Benfica was embarrassed by relegation-threatened Acedemica Coimbra 0-3, on Friday.  And on Saturday, Vitoria Guimaraes beat Boavista 1-0.  That means V. Guimaraes is now in 2nd place.   It looks like there’s going to be some new blood in the CL next fall.   Especially with Benfica imploding  {see this recent article, from the Pitch Invasion site}.

Ever since organized professional football has been played in Portugal, “os Tres Grandes,” or the Big 3,  (Benfica, Porto, and Sporting) have had a near-absolute dominance over the rest of the nation’s clubs.  It is more of a domination than even the Old Firm’s grip on the Scottish game.    In fact, Boavista’s fluke 2001 National Title, and the Title won by Belenenses in 1946, are the only two championships won outside of the Big 3.

And as far as gate figures go, there is a similar haves-and have-nots aspect.  The Big 3 are all able to pack them in: Benfica is drawing around 40,000 these days, Porto is at 37,000 or so, and Sporting pulls in 29,000 per game.  After that, there are just two clubs with medium-sized fan bases:  Vitoria Guimaraes, averaging around 17,000;  and Sporting Braga, averaging around 13,000.    After these five clubs, no other club in Portugal’s Liga is averaging more than 8,000 per game.  The only other clubs with halfway decent fan support are Acedemica Coimbra, at about 7,200, and Maritimo, at about 5,600.  

CS Maritimo, along with CD Nacional, are from the Atlantic Ocean island of Madeira {see this map}.  The island is part of an archipelago, also called Madeira, and is one of the 7 Regions of Portugal {see this}.  It is one of two Autonomous Regions in Portugal (the other is the Azores Islands, which is further west in the Atlantic: it’s biggest club is Santa Clara, which has spent 3 seasons in the top flight, the last in 2003.)  Madeira is where football superstar Christiano Ronaldo, of Manchester United, came from,  getting his start with Nacional.

Portugal’s domestic league is currently ranked #6 by UEFA, for European competitions.  3 clubs are awarded Champions League spots (1st and 2nd place finishers go directly to the coveted Group Stage, and 3rd place goes to the 3rd Round Qualifiers); 3 clubs are awarded UEFA Cup spots.    {Click here, for the Rankings for 2008-2009 UEFA Competitions.}   In 2006, The Poruguese Liga reduced it’s membership from 18 to 16 clubs.

{Click here, for the Portuguese Liga table (SocceerStats[dot]com).}

Here are 3 Google Earth shots of Premeira Liga Stadiums in Lisbon (click on each sentance below).

**Benfica’s “Stadium of Light.” [Note: the name refers to the neighborhood it is in: Luz, which translates as "light."]- Click here.

**Sporting’s Estadio Jose Alvalade-21st Century.-Click here.

**Belenenses’ Estadio do Restelo-Click here.

Thanks to http://www.colours-of-football.com. for the kits.  Thanks to (golftoday[dot]co[dot]uk) for the map.  Thanks to Jeremy, of the Albion Road site (http://www.albionroad.com),  for sending me the 3 Google Earth shots, and for information on the Portuguse Liga from his comprehensive website. 

October 12, 2007

Portugal. Attendance map, 2006-07.

Filed under: Portugal — admin @ 8:59 am

portugal_segment43.gif 

The big 3 in Portugal is Benfica (31 titles),  Porto (22 titles),  and Sporting Club Portugal [aka Sporting Lisbon] (18 titles).  They have won all but 2 league titles.  Belenenses won the league in 1946 , and Boavista won it  in 2001. 

Portugal’s domestic league is good enough to get them up to 3 spots each year in the Champions League.  Portugal’s current national league ranking by UEFA is #6 in Europe.   

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