Portuguese soccer or as it is known in Portugal “futebol” has a long a storied history dating back all the way to 1875 when it was brought back to the country by Portuguese students returning from studying in England. The first domestic match was played in 1894 between Lisbon and Porto. Since this time rivalries between clubs have grown and we take a look at Portugal’s greatest rivalries soccer rivalries in the nation.
Honourable Mention – Academica vs Uniao de Leiria
We want to give a shout out to the Coimbra-Leiria rivalry, although both clubs currently do not play in the top league of Portugal their encounters go back more then 30 years. The cities are separated by 75 km on the A1 highway. Academica has won the Taca de Portugal twice an accomplishment that they enjoy holding over their southern neighbours who have yet to win a major trophy in Portugal. The two clubs have not played a competitive game against one another since the 2012 season a rivalry the fans and the league surely miss.
# 5 – Maritimo vs Nacional
The Madeira derby goes all the way back to when both clubs were established in 1910 a mere three months apart. Maritimo (working class fans) vs Nacional (upper class fans) have made this a heated affair, as the fans cultures and way of life add to the rivalry. Maritimo has been the more successful of the two sides even winning the Portugal title in 1925-26. They have also won the Madeira Cup 26 times to Nacional’s 6 wins.
# 4 – Braga vs Guimaraes
The Minho derby is a regional derby between two historical and neighbouring cities that did not commence on the pitch but between King and Church. The two clubs with strong followings now battle to be recognized as the fourth biggest club in Portugal. The competitive nature of these encounters tend to be taken to the extreme with fans parading caskets covered in the other teams colours, which tend to lead to clashes between the clubs supporters.
Before we get to the Final three greatest soccer rivalries in Portugal we also want to acknowledge a few other rivalries that tend to be intense and worth noting on our list for fans of the game:
FC Porto vs Boavista (Porto Derby); Farense vs Portimonense (Algarve Derby);
Leixoes vs Rio Ave (Northern Coast Derby); Belenenses vs Atletico (The Small Lisbon Derby)
# 3 – FC Porto vs Sporting
The Norte-Sul derby as it is called by some is a battle between two of the largest cities in Portugal, Lisbon and Porto. The rivalry goes back to the 1922 season as both clubs met in the first ever Portugal championship game. The clubs also battle off the field to be known as the second most important club in the country.
# 2 – Benfica vs FC Porto
O Classico as it is know in Portugal is the encounter between Portugal’s most successful, wealthiest and influential clubs. The rivalry has intensified since the late 70s as Porto became competitive. The clubs past bitterness would even see members called to play for Portugal sit in different sections of the team bus with Benfica players sitting at the front of the bus and Porto players at the back, other club players would sit in middle separating the two sets of players. Nothing is off limits when these two clubs meet.
# 1 – Benfica vs Sporting
The Lisbon derby is the greatest rivalry in Portugal and one of the best in the world. The rivalry commenced based on class as many did at that time, Benfica was established by a bunch of students, the club was poor and struggled to provide adequate conditions for their players but would soon become the people’s club while Sporting was bank rolled right off the bat by nobles and were known as a club for the cities elitists. The clubs intense rivalry has seen them accuse the other of stealing players with the Eusebio stories well known throughout the city. The clubs have hated one another for over 100 years but a hate that seldom leads to major violence but presents a stadium atmosphere unlike any other game in Portugal. The two clubs are from Portugal’s largest city and their stadiums are built just 4 miles apart, because of this short distance many supporters meet at their home stadiums and walk to the opposing teams stadium on match day. Benfica has become the more successful of the two Lisbon rivals and have a reported 47% of the Portuguese population on their side, this success has only fueled the rivalry as Sporting fans have always said that they have more enjoyment in a Benfica loss then a Sporting win. When it comes to Portugal’s Greatest Soccer Rivalries……The Lisbon Derby is Portugal’s greatest one and a must see game for any die hard soccer fans.