There have been 92 editions of the Portuguese Primeira Liga to date. Only two of them have been won by clubs other than Benfica, Sporting and Porto.
A whopping 95% of football fans in Portugal support the big three – a share that even dwarves the share of national support for the big three in Türkiye and the Netherlands.
So how have the trio established such a fierce grip on the domestic game and its fans? What role have the country’s history and geography had to play? And what chance, if any, does a club outside the big three have of breaking its stranglehold?
Plus, countrymen Torreense claim the first European league phase win for a lower-league team in a decade and our partner Golaço Kits holds a Portuguese club shirt giveaway!
You can already listen to Monday’s bumper bonus podcast on Patreon. In it, we take a virtual journey across Central and Eastern Europe to profile four unique clubs, including the village team who lured Real Madrid’s 12th man to Moldova!
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:52 – Triumph for Torreense
02:40 – Big three dominance
07:43 – 95% national support
10:58 – Lusophone influence
14:10 – Potential challengers
18:10 - Golaço Kits giveaway
