How does Portugal’s geography & history explain the big three | Benfica, Sporting & Porto
The Sweeper - A World Football PodcastShow Notes
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!
Links
Lee’s ESPN article
Paulo Sarreira’s hotel
The Golaço Kits website (promo code: SWEEPER10)
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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