The association football champions of Portugal are the winners of the top tier league in Portuguese football, currently the Primeira Liga. The league is contested in a double round-robin format and the championship title is awarded to the team with the most points, and therefore at the top of the league standings, at the end of the season.
The Primeira Liga was first established in 1934 by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), under the name of Campeonato da Primeira Liga (Premier League Championship). It was initially created as an experimental league competition, which was contested by the top ranked teams from the different regional championships. Four years later, the Primeira Liga was officially adopted as the top level national championship, replacing the Campeonato de Portugal (Championship of Portugal), a knockout tournament that had determined the national champions since 1922.[a] The league was known as Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão (First Division National Championship), or simply Primeira Divisão, until 1999, when the Portuguese League for Professional Football gave it its current naming.[b]
Benfica are the most successful team in the Primeira Liga, having won 32 titles in 79 seasons. They are followed by Porto and Sporting, with 27 and 18 titles, respectively. Together, these teams – nicknamed "The Big Three" – have won all but two titles; the exceptions were Belenenses in 1945–46, and Boavista in 2000–01. Porto are the incumbent and three-time defending champions, having won the 2012–13 competition without a single defeat. They have imposed their domestic dominance in the past decades, winning 20 titles since 1984. Porto also hold the record for the most consecutive titles, with five wins between 1994–95 and 1998–99.
Champions
edit- Key
| † | Champions won the Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) in the same season (the Double) |
| ‡ | Champions won the Taça de Portugal and a European competition in the same season (the Treble) |
| § | Champions won the Taça da Liga (League Cup) in the same season |
| (titles) | Cumulative tally of championship titles |
Campeonato da Primeira Liga (1934–38)
edit| Season | Winner (titles) | Runner-up | Third place | Top goalscorer (club) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934–35 | Porto | Sporting | Benfica | Manuel Soeiro (Sporting) | 14 |
| 1935–36 | Benfica | Porto | Sporting | Pinga (Porto) | 21 |
| 1936–37 | Benfica (2) | Belenenses | Sporting | Manuel Soeiro (Sporting) | 24 |
| 1937–38 | Benfica (3) | Porto | Sporting | Fernando Peyroteo (Sporting) | 34 |
Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão (1938–99)
editPrimeira Liga (1999–present)
editRecords
editTitles by club
editFive clubs have won the championship, three of which have collected all but two of the 79 league titles in dispute since 1934.
| Club | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Benfica | 32 | 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1949–50, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1993–94, 2004–05, 2009–10 |
| Porto | 27 | 1934–35, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13 |
| Sporting | 18 | 1940–41, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1978–80, 1981–82, 1999–2000, 2001–02 |
| Belenenses | 1 | 1945–46 |
| Boavista | 1 | 2000–01 |
Titles by city
editOnly clubs based in the cities of Lisbon or Porto have been champions, showcasing the bipolarity of Portuguese club football.
| City | Titles | Clubs (titles) |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon | 51 | Benfica (32), Sporting (18), Belenenses (1) |
| Porto | 28 | Porto (27), Boavista (1) |
Consecutive titles
editPorto holds the record for the longest run of consecutive Primeira Liga titles, with five wins (1994–95 to 1998–99). They surpassed the previous record of four consecutive wins established by Sporting (1950–51 to 1953–54). Recently, Porto also secured another run of four successive league titles (2005–06 to 2008–09).
| Titles | Club | Runs | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five (5) | Porto | 1 | 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99 |
| Four (4) | Porto | 2 | 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 |
| Sporting | 1 | 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54 | |
| Three (3) | Benfica | 5 | 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77 |
| Porto | 3 | 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13 | |
| Sporting | 2 | 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53 | |
| Two (2) | Benfica | 8 | 1935–36, 1936–37 1941–42, 1942–43 1959–60, 1960–61 1962–63, 1963–64 1966–67, 1967–68 1970–71, 1971–72 1974–75, 1975–76 1982–83, 1983–84 |
| Porto | 8 | 1938–39, 1939–40 1977–78, 1978–79 1984–85, 1985–86 1991–92, 1992–93 1994–95, 1995–96 2002–03, 2003–04 2005–06, 2006–07 2010–11, 2011–12 | |
| Sporting | 2 | 1946–47, 1947–48 1950–51, 1951–52 |
Longest title droughts
edit| Seasons | Club | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Porto | 1958–59 → 1977–78 |
| 18 | Sporting | 1981–82 → 1999–2000 |
| 16 | Porto | 1939–40 → 1955–56 |
| 11 | Benfica | 1993–94 → 2004–05 |
| Sporting | 2001–02 → present |
See also
edit- Portuguese football league system:
- Segunda Liga (1990–present), 2nd tier
- Segunda Divisão (1934–2013), former 3rd tier
- Terceira Divisão (1948–2013), former 4th tier
- Campeonato Nacional de Seniores (2013–present), current 3rd tier
Notes
edit- ^ With the establishment of the Primeira Liga as the official championship, FPF converted the Campeonato de Portugal into its premier cup competition, the Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup). In fact, the trophy currently awarded to the Portuguese Cup winners is the same that awarded to the winners of the Campeonato de Portugal.
- ^ Before the 1995–96 season, FPF delegated the organisation of the professional championships (including the Primeira Divisão) to the Portuguese League for Professional Football, an autonomous body inserted in the FPF structure.
- ^ Won the 1960–61 European Cup.[4]
- ^ a b c d e f g Won the European Golden Shoe.[5][6]
- ^ a b c Finished the championship without defeats.
- ^ Won the 2002–03 UEFA Cup.[7]
- ^ Won the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League.[8]
- ^ Won the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.[9]
References
edit- ^ Claro, Paulo. "Portugal – List of champions: Campeonato da Ia Liga 1934–1938 (unofficial)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ a b c Claro, Paulo. "Portugal – List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ a b Claro, Paulo. "Portugal – List of champions: Campeonato da Ia Divisão 1938–". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "1960/61: Eagles soar to end Madrid monopoly". UEFA.com – The official website for European football. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). 31 March 1961. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "Golden Shoe". European Sports Media. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ Arotaritei, Sorin; Di Maggio, Roberto; Stokkermans, Karel. "Golden Boot ("Soulier d'Or") Awards". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ "2002/03: Mourinho makes his mark". UEFA.com – The official website for European football. UEFA. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "2003/04: Porto pull off biggest surprise". UEFA.com – The official website for European football. UEFA. 26 May 2004. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "2010/11: Falcao heads Porto to glory". UEFA.com – The official website for European football. UEFA. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2013.