Portuguese Football League: Just an Export Market?
The Portuguese Football League, over the years, has definitely produced some of the greatest names to have graced the football field. Cristiano Ronaldo, Rui http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nani-c27299 have all become household names over the years. But nearly all of
them had to ply their trade elsewhere, where they had the stage and coaches to make their mark on the game.
The Portuguese league was once a dominant force on the European stage. Eusebio, arguably the greatest Portuguese to play the game, was at his goal scoring prime with Benfica, for whom he terrorized the defences of Europe.
The club from Lisbon was the envy of the continent as they ended the dominance of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Real-c30728 Madrid by winning consecutive European Cups in 1961 and 1962.
But the success was short lived, and neither Benfica nor Portuguese Football rose to the standards they once set. And with the Portuguese clubs not collecting silverware, players began moving to newer pastures in search of trophies and lucrative contracts.
In 1999, the authorities began revamping the national system to reach the standards they once set; a new league was formed and took the place of the old First Division. Sponsorships and TV Deals heralded a new era for the sport, and soon it began bear fruit.
Jose Mourinho was a relative unknown when he first took over the reign at Porto but soon he spearheaded Portuguese Football back onto the European scene, capturing the UEFA Cup in 2003. And in 2004, Mourinho’s men brushed aside AS Monaco in Gelsenkirchen
to bring the UEFA Champions League trophy (formerly known as the European Cup) home. And like his sudden appointment, the self proclaimed “Special One” soon exited the Portuguese League in favour of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786
This was followed by a brief slump, but the Portuguese Football has found a new Messiah in Andre Villas Boas, who finally prevailed in the UEFA Europa League after an all-Portuguese Finale at Dublin in May, 2011.
The Portuguese league may not be full of glitz and glamour compared to the bigger leagues of Europe, but it has maintained a steady growth in order to challenge their rivals. And as they rise on the continent, their players are quickly subjected to bidding
wars and end up playing for foreign clubs.
This notion has made Portuguese football sort of a giant football factory where the aim is to develop players and sell them for huge sums to make profit, something which has been detrimental to the growth of the League.
Clubs like http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Portugal-c2984; as soon as a player with potential bursts onto the footballing
scene, clubs like Manchester United pounce and lure players with their financial muscle. This transfer benefits the club financially and provides players with the stage to perform but silently the Portuguese league suffers from the lack of quality players.
The best example of this system is http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Sporting-89-c40576 Lisbon but was quickly signed by United and went on to become the best in the world. Had he stayed in Portugal, the league would have become
more competitive and exciting, but it’s arguable whether he would have reached the same heights that he has in recent years.
In order to overcome this system, the clubs must increase their financial muscle and match the likes of Real Madrid in order to cling on to their young starlets – mission impossible!
A change of systems and the revival of Portuguese football’s golden days look highly unlikely.
Disclaimer: Views expressed here are the writer’s own and in no way represent bettor.com’s official editorial policy
Tags: