Big Three (Portugal)
The dominant trio of Portuguese football.
The Big Three is the nickname of the three most successful and biggest football clubs in Portugal: S.L. Benfica, Sporting CP, and FC Porto.
- Field
- Association football
- Nationality
- Portugal
- Known for
- Dominance of Portuguese football, high fan support, and European success
Lore & Background
The Big Three share all but two of the Portuguese Football Championships ever played. The only clubs outside the Big Three to have won the league are Belenenses (1945–46) and Boavista (2000–01). Benfica and Porto are the only Portuguese teams to have won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, each on two occasions. Sporting's best result in that competition was reaching the quarter-finals in 1983.
Reader's Guide
Benfica fans are known as 'benfiquistas' and 'encarnados' ('reds'), but rivals call them 'lampiões'. Sporting fans are 'sportinguistas' and 'leões' ('lions'), called 'lagartos' ('lizards') by rivals. FC Porto supporters are 'portistas' or 'dragões' ('dragons'), nicknamed 'andrades' and 'tripeiros'. The Big Three have the highest average attendance each season in the Primeira Liga. Eight footballers have played for all three clubs: Carlos Alhinho, Eurico Gomes, Romeu Silva, Paulo Futre, Fernando Mendes, Emílio Peixe, Derlei, Maniche, and Miguel Lopes. Managers who managed all three clubs include Otto Glória, Fernando Riera, Fernando Santos, and Jesualdo Ferreira.
Did You Know?
- None of the Big Three has ever been relegated from the Primeira Liga.
- Benfica's lowest league finish was 6th in 2000–01; Porto's worst was 9th in 1969–70; Sporting's worst was 7th in 2012–13.
- Eurico Gomes is the only player to win the domestic league with all three clubs (twice with each).
More in Club History & Eras
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