The story
History
Foundation (1902–1906)
Sporting Clube de Portugal has its origins in June 1902, when a group of young men including Francisco da Ponte e Horta Gavazzo and his brother José Maria decided to create Sport Club de Belas. This club, the first ancestor of Sporting, played just one match and at the end of the year's summer, disbanded. Two years later, the idea of creating a football club was revived, and this time, with the Gavazzo brothers joined by José Alvalade (José Holtreman Roquette) and José Stromp; a new club, the Campo Grande Football Club, was founded. They played their matches on the estate of the Viscount of Alvalade (Alfredo Holtreman), José Alvalade's grandfather, with the club's headquarters located in Francisco Gavazzo's home. For two years, the club developed an intense activity on several sports, namely football, tennis and fencing.
The club also organized parties and picnics. Eventually, during one picnic, on 12 April 1906, discussions erupted, as some members argued that the club should only be focused on organizing picnics, balls and other social events, with another group contended that the club should be focused on sports instead. Some time later, José Gavazzo, José Alvalade and 17 other members left the club, with José Alvalade saying: "I'll go to my grandad and he'll give me money to create another club." As such, a new club, without a name, was founded on 8 May 1906, and on 26 May, it was named "Campo Grande Sporting Clube". The Viscount of Alvalade, whose money and land helped found the club, was the first president of Sporting. José Alvalade, as one of the main founders and first club member (sócio), uttered on behalf of himself and his fellow co-founders: "We want this club to be a great club, as great as the greatest in Europe." Beyond José Holtreman Roquette (José Alvalade) and his grandfather Alfredo das Neves Holtreman (Viscount of Alvalade), among the founders were also the brothers António, José and Francisco Stromp, the Gavazzo brothers, José Maria do Couto Valente da Ponte and José Ferreira Roquette. Two months later, on 1 July 1906, António Félix da Costa Júnior suggested the name Sporting Clube de Portugal, and since 1920 that is the club's foundation date.
Early years (1907–1946)
The year 1907 marked some "firsts" for the club, as Sporting played the first football match of their history on 3 February, ending in a 5–1 defeat against third division club Cruz Negra; inaugurated their first ground, known as "Sítio das Mouras" (the most advanced in Portugal at the time, equipped with showers, two tennis courts, an athletics track and a football field) on 4 July; and played the first derby of all time against local rivals S.L. Benfica (then known as Grupo Sport Lisboa) on 1 December. As early as 1909, the following sports were practised at the sports club: football, running and jumping (athletics), physical exercise (gymnastics), rope-wrestling, tennis, cricket and field hockey.
The club also released their first report card on 31 March 1922, titled "Boletim do Sporting" (Sporting's Report), lending the foundation for the later called "Jornal do Sporting", the official newspaper of the club, that still exists today.
Sporting played their first Primeira Liga game (the 1st Division of Portuguese football) ever on 20 January 1935, winning 0–6 against Académica de Coimbra. A year later, in 1936, the club had their heaviest ever defeat against Porto, losing 10–1. Sporting, however, got their revenge a year later, when they humbled the same team with a 9–1 result. In 1941, under the guidance of Hungarian manager József Szabó, the club celebrated the first league title of their history.
Golden years and fading (1946–1982)
The football team had their height during the 1940s and 1950s. It was spearheaded by Fernando Peyroteo, José Travassos, Albano Pereira, Jesus Correia and Manuel Vasques, in a quintet nicknamed "The Five Violins". With the violins' help, Sporting won seven league titles in eight seasons between 1947 and 1954, including a then unprecedented four in a row from 1950 to 1951 onwards. Fernando Peyroteo, the most known of "the violins", is considered one of the greatest Portuguese players of all time.
Sporting and the Yugoslavian team Partizan both made history on 4 September 1955, as they played the first-ever UEFA Champion Clubs' Cup match. Sporting player João Martins scored the first-ever goal of the competition, on the 14th minute. The match ended in a 3–3 draw. Sporting also inaugurated their new venue, José Alvalade Stadium, on 10 June 1956, which would be their home ground until 2003.
In the 1960s, Sporting achieved continental success, winning the 1963–64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, defeating MTK Budapest of Hungary in the final. It was the only time a Portuguese team side won a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup title. The team entered the competition defeating Atalanta in the qualifying round, then past Cypriot club APOEL in what was the biggest win in a single UEFA competitions game to date: 16–1, a record that still stands today. On the next round, they lost 4–1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first hand, but made a remarkable comeback at home, winning 5–0. In the semi-finals, Sporting eliminated Lyon, and in the end MTK Budapest, in a two-round final to win their first European title. The winning goal was scored by João Morais from a direct corner kick.
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Under the leadership of president João Rocha, the first project of club-company in Portugal was approved by Sporting CP's affiliated partners (sócios) in November 1973, and denominated "Society of Constructions and Planning" (SCP, Sociedade de Construções e Planeamento). The Portuguese government authorised the establishment of the company and the issue of 2.5 million shares, with a nominal value of 100 escudos each. The club-company project with issuance of stock was hampered shortly after due to the events of the Carnation Revolution of 1974 and the subsequent Processo Revolucionário em Curso of 1975 (the creation of Sociedades Anónimas Desportivas ("Public limited sports companies") would be later available in Portugal through a new legal status only introduced in the 1990s).
The club reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1974, but lost to eventual winners 1. FC Magdeburg of East Germany.
First league title drought (1982–2000)
English manager Malcolm Allison arrived at Sporting in 1981, and under his guidance the club won the domestic double (league title and Portuguese cup), in 1982. In the years between 1982 and 2000, Sporting suffered from a drought of titles. Despite defeating rivals Benfica 4–0 on aggregate to win the Portuguese Super Cup in 1987, Sporting fans had to wait until 1995 to see their team win some silverware after beating Marítimo 2–0 in the final of the 1995 Portuguese Cup. That victory granted Sporting a place in the following season's Portuguese Super Cup. After drawing 0–0 at the José Alvalade Stadium and securing a 2–2 draw at the Estádio das Antas, a replay match was held on 30 April 1996 at the Parc de Princes in Paris. Sporting won 3–0 with Sá Pinto scoring twice and Carlos Xavier scoring a stoppage time penalty. In the same 1995–96 season, Sporting also reached the Portuguese Cup Final but lost 3–1 to Benfica.
Highlights of this period of time also include a 7–1 victory over arch-rivals Benfica at the old José Alvalade Stadium on 14 December 1986. Sporting also reached the UEFA Cup semi-final in 1991, losing against Internazionale. Also, Barcelona and Real Madrid were both tied and defeated in Lisbon when playing against Sporting in the old UEFA Cup, in the 1986–87 and 1994–95 seasons, respectively.
In 1998, Sporting had created the Sporting Clube de Portugal – Futebol, SAD, a public limited sports company for its football department, which went public on the Lisbon Stock Exchange in that year at a price of 1,000 escudos (the equivalent of about five euros at the time) per share.
The turn of the millennium (2000–2002)
In 2000, Sporting, led by manager Augusto Inácio (a former Sporting player, who replaced Giuseppe Materazzi at the beginning of the season), won the league title on the last match day, with a 4–0 victory over Salgueiros, ending an 18-year drought. In the following season, Sporting conquered the 2000 Super Cup but came third in the league. In the 2001–02 season, led by coach László Bölöni, Sporting conquered their 18th league title, the Portuguese Cup and the 2002 Portuguese Super Cup. On 21 June 2002, the club had opened its training facility, located in Alcochete, 30 km east of Lisbon.
On 14 August 2002, Cristiano Ronaldo, then 17, played his first official match for a Sporting CP's senior team, in a UEFA Champions League qualifying round at home against Inter Milan. On 1 September 2002, in the Azores, Cristiano Ronaldo debuted as a senior player in official domestic competitions playing for Sporting CP B in a 2–1 away loss against Sport Clube Lusitânia and on 29 September he made his debut in the Primeira Liga, playing for Sporting CP's main team in a way match against SC Braga.
2002–2009
Sporting have failed to win Primeira Liga again since 2002. On 6 August 2003, the new Sporting CP's stadium, the Estádio José Alvalade, was inaugurated. In the 2004–05 season, José Peseiro-led Sporting was leading the Primeira Liga and was trailing a remarkable journey in UEFA Cup. However, at the end of the season, the team eventually lost all the chances of winning any trophy that season: the first set-back had already happened on 26 January 2005 when Sporting was eliminated from Taça de Portugal after losing 7–6 on penalties against Benfica. Nevertheless, Sporting was able to reach the leadership of Primeira Liga, and on 5 May the team booked their second European final, after defeating Dutch team AZ in UEFA Cup. While awaiting the Final, on 14 May, Sporting lost its penultimate match in Primeira Liga against Benfica and dropped to third place. By the end of the season, the team eventually finished 2004–05 Primeira Liga in that place. Lastly, playing the 2005 UEFA Cup Final at their home ground, on 18 May, Sporting lost 1–3 against Russian side CSKA Moscow, after being 1–0 up at halftime.
Domestically, Sporting had back-to-back wins in the Portuguese Cup in 2007 and 2008 (led by coach Paulo Bento). Sporting also reached, for the first time, the knockout phase of UEFA Champions League, in the 2008–09 season, but were roundly defeated by Bayern Munich, with an aggregate loss of 12–1. This is widely regarded as one of the lowest points in the history of the club. The club almost reached another European final in 2012, but were dropped out of the competition by Athletic Bilbao, in the semi-finals of the 2011–12 Europa League.
Financial mismanagement and 2013 election
After years of financial mismanagement, Sporting had amassed debts exceeding €276 million by 2011. The results on the pitch were also negative, with Sporting finishing seventh in the 2012–13 Primeira Liga, their lowest ever finish. Managerial changes occurred within months or weeks apart: from November 2009 to May 2013, nine managers were contracted, with none of them lasting an entire season. In 2013, after pressure from club members, president Godinho Lopes resigned, and shortly afterwards, Bruno de Carvalho was elected president in a snap election. Carvalho intended to return success to the football team, while threatening to take Godinho Lopes to court, and to renegotiate the club's debt payment schedule with the banks involved, which eventually renegotiated the debt in very favourable conditions for Sporting CP in the following years as part of the club's financial restructuring started by Carvalho and finalized by Frederico Varandas ten years later. This allowed Sporting CP to get a multimillion-euro debt relief – in contrast to their rivals. Carvalho's election brought Angolan investors to the club, most notably Álvaro Sobrinho, through Holdimo, which ultimately took possession of 20 million shares of Sporting's SAD through conversion of convertible debt.
On 5 June 2015, it was released an audit that analyzed the management of Sporting in the past 20 years: it concluded that in 1994 the club had €55 million worth of real estate assets and an almost nonexistent debt; by 2013, real estate assets were almost nonexistent, and the club had amassed a €331 million debt. Their new stadium (completed in 2003) cost 74% more than what was expected when its construction started (€184 million against the planned €106 million), while their training facility cost 24% more, and the costs of Alvalade XXI neighbourhood, a real estate complex located around the stadium, overshot its estimate by 60%; such complex was almost entirely sold in the following years, many estates of which were sold below market prices.
From 1995 to 2013, the club invested €261 million in the football team, however, with few sports and financial results. The audit criticized many football transfers in the 2000s, in which the club paid commissions well above market prices to player agents, and discovered that Sporting even had paid commissions without evidence of written contracts. The audit also concluded that the administrations from 1995 to 2013 intended to convert Sporting, a multi-sports club, exclusively into a football club – although they did not openly admitted so – which was being done gradually through the closure of other sport modalities. Moreover, the audit also pointed out evidence of mismanagement and conflicts of interest by several administrators. Considering the audit's results, club members approved the expulsion of Godinho Lopes as an associate of the club in June 2015.
2013–2020
Led by coach Leonardo Jardim in the 2013–14 season, Sporting finished second in the league, thus gaining direct access to the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, their first Champions League presence in five years.
In the 2014–15 season, Sporting won their 16th Portuguese Cup in dramatic fashion. The Lisbon side, led by Marco Silva, played the final against Braga, and after a disastrous start, found themselves losing 0–2 at half-time and playing with ten men after the sending-off of Cédric Soares. With the final seemingly lost, Islam Slimani gave some hope to the fans as he scored the 1–2 on the 83-minute. In stoppage time, Fredy Montero managed to equalize, forcing extra-time. Sporting ultimately won the match 3–1 on penalties. Celebrations ended in a pacific pitch invasion of Estádio José Alvalade by the fans, as the club touched silverware for the first time in seven years.
In June 2015, Jorge Jesus joined Sporting after Benfica opted not to renew his contract as coach of the club, signing a three-year contract. Presented as the new manager of the club on 1 July, the managerial change took the rivalry of both Lisbon clubs to new heights. Under Jesus' tenure, Sporting won the Portuguese Super Cup for the eighth time, against back-to-back champions Benfica. Despite a positive start, Sporting did not win any other trophy, finishing second in the Primeira Liga with 86 points, two points behind Benfica, despite breaking their own points record in the league.
Following a trophyless season, Sporting won their first Taça da Liga on a penalty shoot-out against Vitória de Setúbal. However, on 15 May 2018, days after finishing third in the league, several players and coaches were attacked by around 50 ultra supporters of Sporting at the club's training ground (9 of them would be sentenced to at least a specified term of actual imprisonment after trial). Five days later, Sporting lost the Portuguese Cup final to Aves. About a month later, Bruno de Carvalho was dismissed by club members after a general assembly on 23 June. This followed the rescissions of nine players: Bruno Fernandes, Daniel Podence, Rui Patricio, Rodrigo Battaglia, Rafael Leão, Rúben Ribeiro, Bas Dost, Gelson Martins and William Carvalho. Sporting would be later eligible for court-awarded compensation when the rescissions were declared illegal for those players who did not return to the club or were not sold by Sporting.
In the period before scheduled elections, a management committee, headed by former President Sousa Cintra as acting president of the sports club, succeeded in returning some of the players who had left the club following the incident, namely Bruno Fernandes, Bas Dost and Rodrigo Battaglia. Frederico Varandas was elected president on 8 September 2018. Having replaced Jorge Jesus at the beginning of the 2018–19 season, José Peseiro was sacked after a poor performance on the Primeira Liga.
In March 2019, Sporting CP announced a loan negotiated with Apollo Global Management, based on the securitization of NOS' television rights revenues.
In March 2020, Ruben Amorim was appointed manager of Sporting CP for a managerial transfer worth €10 million (£8.65 million), becoming the third-most expensive manager ever.
2020–present: The Amorim Era and newfound domestic success
In the 2020–21 season, with no spectators allowed in Portugal due to COVID-19 restrictions, and after being eliminated from European competition by LASK Linz, Sporting won their third league cup and ended their 19-year period without winning the Portuguese league, with only one loss (against Benfica in the penultimate round and already as champions), securing their 19th Primeira Liga title after a 1–0 home win against Boavista.
At the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage, Sporting made a comeback by finishing second on Group C after a 5–1 home loss to Ajax and 1–0 away loss to Borussia Dortmund, thereby reaching the knockout phase for only the second time since the 2008–09 season. Domestically, both the 2021 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira and the 2021–22 Taça da Liga were won by the Lions, securing the trophies against Braga and Benfica, respectively. In the 2021–22 Primeira Liga, Sporting finished second with the same 85 points as in the previous league campaign. In the 2023–24 league season, Sporting record signing Viktor Gyökeres helped propel the club to their 20th Primeira liga title, won on the fifth of May after Benfica's 2–0 loss to Famalicão.
In the 2024-25 season, after an initial winning streak lasting for 11 rounds, to give Sporting a 5-point lead, coach Ruben Amorim announced his departure to sign with Manchester United. Not before leading Sporting to a 4-1 home win against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City for the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League League Phase on the 4th round - Sporting would go on to lose with Borussia Dortmund on the knockout phase play-offs. His last Primeira Liga game saw Sporting make a comeback to win 2-4 at SC Braga for the 11th round. After a failed 8-match tenure for João Pereira, former Portugal capped and Sporting right-back, between November and late December, Rui Borges took over, starting off with a 1-0 home win against SL Benfica and led the club to win the Primeira Liga for Sporting's 21st Primeira Liga title - and first back-to-back win in over 71 years, since the 1953/54 season. This marked Sporting's third League title win in the previous 5 seasons of Portuguese football, marking a new era of increasing domestic dominance and hegemony. Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres again topped the goalscoring chart, with 39 goals in 33 League games (having scored an impressive 53 times in 51 season overall matches), making him a top contender for the 2024-25 European Golden Shoe.
Historical Records
Most Club Appearances
Hilário – 474
Most Club Goals Scored
Fernando Peyroteo – 540
Club's Best Goals Per Game Ratio
Fernando Peyroteo – 1.6
Club's Youngest Footballer to Play in a Primeira Liga Game
Dário Essugo – 16 years and 6 days
Youngest Portuguese Footballer to Play in a UEFA Club Competitions Game
Dário Essugo – 16 years and 268 days
Youngest Footballer to Score on Club's Debut
Geovany Quenda – 17 years, 3 months and 5 days
Youngest Footballer to Score in a Primeira Liga Game for the Club
Geovany Quenda – 17 years, 5 months and 27 days
Youngest Player to Debut for the Portuguese National Football Team
Paulo Futre – 17 years old, 7 months and 21 days
Oldest Footballer to Played in an Official Game for the Club
Vítor Damas – 41 years and 50 days
Highest Player Transfer Fee Received
Viktor Gyökeres – 69,76M€, potentially 76M€
Highest Player Transfer Fee Paid
Rodrigo Zalazar – 30M€
Highest-scoring midfielder in Europe
Bruno Fernandes - 32 goals (2018/2019)
Foundation
Sporting CP had already developed social solidarity initiatives throughout its history, but in 2006 it created a section called Sporting Solidário, which until the creation of the Sporting Foundation developed a series of social solidarity actions. Established in 2012, the Fundação Sporting (Sporting Foundation), is a humanitarian charity foundation devoted to helping people in need, including children at risk, the homeless and war victims. In-kind donations are collected by the Sporting Foundation on match days and the proceeds from the sale of tickets of some selected matches at Estádio José Alvalade go to the Sporting Foundation to finance the foundation's charity work.
From Wikipedia’s article on Sporting CP, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4