hen a country is distant from ours and of no particular geopolitical importance, there are generally two reasons why we are interested in it. The first is the tourist one because we often like to discover its beauty. The second is the sports one. Because, if we are passionate, we hear about certain cities much more often because of the teams playing in the Champions League than of our specific interests.
So it is, for better or worse, also for Portugal. Country to which we have dedicated various articles in our travel section, but which often interests Italians also because of its football teams. On the other hand, the country is small but in this sport, it has always done very well.
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Beyond the recent victory at the European Championships in France, it boasts in its history champions like Eusébio and Cristiano Ronaldo and hopes like the young João Félix. And glorious teams like Benfica, Sporting Lisbon or Porto.
However, if you want to know news and news about those teams, you need to know a little Portuguese. Or rely on the tools of the internet, which nowadays allow the simultaneous (albeit somewhat approximate) translation of the contents of a website.
If you cheer for a team from Lisbon or Porto or if you simply want to know how the Portuguese press talks about the upcoming challenges of an Italian team, here are the five newspapers that cover the most important sports in Portugal. As you will notice, the first three deal directly with football, while the other two are generalists.
1. In Bola
The most important sports newspaper
The main Portuguese sports newspaper, and the longest-running one, is A Bola. Printed in Lisbon, it was launched in 1945, although it initially came out twice a week. It became a daily newspaper only fifty years later, in 1995, nevertheless confirming itself at the top in its sector.
It is no coincidence that it is also exported outside the country. Just to give an example, it is still widely read in the former Portuguese colonies in Africa and even in the United States, at least in areas with large communities originating from this country. The editorial format today is that of the tabloid, while the most followed sport is, and by far, football. Not surprisingly, at the end of the season, the newspaper awards the Bola de Prata, a prize reserved for the top scorer in the championship.
Among the teams in the capital, he is mainly linked to Benfica. It is sold for 85 cents and is directed by Vítor Serpa. Here is his website.
2. Record
The newspaper was born thanks to a lottery win
Always from Lisbon and always with a glorious tradition, it is also recorded. It was in fact founded in 1948 by Manuel Dias, a particular character. And in fact, the origin of every day is also curious.
Dias was an athlete who participated in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, in the field of athletics, running the marathon. His club was, among other things, Benfica, a sports club that already had a certain reputation in the country. At the Olympics Dias did not leave a particular mark, but, returning to Portugal, he continued to deal with sports. In 1949 he won a fair amount in a national lottery and decided to use the money to create Record, which had always been his dream.
Initially, the newspaper came out once a week, which in any case did not guarantee large revenues. Indeed, the publishing company found itself in difficulty several times, so much so that at a certain moment it was also nationalized.
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It became a newspaper in the 1990s, when it became private again, in a publishing group near the center-left. Today it is an important piece of Portuguese publishing, even if, like many newspapers, it does not sell very much. Furthermore, every twelve months it awards the Artur Agostinho Prize to the sportsman of the year. Here is the official site.
3. O Jogo
The voice of Porto
The triad of Portuguese sports dailies is completed with O Jogo. The magazine has existed since 1985 and, unlike the other two, is published in Porto. Also for this reason he has an eye for the two teams of the city in the north of the country, Porto, and Boavista.
In Lisbon, therefore, it is not very popular, so much so that it is considered the official organ of the historic rivals of the capital’s teams. However, in recent years O Jogo has also launched an edition made in Lisbon and designed for the southern part of the country. The current director is Jose Manuel Ribeiro and the circulation is not very high, below 30,000 copies.
Football is always the central topic, and every year the newspaper names the Team of the Year with the best players in the Portuguese league. Also in this case there is a well-organized website.
4. Expresso stand
A very authoritative weekly
We have run out of exclusively sports newspapers published in Portugal. However, sports and football also occupy a prominent place in other newspapers.
And, above all, of weeklies. For example, Expresso, the most important periodical in the nation, is published by Gruppo Impresa. Founded in 1977, it is printed as if it were a newspaper, in a typical Berlin format. The circulation is quite high, also because the magazine is known for its independence and its authority. And to award the prestigious Prémio Pessoa every year. There are also numerous thematic inserts and in-depth sections.
The one dedicated to sport is called Tribuna and deals with football from a very original perspective. Instead of focusing on pure and simple news, in fact, he leaves ample space for insights and opinions, with even important signatures. Here is the reference site.
5. Correio da Manhã – Desporto
An aggressive but highly sold tabloid
We conclude with the Correio da Manhã, the most popular generalist newspaper in Portugal. Founded in 1979, the newspaper is a veritable tabloid with a very aggressive cut.
Oriented on populist positions close to the center-right alignment, he is known for his front pages in which he attacks and makes fun of the rulers in no uncertain terms. And in which he finds space, usually in the lower half, football. It alone holds 40% of the Portuguese newspaper market share. A result achieved thanks to sensational news also in the field of sport.
Published in Lisbon, the newspaper obviously gives a lot of space to the teams of the capital, but it also has an eye for Porto and the Spanish teams. Here is the website of the sports section.
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