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Grading Two Years of Portuguese Departures

/ Justino Flores / Leave a comment

It is inevitable.  Emerging Portuguese talent in Liga NOS really only see one option if they want to blossom into the best player possible: leave Portugal for greener ($$) pastures.  It is hard to argue with them; as England, France, Spain, Germany and Italy can offer tougher competition, European glory, extra exposure, and of course, more money.  Still, knowing when to go, and where to go, become the ultimate factor in determining your success as a player.  As we have seen, some players leave Portugal and become world greats, while others leave Portugal and become forgotten.  Let us take a look at five recent Portuguese departures, and how the move has worked for them.

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Summer Transfer Window Underway

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

Though the summer transfer window hasn’t officially begun, clubs are already making moves to strengthen their squads ahead of next season. Somewhat unsurprisingly, there have already been a handful of notable moves involving Portuguese players. With the transfer window open in much of Europe until September 1, and with transfer rumors numerous and growing by the day, many more moves can be expected – especially if Portugal performs at the U-21 Euros later this month.

Bernardo Silva - Man City presentation

Photo: Manchester City FC

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Opinion: 10 Players Who Could Break Out This Season

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

The editors of PortugalFutbol.net and FutebolFactory.com are proud to announce our annual list of 10 players to watch this season. After much deliberation, we whittled down the pool of talented domestic players to ten, but couldn’t help but add some honorable mentions. These are players who we believe have a realistic shot at making it to the senior Portuguese National Team by the end of the season. So, without further ado, here’s the 2016/2017 edition of “10 Players Who Can Break Out This Season.” Continue reading →

Bayern Swoop in for Renato Sanches

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

Oficial: Renato Sanches no Bayern Munique

Photo: Record

In a sensational move, Bayern Munich today announced their capture Benfica’s 18 year old standout Renato Sanches, despite well documented interest abroad. Manchester United and Manchester City have made their interest in Sanches clear over the past months, but Bayern have swooped in to secure his signature for an up-front fee of €35 million, with the possibility of add-ons raising the fee further. A move for Sanches seemed on the cards, but few expected that one would be finalized before summer arrived.  Continue reading →

Should Pizzi be Considered for Euro 2016 Squad?

/ Sam Biggers / 4 Comments

Today, in Benfica’s 2-1 come-from-behind win at Estoril, Pizzi scored what proved to be the winner for the Lisbon giants. This goal comes during a tumultuous season for Pizzi, in which poor form in the early stages of the season lost him his starting spot in the team to the young, promising Gonçalo Guedes. Lately, however, Pizzi has earned back his starting berth with a series of incisive displays for Benfica. His goal today leaves me wondering if he should be considered for inclusion on Portugal’s Euro 2016 squad this summer.  Continue reading →

Opinion: 10 Players Who Could Break Out This Season

/ Sam Biggers / 2 Comments

We could see big things from Carlos Mane this season.

We could see big things from Carlos Mane this season.

Portugal’s performance at the FIFA U20 World Cup and UEFA U21 European Championships strengthened the perception that Portuguese football is on the ascendency once again.

Andre Gomes, William Carvalho and Bernardo Silva are just some of the players that have established themselves over the past few seasons. The editors of FutebolFactory.com and PortugalFutbol.net have compiled a list of ten players who they think could make a big breakthrough this season. Continue reading →

Part I: Primeira Liga 2014/2015 Top 10 Under-24…Outside the “Big Three”

/ Sam Biggers / Leave a comment

Ricardo Valente (right), pictured here celebrating a goal scored against arch-rivals SC Braga this season.

Ricardo Valente (right), pictured here celebrating a goal scored against arch-rivals SC Braga this season.

At the end of last season, PortugalFutbol.net outlined the Primeira Liga’s top 5 under-24 Portuguese players playing outside of Portugal’s “Big Three” clubs (Sporting, Porto, Benfica). The purpose of this list was to shed to light some of the league’s lesser-talked about up-and-coming talent. For instance, out of the five players listed in last year’s edition, four of them have made their National Team debut since last season. This year, PortugalFutbol has expanded this list to ten.

For the purposes of brevity, we’ve split this year’s list into two parts. Part I outlines the honorable mentions, while Part II will reveal the actual Top 10 players listing.  Continue reading →