Sporting de Braga will host Benfica this Sunday (8:30 p.m., SportTV1) in a long-awaited match between the fourth and third places respectively in the I League, which ultimately serves as an aperitif for the classic Sporting-FC Porto, which is scheduled for tomorrow. . The Minho team reaches the 14th round with 29 points, one point behind the Eagles, who in turn are one point behind the Lions and Dragons.
Although the rivalry on the pitch is greater than ever, Sporting de Braga and Benfica have maintained good institutional relations off the pitch, especially since António Salvador was elected president of the Minho emblem in 2003. Interestingly, Luís Filipe Vieira was also elected president of Benfica in the same year and strengthened relations with his counterpart from Braga, as evidenced by the many transfers of players between the two clubs and even the business partnerships in the business world of both.
During this century there were 27 direct changes of footballers between Sporting de Braga and Benfica: nine from the City of the Archbishops to the capital and 18 in the opposite direction (see tables). Interestingly, there has been a sharp decline over the past six seasons, with the only move being the loan of Chiquinho from Benfica in the summer of 2021, meaning there have still been no deals between Rui Costa and António Salvador.
One of the most emblematic transfers was that of Rafa Silva, who moved from the Warriors to the Reds in the summer of 2016 in exchange for 16 million euros. This remained the most expensive deal between Portuguese clubs until Paulinho’s move from Sporting de Braga to Sporting, in January 2021, for 16 million euros, but for 70% of the pass, while in the case of Rafa the deal referred to the whole of economic rights . .
Rafa’s transfer is currently the third most expensive among national teams, with David Carmo at the top, who moved from Sporting de Braga to FC Porto in the summer of 2022 for 20 million euros. In other words, the Minho emblem was always the seller in the three companies that made the most money in Portugal.
Benfica is generally very happy with the footballers from Braga. Starting with Rafa Silva, who has already scored 297 games and 56 goals with an eagle on his chest, a journey highlighted by the conquest of three league titles, a Portuguese Cup and three Super Cups. Former goalkeeper Quim was another former Braga fan who rose to prominence with the Reds, playing 180 games between 2004 and 2010, winning the league title twice. Former striker Lima stood out with 70 goals in 154 games, between 2012 and 2015, and also won two championships. Ricardo Rocha, Tiago and Artur Moraes also had great success with an eagle on their chest, while César Peixoto, despite periods in which he was heavily criticized, reached a good score of 65 challenges for the Reds, in 2009/10 and 2010/11. . Armando Sá and Luís Filipe had more discreet spells at Luz, but were still used in 56 and 41 matches respectively.
Sporting de Braga have mainly loaned out players from Benfica or received them at the end of their contracts. There are notable success stories, starting with André Horta, who is part of the current squad (215 games and 25 goals for the Minho team), and Rúben Amorim, who had a very successful period over a year and a half (46 games). , 5 goals and winning the 2012/13 League Cup), or Quim, who would eventually return to Minho in 2010/11, after a remarkable six-season spell at Benfica. On the other hand, footballers like Mawete Júnior, Toni, Michel or Dolly Menga continued almost incognito for Braga, while Chiquinho played only 15 challenges in 2021/22 and was “returned” to Benfica in January 2022, after being loaned to the Turks . at the time from Giresunspor.
It should also be noted that in Sporting de Braga’s current squad there are three more footballers with a past with the rival, but who did not come directly from Luz: midfielder Pizzi (a Benfica figure between 2014 and 2021) and strikers Ricardo Horta and Rony Lopes, with the latter two having completed a large part of their training at Benfica.
Braga is no longer a paradise for the eagle
However, the time when Benfica literally played at home to Sporting de Braga is long gone. The old Estádio 1º de Maio used to host the majority of Red fans in matches between the two teams, but everything changed in this century, especially in the last decade, due to the enormous growth in the number of Sporting de Braga fans and members . Today, the vast majority of Benfica fans who watch matches in Braga’s municipal stadium are concentrated in a sector with a capacity for only 1,500 spectators.
Also in terms of results, the Sporting de Braga venue became synonymous with greater difficulties for Benfica. The 1997/98 season marked a clear difference, with the Minho team experiencing an unprecedented run of six consecutive official matches without losing (two draws and four wins). Since then there has been a strange ‘technical draw’ in official matches, with twelve wins for each team and seven draws, while before there was a terrible difference, with 28 wins for Lisbon, 11 draws and only six wins for the hosts. . What will it be like today?
Source: DN
