With my holiday destination this summer being the second biggest city in the Algarve, Portimao, I thought it was only right to investigate the footballing history in the area. I found a fairly small club, with a beautiful badge; Portimonense. So I asked the question, who are they? The southern most Primeira Liga side on the mainland, and the only side from the Algarve in the top flight, Portimonense were founded over a century ago, in 1914. A club with a long and storied history, yet a side who aren’t particularly well supported; I aim to look at a club which, despite the popularity of football in Portugal, perhaps doesn’t get the support you would expect of the only team in the Algarve.
I sit in the back of a 8 seater Mercedes’, a shuttle service shared with 7 others, one of which is my girlfriend, who I am on holiday with. The air con is soothing, and the driver has just told us of the heatwave Portugal is expecting this week. Everyone is happy. I look out to my right and see a hulking structure, clearly stadia of some form. A quick Google search reveals it’s the Estadio Algarve, opened in 2004 as part of the European Championship preparations. It’s currently unoccupied, apart from the occasional national team game, which strikes me as disappointing, but it’s presence is more important than that; I’ve been in the country for less than an hour, and already I have a reminder of how mad the Portuguese are for the beautiful game.
Portugal are so football mad in fact that, other than Scotland and Iceland, they have the highest percentage of population to attend a football game in Europe (see figure below). The passion for which the Portuguese have for the game is even referenced in a conversation between Jose Mourinho and Eric Dier in Amazon’s series All or Nothing. So perhaps I’m a little disappointed by what I find when I arrive at my destination, Portimao. I see just 2 Portimonense jerseys whilst I am here; 2 kids with their parents, who I have a distinct feeling are tourists, the kids collecting shirts as I did when I was young. I also see 2 Sporting jerseys and 2 Porto ones, showing the dominance the so called ‘Big 3’ have in Portugal. Whilst I know wearing football shirts is a cultural thing, with the UK undoubtedly wearing them more than other countries, the lack of support for the local side is a little disheartening.
So who are Portimonense, and is the support really as poor as I saw? Their stadium, the Estadio Municipal de Portimao, is located in the heart of the city, and to be fair it does only have a capacity of 9,544, relatively small. This might help explain the lack of shirts seen, as well as the time of year; right in the heart of pre season, with no games to speak of. Using the proportion of population stat seen above, you would expect 17,182 people to attend Portimao games, given that according to a 2021 census the population of the city stood at 49,263. Therefore, the stadium in the centre is only just over half the size you would expect. The actual average attendance figure shocked me when I saw it; a measly 1,436, a stark figure indeed. In fact, this was the third lowest of any Primeira Liga side, a damning statement indeed. If Portimonense were a National League side, they would only have the 18th highest attendance, highlighting how low their figure is. For a top flight side, it’s really quite shocking.
Portimonense have enjoyed a foray into European football, with their 5th placed finish in 83/84 rewarding them with a spot in the following seasons UEFA Cup. They met Yugoslav side Partizan, who ended as league champions in 85/86. Portimonense took the favourites by surprise, winning the first leg in Portugal 1-0 thanks to a goal from Efigenia. Despite keeping a clean sheet, and taking a one goal cushion back to Belgrade, Portimonense were unable to resist the firepower of Partizan. They eventually succumbed 4-0, with a hattrick from Nebojsa Vucicevic sinking the plucky underdogs. Vucicevic passed away this year, and he isn’t the only figure in the club’s history who has passed away recently.
Portimonense actually owe their top flight status to late manager Vitor Oliveira, who is not only a club legend, but also a strong contender for being the best second tier manager of all time. Oliveira recorded an unprecedented 5 back to back promotions from the Segunda Liga into the top flight, steering Arouca, Moreirense, Uniao Madeira, Chaves and finally Portimonense into the Primeira Division. Oliveira opted against trying to make it 6 from 6 by staying at the Algarve club for their first season back in the top flight. After securing their survival, the lure of gaining promotion once again proved too tough, with Oliveira taking Pacos de Fereira to the top flight, making it 6 promotions from 7 seasons for the Portugeseman. Sadly, Oliveira passed away in late 2020, but his career is a remarkable one. He started coaching at Portimonense, and he returned them to the promise land; he will forever be a club legend. For more on Oliveira see this great article from These Football Times: https://thesefootballtimes.co/2017/06/02/vitor-oliveira-portugals-undisputed-king-of-promotions/
But what of Portimonense today? It wouldn’t be an xNonsense article without some statistical analysis, so here’s what there is to be made of Porimao’s only club side on the stats front. Portimonense are an extremely low scoring side; they only netted 31 goals last season, 4th lowest in the division, and a startlingly low number. Despite their woes in front of goal, Portimonense were bang average in terms of goals conceded, letting in 45 goals last term. That means a total of 76 goals occurred in Portimonense games last season, an average of 2.24 goals per game. From a neutrals point of view, they are hardly a great watch.
Portimonense are hardly a passing side; in fact they ranked lowest for Key Passes, recording just 61 key passes. Whilst they did rank in mediocrity for the rest of the passing stats, it does show that Portimonense are a side that are at their best without the ball; 48.7% average possession per game and 31 goals scored provide good evidence of this.
From an individual point of view, Portimonense have very few stand out performers. Their top contributor, Welinton Junior, chipped in with 6 goals contributions. This is hardly a ground breaking season, suggesting Portimonense are a team that are best as a collective, rather than their constituent parts. Perhaps their best individual performer was their keeper Samuel, who ranked 18th of 25 for goals conceded per 90 (1.06). Conversely, he ranked 4th for saves per 90, with 3.35. He also had a 60.36% reflex save percentage figure, 6th highest, underlining his ability as the top performer.
So what next for the Portuguese side? They will be looking to ensure their survival once again, and will probably want to improve upon the 31 goals they scored to increase their chances. The signing of 24 year old winger Rui Gomes will probably help ensure that, as the former Benfica youth product boats 12 goal involvements in 32 games last season, not bad for a left winger who played for a side who finished 3rd bottom in the second tier. Whatever does happen, Portimonense are now a side I will keep an eye on; even if they do only score 31 goals a season.
xN: Expected Nonsense 