Biggest Rivalries in Football: Benfica vs Sporting

Although Sporting has yet to record results worthy of the club’s reputation in recent years, something can attract nearly as much attention from the citizens of Lisbon as the clash between Lions and Eagles: 

Benfica vs Sporting. 

The derby of the Portuguese giants has a 100-year history that divides Lisbon into two parts: red and green—white. “King” Eusebio was a child of Sporting, then became an icon of the eternal rival Benfica, which has the most fans in this Mediterranean country.

Believe it or not, a handful of those dissatisfied players directly influenced the creation of the biggest sports rivalry in the city and the country. 

In 1907, eight Benfica players decided to move to Sporting, and all this took place just a few days before their premier clash.

The inaugural city derby between Benfica (then Sport Lisboa) and Sporting took place on December 1, 1907. 

This match, which saw eight former Benfica footballers move to Sporting, was a significant event in the history of Portuguese football. The game concluded with Sporting celebrating after Benfica’s founder Cosme Damiao’s own goal in the second half, resulting in a 2-1 victory for Sporting.

That first duel was played in Karsavelos, in Quinta Nova, the home of Sporting. 

However, just one year later, that place became Benfica’s home, and Sporting’s players got a decent place to train and play in return.

Like any city derby, the Lisbon one has its own class division. 

Benfica’s first stadium, Estadio da Luz, was a testament to the dedication of its fans, who donated funds for its construction, thereby creating the image of Benfica as the people’s club. 

On the other hand, Sports were considered a club for the respectable and rich in Lisbon, thanks to the kingdom. The founder of the Greens is Jose Alvalade, who received financial help from his grandfather, King Carlos I. At the beginning of the 1960s, Benfica also got its uncrowned king. 

O Rei, King Eusebio, would become a club legend. 

The story of Eusebio is unusual because, as a youngster, he played for the branch of Sporting Lisbon in Mozambique (a Portuguese colony) and was rejected twice by the president of Benfica, Lorenzo de Marquez. 

When it came time to play in Portugal, Sporting did not have enough funds for a bigger contract, so Benfica corrected the mistake of the past. 

The coach of Benfica in that period was the famous Bela Gutman, who later cursed the club not to win anything because they owed him money. When Eusebio arrived in Europe in 1960, Sporting and Benfica at the domestic level had 10 titles each but did not reach any European Cup finals. Currently, Benfica has 38 domestic titles, and Sporting has won 20, including the one in the last season of 2023/24.

The Portuguese giants have had 320 meetings so far; Benfica has been more successful, with 138 victories, compared to Sporting’s 114. 

Including friendlies and other unofficial matches, the Lisbon giants have met 417 times, which places them at the very top of the list of eternal rivalries.

Benfica has by far the most supporters in Portugal; Sporting follows right behind, while Porto’s popularity has been increasing significantly, especially in the last ten years. More precisely, 47 percent of the Portuguese support the Eagles, 30 percent the Lions, and slightly less than 20 percent the Dragons.

The atmosphere is not even partly flammable on the streets or in the city itself, as much as in the stands. 

Both teams have several fan groups that consider themselves “ultras,” but there have been almost no significant physical conflicts throughout history—but there have been mass flares, great choreography, and the inevitable chanting against the others.

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