Sporting CP versus Moreirense FC, 3 February 2024, Estádio José Alvalade. On paper it is merely match-day 20 of Portugal’s Primeira Liga—somewhere between a title procession and a relegation pillow-fight. Yet in the grand bazaar of global football this little fixture is quietly selling far more than three points. It is flogging hope, laundering geopolitical…
Rio Ave versus Porto: the fixture sounds like an under-funded travel documentary, but inside the Estádio dos Arcos on Saturday it will feel closer to a geopolitical micro-drama. On paper it’s match-day 29 of Portugal’s Primeira Liga; in practice it is a neat précis of how the 21st-century world really works—one corner of the Iberian…
Benfica-Santa Clara: A Small Portuguese Match That Explains the Entire Planet’s Descent Into Spectacle by “Lisbon’s Least Optimistic Correspondent” On the surface, last night’s Liga Portugal fixture between Benfica and Santa Clara was merely 22 men, one ball, and 90 minutes of choreographed cardio. Yet on a planet where every toddler’s tantrum is live-streamed to…
