Why You Should Start A Save in Portugal in Football Manager 2021

Read why your first save in Football Manager 2021 should be in Portugal and which teams to consider as you get to know Primeira Liga in FM21.

Read why your first save in Football Manager 2021 should be in Portugal and which teams to consider as you get to know Primeira Liga in FM21.

In this article, we will focus on a specific nation to manage in, Portugal. Portugal are the hottest up and coming nation at this moment and after their success in the 2016 Euros, there is no doubt that the future in Portugal in bright.

Competitive League

Liga NOS is known to have great title races with 3 teams usually fight for the glory at the end of the season. Sporting CP, SL Benfica and FC Porto are the big 3 teams in Portugal and fighting against them for the title is not an easy task. 

In the last 4 seasons, FC Porto and SL Benfica took the upper hand on the league with Braga and Sporting CP trailing not far behind them. Choosing to manage a team that is not based in the top 3 in Portugal can be a great challenge in Football Manager 2021 if that is what you are looking for, teams like Braga and Vitória Guimarães SC are fun teams to manage and trying to break the dominance of the top 3 teams can be a great achievement. 

In terms of qualifying for European football, finishing in the first place will get you straight to the Champions League Group Stages, 2nd will qualify for the Third Qualifying Round in the Champions League. 3rd place will play in the Europe League, Group Stages, 4th place qualify for the Third Qualifying Round in the Europe League and the 5th will play in the Second Qualifying Round.

Wonderkids

The number of players with superb potential abilities that are based in Portugal is exceptional, keeping an eye on the youth academies of the top clubs in Portugal can lead to great results as you will frequently find players that are worth adding to your shortlist. 

SL Benfica and Sporting CP are notorious for producing elite players, Fabio Silva, Rafael Leão and the latest, hottest talent, João Félix are some of the leading players that came out of Portugal and made to the top leagues. Teams like Braga, Rio Ave FC and Vitória Guimarães SC produce excellent players as well, we can see players from other countries start to be more interested in playing in Portugal, players like Angel Gomes, who plays for Boavista and Marcus Edwards who is starting his second season in Portugal are a few names who choose to develop in Portugal.

League Rules

The Liga NOS league rules are one of the easiest to follow, Liga NOS has no restrictions over how many Non-EU players you are allowed to sign. If you want freedom in the transfer market, managing in Portugal is one of the best options for you in Football Manager 2021. 

A rule that is worth mentioning is that you are allowed to only loan one player from a team that is in the same division as you. This should not be a problem to follow but worth mentioning to avoid confusion.

RELATED: Starting Transfer Budgets in Football Manager 2021
 

Three teams to manage in Portuga

Here is our pick of 3 exciting teams to manage from the Portuguese Primeira League in Football Manager 2021.

FC Porto

The first team on the list are FC Porto. Along with Benfica & Sporting CP, Porto constitutes the Big 3 in Portuguese football. The club has played every season in the Primeira League ever since the league’s inception in 1934. 

Porto are the second most decorated team in Portugal with a total of 78 major trophies which includes 29 Primera League titles. Porto are also the most successful Portuguese club in European competitions having won 7 trophies including 2 UCL titles.

Your goals as a manager of FC Porto

For FM21 managers interested in taking over reins at the club, the task would be to continue domestic dominance whilst bettering Porto’s Champion’s League runs which have not been great in recent years. Breaking Benfica’s title haul would also definitely be one of the targets. 

In terms of squad depth, Porto have one of the best squads in the Primeira League but have yet to fill the void left by the departure of a couple of important players. The manager’s task is cut out in this department in retaining big talent whilst pushing for improvement in European competitions.

You'll get to manage one of the game's legendary defenders, Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira, aka Pepe.

Porto have an excellent youth recruitment policy and regularly produce quality players who can be developed into world-class stars. However, Porto have become more of a feeder club in recent years with several potential stars leaving the clubs for greener pastures across Europe. 

Benfica

The 2nd name on the list are SL Benfica. Same as Porto, the club have played every season in the Primeira League ever since the league’s inception in 1934. Benfica are the most decorated team in Portugal with a total of 80 major trophies which includes 37 Primera League titles. Benfica have also won 2 European trophies having won back to back European cups.

Your goals as As Águias (The Eagles) manager

For FM21 managers interested in taking over reins at the club, the task would be to continue domestic dominance whilst bettering Benfica’s performances in Europe. With Porto inching ever closer to Benfica’s title haul it will be an appreciable from the supporters POV to increase the gap once again. 

Benfica have an excellent youth recruitment policy and rank amongst the best clubs in the world in this regard. The academy regularly churns out world-class stars which the manager can totally rely on. However, Benfica too have become more of a feeder club in recent years with several potential stars leaving the clubs for greener pastures across Europe. 

In terms of squad depth, Benfica have one of the best squads in the Primeira League and have had an excellent transfer window despite the pandemic wreaking havoc in the finances of many clubs. Benfica with all their regens are definitely one of more interesting teams to manage in the game and we are sure that many FM managers would like to give this challenge a go.

Sporting CP

The final team on the list are Sporting CP. The club have also played every season in the Primeira League ever since the league’s inception. Sporting are the 3rd most successful club in Portugal with a total of 50 trophies including 8 Primeira Liga titles.

For FM 21 managers interested in managing at the club in Football Manager 2021, the task would not be as straightforward as with the other two big clubs in Portugal. Sporting, despite finishing in European competition spots are in a title drought having not won the league title over the last 19 years! 

What they do have going for them is that they too have an excellent youth academy and produce quality players year on year. In fact, some of football’s best Portuguese players have come through Sporting and the quality has not faded even now. 

Did you know that Sebastian Coates has Scottish as one of his second nationalities?

Sporting, however, did not have a great transfer window having lost a few key players and have a few holes to fill. 

Sporting just like other Portuguese clubs have become a feeder club in recent years and so another one of your goals is to try and hang on to your star youngsters. Potential managers first need to improve the quality within the squad to compete better with the top two main rivals and then look to establish Sporting as a powerhouse in continental football.