Livida Sport: A Global Guide to Football Transfers - Second Edition - Manual / Resource - Page 38
Portugal
Primeira Liga
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The Primeira Liga is the highest level of professional football in Portugal. The winners of
the league qualify directly for next season9s UEFA Champions League group stages, with
second place entering the group-stage qualifiers.
The Primeira Liga has a strong record of developing young talent into players ready to
excel at the highest level. The most famous example is, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo,
formerly of Sporting Lisbon, while in recent years we have seen Enzo Fernandez, Joao
Felix and Bruno Fernandes secure high-profile Premier League moves and command
large transfer fees in the process.
The clubs of the Primeira Liga have made more profit in the transfer market than the
clubs of any other league in the past decade making a net profit of over €2billion. It may
be one of the factors that makes Portugal so attractive for investors looking to create
multi-club ownership groups - they often wish to incorporate a Portuguese club in their
group, taking advantage of Portugal9s openness to foreign players.
What are the foreign player rules?
The Primeira Liga does not place any restrictions on overseas players for its clubs. This
means that clubs are free to sign as many overseas players as they want, making it a
popular destination for players from Africa and South America in particular. Notable
examples include Darwin Nunez and Eder Militao from Uruguay and Brazil, respectively,
now household names for Liverpool and Real Madrid. This approach has made
Portuguese clubs especially attractive for investors; players can gain their first exposure
to European football in Portugal without the added scrutiny that comes from playing in
one of the 8top five9 leagues.
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