FC Porto Greatest All-time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

2004 Champions league title

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Portugal
Benfica, Porto, Sporting SP.

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Domestically, FC Porto is the second most successful club in Portugal.  In European Cup's history, they are known for two historical upset wins.  In 1987, Porto played against the favoured Bayern Munich at the European Cup Final.  They were still trailing 1-0 at the 79th minute when Porto scored two goals within two minutes to win the Cup for the first time.  In 2002, the club hired Jose Mourinho and he turned into a Golden team.  Porto took the 2003 UEFA Cup and then, a year later, the Champions' League as the underdog.

1987 European Cup

Team
GK: Victor Baia (Portugal)
Vitor Baia was Portugal's most decorated keeper. He was one of two keepers who had won all three UEFA main club competitions.  With Porto, he won 26 titles, including the Champions League in 2004.  He played briefly with Barcelona. For Portugal, he had 80 caps.  He played in the European Championship in 1996 and 2000, and the World Cup finals in 2002.

GK: Frederico Barrigana (Portugal)
Frederico Barrigana was Known as the "Iron Hand".  He started his career with the youth team of Sporting CP,  but he joined Porto in 1943 after the Porto's keeper Bela Andrasik ran away due to his ant-Nazi stand and Sporting CP sent him to Porto. He played over 250 games for Porto between 1943 and 1952.  He was capped 12 times for Portugal between 1948 and 1952.  

GK: Jozef Mlynarczyk (Poland)
Jozef Mlynarczyk left Poland in 1984 to play in the West.  He played in Bastia.  He was best remembered for his stint with F.C. Porto where he won the European Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 1987.  He was the starting keeper for Poland at the World Cup Finals in 1982 and 1986. He was Polish Player of the Year in 1983.

RB: Joao Pinto (Portugal)
Bobby Robson said of him: "He has two hearts and four legs. It's extremely difficult to find a player like him."  He won the European Cup in 1987 with Porto.  He was one of Porto's greatest fullback.  He spent his entire professional career with Porto, winning nine leagues and the 1987 European Cup. He played 70 times for Portugal. He went to the 1986 World Cup Finals as well as the European Championship in 1984.

Joao Pinto 1987 European Cup Final vs Bayern Munich

RB/LB: Paulo Ferreira (Portugal)
Paulo Ferreira joined Porto in 2002, where he won the UEFA Cup in 2003, and the Champions' league a year later.  In 2004, he followed Jose Mourinho to Chelsea. He helped Chelsea to win their first league title after 50 years.  For Portugal, he was capped 62 times. From Euro 2004 to the World cup 2010, he was selected each of the tournament, but was in and out of the starting lineup.

CB: Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal)
Ricardo Carvalho was the hero of Porto's Champions' League winning team in 2004.  He then played 6 seasons with Chelsea.  He also played for Real Madrid.  Jose Mourinho was his manager at the three clubs. He also played for Monaco and Shanghai SIPG. He was capped 76 times for Portugal. He helped Portugal to reach the Final of Euro 2004 at home and the semifinal of the World Cup Finals in 2006. He was a part of Portugal's Euro 2016 winning team.

Ricardo Carvalho

CB: Jorge Costa (Portugal)
Except at the very end of his career, Jorge Costa played his entire career with Porto, serving as its captain for a few seasons.  He won the 2003 UEFA Cup and the 2004 Champions League with them.  He also played for Standard Liège. At the international level, he was a part of the Golden Generation that won the U-20 World Cup in 1991.  He represented Portugal at Euro 2000 and the World Cup 2002.
 
CB: Pepe (Portugal/Brazil)
Born in Brazil, Pepe moved to Portugal playing for Maritimo.  In 2004, he moved to Porto while he established himself as one of the best defender in Portugal.  In 2007, he earned a dream move to Real Madrid.  At the time of writing, he won two Champions' league with them.  Although born in Brazil, he chose to represent Portugal.  At Euro 2016, he emerged as one of Portugal's best player as Portugal won their first ever international trophy.  He earned the Man of the Match in the Final against France.

Pepe

CB: Aloisio (Brazil)
Aloisio joined Barcelona from Internacional in 1988, but his career only took off in Porto, where he spent 11 years between 1990 and 2011.  He was one of five players who won 5 consercutive league titles with them. In total, he won 7 titles.  He earned 6 caps for Brazil in 1988.  He also won a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

CB:  Fernando Couto (Portugal)
Fernando Couto won the Double in every leagues he played in and in three different countries.  He started with Porto, and went to play in Spain and Italy. He was a member of Portugal's Golden Generation that won won the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship. He earned 110 caps for the senior national team. He went to the 2002 World Cup Finals, and three other European Championships.

LB: Virgilio Mendes (Portugal)
Virgilio was a legend with Porto during the 1950's.  He was born in 1926. He played his entire career for them, which lasted from 1947 to 1962.  For Portgual, he earned the nickname "the Lion of Genoa" after a great performance against Italy in 1949.  He earned 39 caps between 1949 and 1960, which was at that time a record.

LB: Augusto Inacio (Portugal)
Augusto Inacio played for Sporting CP from 1974 to 1982.  He moved to Porto in 1982, where he started and won the 1987 European Cup.  He also started in the Final of 1983-1983 Cup Winners Cup Final against Juventus. For the national team, he had 25 caps between 1976 and 1986. He went to European Championship in 1984, where Portugal reached the semifinal, and the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico.  

CM: Joao Moutinho (Portugal)
Joao Moutinho established himself at Sporting before moving to Porto.  In his first season, he won the treble, including the 2011 Europa League.  In 2013, Porto sold him to Monaco. For Portugal, he became a key player since Euro 2012.  He was a part of the team that won the Euro 2016 in France. In 2012, he missed the penalty against Spain in semifinal shootout. Four years later, urged by Cristano Ronaldo, he converted his penalty kick against Poland.

Joao Moutinho

DM: Antonio Andre (Portugal)
Antonio Andre was known as hard tackler.  He started at Varzim SC, a small club in Portugal before being discovered by Porto in 1979.  He would spend 9 years with Porto.  He helped Porto to win the 1987 European Cup. At the international level, Andre earned 20 caps for Portugal.  Two of his caps came during the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico.

CM: Deco (Portugal/Brazil)
Born in Brazil, he played for many clubs in both Brazil and Portugal before making it with Porto in 1999.  He was the star of Porto's Champions' League title in 2003-2004, and then, another one in 2005-2006 with Barcelona FC. Deco chose to represent Portugal internationally. He was capped 75 times for Portugal between 2003 and 2010.  

AM: Teofilo Cubillas (Peru)
Teofilo Cubillas is Peru's greatest ever player.  He was a part of three World Cup teams: 1970, 1978 and 1982. Nicknamed El Nene (The Kid), he was part of the Peru national team that won the 1975 Copa América. He is one of only three players to score five or more goals in two different World Cup Finals.  He finished Number 17 at the South American Player of the Century award in 2006.  He is associated with Alianza Lima, but also played in Portugal, Switzerland and the United States.

Teofilo Cubillas

AM: Lucho Gonzalez (Argentina)
After starring for River Plate between 2002 and 2005, Lucho Gonzalez moved to Porto, eventually becoming their captain.  In 2009, he went to Marseille and after three seasons, he returned to Porto.  At the time of writing, he is with River Plate.  From 2003 to 2011, he earned 45 caps for Argentina. He went to the 2006 World Cup Finals.

RW/LW: Ricardo Quaresma (Portugal)
Ricardo Quaresma started his career with Sporting CP and moved to Barcelona as a highly, rated winger in 2003.  After three successful years with Porto, he went to Inter Milan and then, Besiktas.  He is often seemed as a player unable to fulfill his talents.  However, he had a great Euro 2016, where Portugal won its first ever major trophy. He scored the lone goal vs Croatia in the round of 16 and the winning penalty kick in the quarterfinal against Poland.

LW: Ljuinko Drulovic (Yugoslavia)
In 1992, Ljuinko Drulovic went to play for Gil Vicente in Portugal. A year later, he joined Porto, where he won 5 straight, league title. He was also known for his partnership with Mario Jardel, who won the European Golden Shoe.  Later in his career, he joined Benfica and FK Partizan. He had 37 caps for Yugoslavia. He went to the 1998 World Cup and European Championship in 2000.

LW:  Paulo Futre (Portugal)
Paulo Futre won a European Cup with Porto in 1987. He was the best Portuguese player in the 1980's. He gained more than 40 caps for his country, representing it at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.  He played in Spain, France, Italy and Japan, most notably with Atlético Madrid and Porto.  With Porto, he won the European Cup in 1987, putting on a Man of the match performance in the final against FC Bayern Munich.

Paulo Futre

FW: Hernani (Portugal)
Hernani played two spells for Porto between 1950 and 1952, and between 1953 and 1964.  He was the second leading scorer for Porto and was among Porto's greatest players. He won two league titles in the 1950's.  In between, he played for Estoril for a single season.  He was capped 28 times for Portugal between 1953 and 1964, scoring 6 goals.

FW:  Pinga (Portugal)
Liked Cristano Ronaldo, Pinga came from Madeira.  He was one of the first major star players from Portugal and Porto during the 1930's.  He started with Martimo in 1929.  He joined Porto in 1930 and played until 1946. He is considered to be among Porto's greatest players.  He became the key player of the victories in the 31–32 and 36–37 Campeonato de Portugal.  For Portugal, he made his debut while playing for Martimo. He had 21 caps from 1930 and 1942.

Pinga

ST: Mario Jardel (Brazil)
During his prime, Mario Jardel was one of the most prolific strikers in European football.  He scored 266 goals in 274 games.  He won the European Golden Boot for two years. He played for clubs in Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Argentina and Australia.  His best years were with Porto, Galatasaray and Sporting CP. His national team career was limited due to playing with a golden generation of good strikers. He only played 10 times for Brazil, scoring a single goal. He went to Copa America in 2001.

Mario Jardel

ST: Fernando Gomes (Portugal)
Fernando Gomes was widely considered to be one of Porto's greatest players.  He helped Porto to win the 1978-79 league title after a 20 years drought.  He also brought home the 1984 Cup Winners' Cup.  In 1987, he was injured and did not play at the Final of the 1987 European Cup Final, but he was a key player through the tournament.  For Portugal, he played in World Cup 1986 and the European Championship in 1984.

ST:  Rabah Madjer (Algeria)
Rabah Madjer is probably the most successful Algerian player in Europe. He scored the first goal of the 2-1 victory over West Germany at the 1982 World Cup Finals.  Five years later, he again broke the Germans' hearts when he scored a goal and set up another as Porto beat Bayern Munich at the European Cup Final in 1987.  He played 87 times for Algeria.  He also played domestic football in Algeria, France, Qatar and Portugal.

Rabah Madjer

Honorable Mention
James Rodriguez (Colombia), Rui Barros (Portugal), Antonio Sousa (Portugal), Benni McCarthy (South Africa), Paulinho Santos (Portugal), Antonio Oliveira (Portugal), Antonio Frasco (Portugal), Jaime Magalhaes (Portugal), Derlei (Brazil), Jose Pedroto (Portugal), Emil Kostadinov (Bulgaria), Zlatko Zahovic (Slovenia), Maniche (Portugal), Nuno Valente (Portugal), Branco (Brazil), Hulk (Brazil), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Sérgio Conceição (Portugal), Celso (Brazil), Helton (Brazil), Pavão (Portugal), Domingos Paciência (Portugal).

Squad Explanation
-- Teofilo Cubillas is among the greatest players ever from South America.  He spent three seasons here, scoring over 60 goals. Some people listed him as Porto's greatest ever player. Pinga is considered to be Porto's greatest player. He is one of the first star player in Portugal.  Rabah Madjer and Deco are named as among their best ever.  Joao Pinto might be on the list as well. Those players were the first ones that I selected into the team.
-- I relied heavily on  the 1987 and 2004 team that won the European Cup.  Some of the other players were taken because of international recognitions.  
-- In 1987, Porto won their first European Cup.  They pulled an upset over Bayern Munich that featured Lothar Matthäus. From that team, I selected Rabah Madjer, Fernando Gomes, Paulo Futre, Antonio Andre, Jozef Mlynarczyk and Joao Pinto.  Five years earlier, Rabah Madjer also scored a goal for Algeria that beat West Germany in the 1982 World Cup Finals.  He did again in this Final against a German club team.
-- Jose Mourinho's place in history was established in the 2003 Champions League Final.  From the 2013 team, I selected Deco, Victor Baia, Ricardo Carvalho, Jorge Costa and Paulo Ferreira. They also won the UEFA Cup the year before.
-- Joao Pinto is their all-time appearance leader. He is also a one club man.
-- I do not know if Pepe belonged to this team. They were rewarded for their performance at Euro 2016.  Normally, I do not consider national team performance for all-time club selections.  Pepe's return to Porto helped his case. 
-- Ricardo Quaresma won the Dragão de Ouro Award in 2005.  His label as being "better than Cristano Ronaldo" destroyed his reputation.  He did not live up to his tag with the bigger cliubs.  With Porto, he was great.
-- I credited Joao Moutinho for winning the Europa Cup in 2010, but I have no space for his teammate Hulk and Radamel Falcao because of the players ahead of them (see below). Goalkeeper and captain Helton probably should be given a chance. 
-- I tried to select more Portuguese players.  For example, I took Quaresma over Zahovic and Kostadinov.  But I also selected two foreigners Lucho Gonzalez and Drulovic Kostadinov because he had spent long time with the club than the players I just mentioned.
-- Paulo Futre was probably Portugal's greatest player between the 1960's and 1990's. He was just overshadowed by his previous generations and the generations of players after him.
-- I did not know much about Branco's career with Porto.  My other left backs have done many things for the club..   
-- Hulk was voted into the greatest lineup by Porto fans, but I selected Mario Jardel, Pinga, Rabah Madjer and Fernando Gomes over him.  Domingos Paciência, Derlei and Radamel Falcao also did not make this team because of the same players ahead of him. Derlei was the hero of the 2003 Champions League victory.
-- Fernando Gomes is Porto's all-time leading scorer and contributed to the 1987 European Cup.
-- Mario Jardel scored 130 goals in 125 matches for Porto.  The younger fans put him among the greatest ever Porto players. He won three Primeira Liga titles during Porto's 5 straight title winning years.  Ljuinko Drulovic of Yugoslavia won 5 straight titles on the same era.  He was as big of a star as Mario Jardel when they played together.
-- I cam across a player named Pavão who died at the age of 26.  The older fans said that he would have became the best ever.  I put him on honorable mention.

Formation
I chose Mario Jardel to start because of his scoring rate.  I went for two, classic players playing behind him.  I dropped Deco to deep so that I could use Cubillas.  I could only find two spaces for the 1987 team on the starting lineup, but Madjer could start ahead of Mario Jardel.