The 39 Best Portuguese Primeira Liga Players of All Time

Iconic Portuguese names, prolific Brazilian imports and decorated European Cup winners have all defined the country's top flight. Cast your vote!

1. 1
   Eusebio

   Benfica striker and 1965 Ballon d'Or winner, the Black Pearl whose goals defined Primeira Liga history.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Humberto Coelho

   Benfica centre-back and captain who won eight Primeira Liga titles and scored freely from defence in the 1970s and 80s.
   801pts
3. 3
   Ricardo Quaresma

   Porto and Sporting trickster whose rabona crosses and trivela made him a cult Primeira Liga icon.
   704pts
4. 4
   João Moutinho

   Midfielder who captained Sporting as a youngster and then won three straight league titles and the 2011 Europa League with Porto.
   666pts
5. 5
   Jonas

   Brazilian striker who twice finished as Primeira Liga top scorer for Benfica in the late 2010s.
   624pts
6. 6
   Ricardo Carvalho

   Porto centre-back who won two league titles, the 2003 UEFA Cup and the 2004 Champions League under José Mourinho.
   624pts
7. 7
   Vítor Baía

   Porto goalkeeper across two spells who won the 2003 UEFA Cup, the 2004 Champions League and a long run of league titles.
   624pts
8. 8
   Bruno Fernandes

   Sporting captain and midfielder who scored 63 goals in two and a half seasons, including 32 in all competitions in 2018-19.
   624pts
9. 9
   Fernando Peyroteo

   Sporting CP striker of the 1930s and 40s with one of the most prolific scoring records in football history.
   624pts
10. 10
    José Augusto

    Benfica right winger who played in five European Cup finals and won eight Primeira Liga titles in the 1960s.
    593pts
11. 11
    Héctor Yazalde

    Argentine striker whose 46 league goals for Sporting in 1973-74 won him the European Golden Shoe.
    577pts
12. 12
    Rabah Madjer

    Algerian forward who scored the famous backheel goal in Porto's 1987 European Cup final win and won three league titles.
    577pts
13. 13
    Manuel Bento

    Benfica goalkeeper who spent 18 seasons at the club, winning nine Primeira Liga titles between 1972 and 1990.
    523pts
14. 14
    José Águas

    Benfica captain and centre-forward who was five-time Primeira Liga top scorer and lifted the European Cup in 1961.
    523pts
15. 15
    Mario Coluna

    Benfica midfielder who captained the legendary 1960s side to two European Cup titles.
    523pts
16. 16
    Maniche

    Box-to-box midfielder who won two league titles with Porto and the 2004 Champions League under José Mourinho.
    390pts
17. 17
    Paulo Futre

    Sporting and Porto forward who won the 1987 European Cup before becoming a global star.
    390pts
18. 18
    Rui Costa

    Benfica playmaker whose early Primeira Liga years preceded a legendary Fiorentina and Milan career.
    390pts
19. 19
    Nuno Gomes

    Benfica forward and longtime Portugal striker who scored 102 Primeira Liga goals across two spells.
    390pts
20. 20
    Lisandro López

    Argentine striker who was the 2007-08 Primeira Liga top scorer and won four straight league titles with Porto.
    390pts
21. 21
    Pepe

    Porto and Porto-returning centre-back, one of the Primeira Liga's most decorated defenders.
    390pts
22. 22
    Luis Figo

    Sporting CP playmaker who lit up Portuguese football before his iconic Barcelona and Real Madrid years.
    390pts
23. 23
    Germano

    Benfica centre-back of the 1960s, a 1962 European Cup winner regarded as one of the finest defenders in Portuguese history.
    307pts
24. 24
    Rui Jordão

    Striker who was Primeira Liga top scorer with Benfica in 1975-76 and with Sporting in 1979-80.
    307pts
25. 25
    Joao Pinto

    Boavista and Benfica forward, a defining Portuguese attacker of the 1990s.
    307pts
26. 26
    José Torres

    Towering Benfica centre-forward who formed a famous partnership with Eusébio and won a string of league titles in the 1960s.
    307pts
27. 27
    Costa Pereira

    Benfica goalkeeper who kept goal in both European Cup triumphs of 1961 and 1962 and won a run of league titles.
    307pts
28. 28
    Hulk

    Brazilian winger whose Porto years delivered three Primeira Liga titles and a Europa League.
    307pts
29. 29
    Luisão

    Brazilian centre-back who captained Benfica, made over 500 appearances and won six Primeira Liga titles between 2003 and 2018.
    307pts
30. 30
    Deco

    Brazilian-born Porto playmaker who won two Primeira Liga titles and the 2004 Champions League.
    210pts
31. 31
    Mario Jardel

    Brazilian striker whose 130 Primeira Liga goals for Porto and Sporting included two European Golden Boots.
    210pts
32. 32
    António Simões

    Benfica left winger who won the European Cup at 18 in 1962 and ten Primeira Liga titles with the club.
    210pts
33. 33
    Viktor Gyökeres

    Swedish striker who led Sporting to the 2024 and 2025 titles and won the European Golden Shoe with 39 league goals in 2024-25.
    210pts
34. 34
    Óscar Cardozo

    Paraguayan striker who scored 172 goals for Benfica and twice finished as Primeira Liga top scorer.
    210pts
35. 35
    James Rodríguez

    Colombian playmaker who won three league titles and the 2011 Europa League with Porto before his move to Monaco.
    210pts
36. 36
    Matateu

    Belenenses striker of the 1950s who twice topped the Primeira Liga scoring charts and scored 218 league goals.
    210pts
37. 37
    Domingos Paciência

    Porto striker who was the 1995-96 Primeira Liga top scorer and won several league titles in the late 1980s and 90s.
    0pts
38. 38
    Radamel Falcao

    Colombian striker who scored 41 league goals at Porto and won the 2011 Europa League.
    0pts
39. 39
    Ángel Di María

    Argentine winger who starred in Benfica's 2009-10 title-winning side and returned for two more seasons from 2023.
    0pts

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