Cristiano Ronaldo
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to finish his playing career in Saudi Arabia after signing for Al Nassr. The 37-year-old had a disappointing World Cup for his country, but the new contract that will earn him close to 200€ million a year will undoubtedly ease his frustrations! The move is seen as a big coup for Saudi Arabia as they seek to draw positive publicity to the nation. The former Manchester United striker currently has over 500 million followers on social media.
Champions League Football
Both Porto and Benfica have enjoyed marvellous starts to their respective Champions League campaigns. After losing their opening two games (and a 4-0 home loss to Clube Bruges), Porto topped Group B with four straight victories that included a 4-0 away win over Bruges. Benfica’s achievements were arguably more impressive. The Lisbon-based side completed the double over Italian giants Juventus and even pipped Paris St Germain to win Group H. In the last 16, Porto will face Inter Milan, while Benfica will have their turn at facing Clube Bruges.
Women’s Champions League
Benfica found the going tough against the might of Barcelona and Bayern Munich but were able to complete the double against Swedish side FC Rosengård. They finished their campaign in third position with six points.
International Football
Roberto Martinez has been named as the new head coach of the Portugal men’s side. The Spaniard replaces Fernando Santos following a shock defeat to Morocco at the World Cup. Martinez was in charge of a talented Belgium side that crashed out in the group stages, where they also lost to Morocco. As a player, he played most of his career in England and Wales before going on to manage Swansea, Wigan and Everton. One of his first decisions will be whether to keep the talismanic 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers.
Cycling
The 49th Volta ao Algarve (Tour of Algarve) will begin from Portimão on 15 February. The five-day event will see twenty-five of the top pro-cycling teams undertake a gruelling 795 km across largely undulating or mountainous terrain. The top three ranked teams in the world (Jumbo-Visma, UAE Team Emirates, INEOS Grenadiers) have all confirmed their attendance as they view the tour as a great warm-up event for the long season ahead. Aside from Portimão, the tour will visit Lagos, Faro, Aljezur and Sagres.
Rugby
The Algarve’s top club side,Loulé, has had a disappointing first half to their season. After last year’s historic promotion to national Division One, they have found the going tough and have suffered a series of heavy defeats. To compound their issues, head coach Max Evans has now left his role by mutual consent. The ex-Scottish international had been key to the recent rise of the club, but the new coaching set-up must now try to galvanise their side as they attempt to stave off an immediate relegation back to Division Two. Their first port of call will be the upcoming national cup competition which they will hope will lead to a change of fortunes.
Tennis
The Algarve city of Vila Real de Santo António will host the opening men’s Portuguese ITF World Tennis tournament of the year. The outdoor, hardcourt event will run from February 6-12 and will be followed by further tournaments at Quinta do Lago, Loulé, Portimão and Faro. The ITF tour offers entry-range and mid-level professional tournaments and is the gateway to the prestigious WTA tour. The women’s schedule has not yet been announced, but competitions are due to be held at the same venues across the region.
If you wish to publicise a sporting event, please contact our sports editor David Lugg: david@tomorrowalgarve.com
