Sporting Clube de Portugal

Sporting Clube de Portugal, often known outside Portugal as Sporting Lisbon, is a sports club that is best known for having one of the best football teams in Portugal. It was established in 1906.

Among Portuguese clubs, Sporting has the best football infrastructure. It boasts a new stadium, Estádio José Alvalade XXI, built for the 2004 European Football Championship, that will host the 2005 UEFA Cup final. Sporting also has a world-class football training facility (Academia do Sporting in Alcochete) where Portugal trained during the Euro 2004.

Sporting has developed many top footballers in recent years; some of the most notable are Luis Figo (Real Madrid CF), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC) and Aldo Duscher (Deportivo la Coruna) and also others that failed to make an impression oustide Portugal, such as former FC Barcelona players Ricardo Quaresma (who joined FC Porto in 2004) and Simão Sabrosa (joined SL Benfica in 2001). Hugo Viana, the only returning to Sporting, joined on loan from Newcastle United in 2004. The club captured 18 titles, 13 cups and won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1964, their only european win.

Sporting has numerous sections other than football, among them athletics, swimming, handball, table tennis, and Rink hockey.