Some of these former Sporting stars now play for the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Southampton and Premier League champions Leicester City.
Former Sporting stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani
When Portugal were crowned champions of Europe in the summer, 10 of the 14 players who featured for them in the final against France had come through Sporting Lisbon’s academy. It was an incredible endorsement for the success of the Lions famed youth setup, which is the biggest and best production line in Portugal and among the finest in the world.
Sporting are renowned as the only club to have created two FIFA World Player of the Year winners, in the forms of Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite their remarkable conveyor belt of talent, Sporting have become something of a selling club in recent years. Creating, but failing to keep ahold of, a number of top class talents.
In light of this, we take a look at what Sporting’s starting XI could look like now if they had managed to hang on to all of those players. The XI includes mostly Sporting academy graduates, although there are a few players that the 18 time Primeira Liga winners bought and sold on for sizeable profits, as well as a few current stars.
Southampton ace Jose Fonte began his career at Sporting
Goalkeeper: Rui Patricio
The current Sporting goalkeeper and Portugal’s penalty shoot-out hero in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals, Rui Patricio is a very capable goalkeeper. Tipped as a future star of the national team from a young age, Patricio represented his country at six different youth levels, from under-16 to the under-21’s.
Now aged 28, Patricio is an established star with 55 caps for Portugal and 373 appearances for Sporting to his name.
Left-Back: Marcos Rojo
Manchester United outcast Marcos Rojo may not be faring too well at Old Trafford right now, but the 26-year-old was very impressive at Sporting. Signed from Spartak Moscow for £3.5 million and sold to Manchester United for £16 million, the Portuguese giants made a tidy profit on the defender, who has already won more than half a century of caps for Argentina.
Centre-Back: Jose Fonte
Southampton’s ever-dependable centre-back Jose Fonte joined the Saints from Crystal Palace in 2010 for £1.2 million. Six years earlier he left the Estadio Jose Alvalade without having made a single first team appearance for Sporting. How they must rue not identifying the 32-year-old’s talents now; he has won two promotions with Southampton and started for Portugal in the Euro 2016 final.
Centre-Back: Daniel Carrico
Former Sporting captain Daniel Carrico left the club to join then Premier League outfit Reading in 2013, before returning to the club on loan. Carrico joined the Kings of the Europa League, Sevilla, in 2014, where he is a regular and has already won 3 trophies.
Right-Back: Eric Dier
Tottenham Hotspur star Eric Dier celebrates scoring for England at Euro 2016
It was a tight call at right-back between Tottenham’s Eric Dier and Southampton’s Cedric Soares. The Saints defender is the more natural right-back, but Dier is the more accomplished player. Given that the Englishman played most of his football in Portugal in defence, he gets the nod. Dier played 31 games for Sporting before joining Tottenham in 2014, where he has become a crucial player and an England international.
Central Midfield: Joao Moutinho
Described by Sporting’s chairman as a “rotten apple” when he left the club to join rivals Porto in 2010, Moutinho was another product of Sporting’s academy, and made over 250 first team appearances prior to his departure. The 30-year-old who is approaching 100 caps for Portugal now plays for Monaco in Ligue 1.
Central Midfield: William Carvalho
The second current Sporting player to make this starting XI, although not for long if the others are anything to go by, is the powerful midfielder William Carvalho. With 28 caps to his name already, having only turned 24 in the summer, Carvalho has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, and would create a good blend of youth and experience in midfield with Moutinho.
Left Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
The standout man in this XI, and one of the greatest footballers of all-time, Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomonon. The Madeira-born forward played just 33 games for Sporting, before being snapped up by Manchester United.
He took some time adjusting to life in the Premier League, but after a few years at Old Trafford, he had established himself as one of the best players in the world. Ronaldo later joined Real Madrid for a then world record fee, where he has scored 371 goals in 357 games and won 8 trophies.
Right Wing: Nani
Similar to Ronaldo in many respects, in that Nani is a gifted winger who joined Manchester United from Sporting at a young age, but the 29-year-old has been unable to become an undisputed world class talent like Ronaldo. It was a close call between Nani and Quaresma, but the former is a couple of years younger, and currently impressing for Valencia.
Centre-Forward: Islam Slimani
Leicester City striker Islam Slimani
A recent departure from the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Islam Slimani joined Premier League champions Leicester City in the summer for a reported £28 million. Prolific in Portugal, the Algerian scored 57 goals in 109 games during his 3 years at Sporting, and has bagged 3 in 5 since joining the Foxes.
Centre-Forward: Bas Dost
The third and final current Sporting player to make this XI, Bas Dost has made a superb start to life with the Lions, scored 6 goals in his first 14 appearances, and looking like a capable replacement for the departed Slimani.
Ricky van Wolfswinkel could also be in with a shout, having scored 42 goals in 86 games for Sporting and 6 in 12 this season for Vitesse, but we believe Dost is a slightly more complete forward.
Would Sporting be in with a chance of winning the Champions League with this starting XI?
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