The 2006–07 season marked a pivotal moment in the history of Portuguese football. The national team experienced a transition, marking the departure of the so-called 'golden generation' that was spearheaded by Luis Figo. This shift in personnel coincided with the emergence of a new era, centred around the core of the Cristiano Ronaldo. Concurrently, several prominent domestic clubs were grappling with financial constraints and the outflow of talent, leading to a decline in the overall influence of the Primeira Liga. However, the fundamental structure of the Big Three remained largely intact. This period laid the foundation for the revival of Portuguese football in the 2010s.
Events August 9, 2006 - Co Adriaanse resigns as manager of Porto August 16, 2006 - Jesualdo Ferreira is announced as the new manager of the champions Porto August 19, 2006 - Porto defeats Vitória de Setúbal 3–0 in Leiria to win the SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira with Rui Barros commanding the team August 23, 2006 - Courts confirm that Belenenses will play in the Primeira Liga instead of Gil Vicente due to the Mateus affair. The following days witnessed much controversy: the day the league started, it was still not known which teams would play in the major league. August 25-August 28, 2006 - The Primeira Liga and Liga de Honra seasons begin. September 1, 2006 - The Portugal national team plays its first game since the 2006 FIFA World Cup, against Denmark September 3, 2006 - The Taça de Portugal and the Second Division seasons begin. September 10, 2006 - The Terceira Divisão season begins September 17, 2006 - The Serie Azores of the Third Division begins in the archipelago of the Azores
Transfer deals
Major summer transfers The summer transfer window runs from the end of the previous season until 31 August.
May 13, 2006 Adriano from Cruzeiro to Porto, €1.2M fee May 17, 2006 Hilário from Nacional to Chelsea, free transfer May 21, 2006 Diego from Porto to Werder Bremen, €6M May 25, 2006 Rui Costa from Milan to Benfica, free transfer May 27, 2006 Zé Castro from Académica to Atlético Madrid, undisclosed fee June 2, 2006 João Pinto from Boavista to Braga, free transfer June 6, 2006 Geovanni from Benfica to Cruzeiro, €1.5M
June 7, 2006 Przemysław Kaźmierczak from Pogoń Szczecin to Boavista, on loan June 13, 2006 Roland Linz from Austria Wien to Boavista, undisclosed fee June 22, 2006 Pontus Farnerud from Strasbourg to Sporting CP, free transfer Kostas Katsouranis from AEK Athens to Benfica, €2M July 4, 2006 Carlos Paredes from Reggina to Sporting CP July 9, 2006 Mário Jardel from Goiás to Beira-Mar July 11, 2006 Laurent Robert from Benfica to Levante Tarik Sektioui from AZ to Porto Hugo Almeida from Porto to Werder Bremen
UEFA competitions
UEFA Champions League Porto
All times CET
Round of 16
Sporting CP
All times CET
Benfica
3rd Qualifying Round Benfica played the 3rd qualifying round on 8 August (first leg) and 22 August (second leg), 2006, against Austria Wien and qualified to the group stage of the Champions League.
Group stage
All times CET
UEFA Cup Portuguese teams entered the UEFA Cup in the 1st round immediately after the two qualifying rounds. That year's teams in the UEFA Cup were Sporting de Braga, Nacional, and Vitória de Setúbal. Benfica eventually entered into the Round of 32 after achieving a 3rd-placed finish in its UEFA Champions League group.
First round The 1st leg was played on 14 September 2006. The 2nd leg was played on 28 September 2006.
Group stage
19 October 2006AZ3–0Braga2 November 2006Braga4–0Slovan Liberec23 November 2006Sevilla2–0Braga14 December 2006Braga2–0Grasshopper
Round of 32 The first leg was held on 14th or 15 February 2007, while the second leg was held on 22 February 2007.
1 On 7 February, the Italian Government ruled that Parma and Livorno's home fields did not meet requirements following riots held after an Italian Serie A match in Sicily. Livorno played its home leg behind closed doors on 14 February. Parma played its home leg behind closed doors on 22 February. 2 Transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage as third-place finishers in their groups.
Round of 16 The first leg will be held on 8 March 2007, while the second leg will be held on 14 or 15 March 2007.
Honours CompetitionWinnerPrimeira LigaPortoTaça de PortugalSporting CPSuperCup Cândido de OliveiraPortoLiga de HonraLeixõesSegunda DivisãoFreamundeTerceira Divisão
National team The Selecção played its first game against Denmark in September, losing to the Northern European side. After that friendly, the national team started its qualification for UEFA Euro 2008 with a draw against Finland.
DateVenueOpponentsScorePortugal's score given firstCompetitionScorersMatch ReportSeptember 1, 2006Brøndby Stadion, Brøndby (A)2–4FriendlyCarvalho, NaniSeptember 6, 2006Olympiastadion, Helsinki (A)1–1ECQNuno GomesUEFA.comOctober 10, 2006Estádio do Bessa, Porto (H)3–0ECQRonaldo (2), CarvalhoUEFA.comOctober 11, 2006Stadion Śląski, Chorzów (A)1–2ECQNuno GomesUEFA.comNovember 15, 2006Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra (H)3–0ECQSimão (2), RonaldoUEFA.comFebruary 6, 2007Emirates Stadium, London (N)2–0FriendlySimão, CarvalhoUEFA.comMarch 24, 2007Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon (H)4–0ECQNuno Gomes, Ronaldo (2), QuaresmaUEFA.comMarch 28, 2007Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade (A)1–1ECQTiagoUEFA.comJune 2, 2007 King Boudouin Stadium (A)1–2ECQ
Key H = Home match A = Away match N = Neutral field F = Friendly ECQ = European Championship Qualifier
Notes