Primeira Liga, the Portuguese first-tier, remains awash with extraordinary talent. More than simply a scouting center for Europe’s richest competitions, the 2022/23 Primeira Liga season offered tremendous performances worth praising. These are the players that make up the Team of the Season.
In assembling our squad, we’ve opted for the telling metric of FootballCoin statistics, and we expect that these players will continue to reward fantasy football managers for a new campaign.
Who’s in the Portuguese Primeira Liga Team of the Season 2022/23?
Benefica and FC Porto, the nation’s most important teams, dominated Primeira Liga. However, this is only partly reflected in our choices for Team of the Season.
If anything, the stats go to prove that there’s a wealth of talented, often untapped, in the Portuguese first tier and that not all of the greatest players are signed to Sporting, Porto, or Benfica.
There are notable players who just missed out on our TOTS selection. Some of these stars include Ricardo Horta, Goncalo Ramos, and David Neres.
Meanwhile, the work of managers like Sergio Conceicao or Roger Schmidt meant that Portugal’s Primeira continues to be one of the most attractive competitions for regular fans and fantasy football managers alike.
Goalkeeper
Daniel Figueira (Estoril) – 599 points in FootballCoin
Daniel Leite Figueira needed to put in some excellent performances to keep Estoril away from relegation. The finished 14th with one of the poorest defensive records in the league. Still, Figueira did plenty of the heavy lifting with a save percentage of 76.4%. It was just enough to overcome Odisseas Vlachodimos of Benfica, who managed the most clean sheets this season.
Defenders
Alex Grimaldo (Benfica) – 572 points
Alex Grimaldo is, without a doubt, one of the best and most heavily scouted defenders in Europe. This season, he led Primeira Liga for expected assists, crossed into the penalty area, and made progressive passes and touches. It was a truly marvelous season for the Portuguese.
Gabriel Silva (Santa Clara) – 404 points
Gabriel Silva might have slipped largely unnoticed by casual fans. But much of this is due to the fact that Santa Clara ended the season bottom of the table and was unceremoniously relegated. Silva, on the other hand, played 33 matches and scored five goals throughout this campaign, also impressing with his interceptions and aerial duels won.
Steven Vitoria (Chaves) – 403 points
Steven Vitoria was one of Chaves’ top players in a season in which the comfortable seventh place reflected the mood down in the quiet Northern Portuguese city. The Canadian scored seven goals along the way, making him one of the best picks for fantasy football managers.
Claudio Winck (Maritimo) – 395 points
Claudio Winck was also incapable of stopping Maritimo’s drop to the second tier. But strong performances were many throughout a campaign in which managed six goals and three assists. At the time of writing, the Brazilian is without a club, but this is unlikely to last for long.
Midfielders
Pedro Goncalves (Sporting) – 675 points
Pedro Goncalves was the breakout star of a Sporting side that showed a lot of promise but ended up succeeding in very little it attempted this year. Goncalves managed 15 goals and was the best assists provider with 11. His defensive contributions were also impressive, making Goncalves one of the best players in the Portuguese league.
Joao Mario (Benfica) – 650 points
Joao Mario is a hero of one of Portugal’s greatest generations. At 30 years of age, he remains the leader of the domestic league’s champions. This season he managed 17 goals and 7 assists, helping turn Benfica into one of the most exciting teams to watch across the whole continent.
Joao Teixeira (Chaves) – 507 points
Joao Teixeira was Chaves’ MVP across the entire season. The creative midfielder managed five goals and four assists and registered some of the best stats in the entire league when it comes to offensive contributions,
Xadas (Maritimo) – 475 points
Xadas was another brief ray of hope for Maritimo and carried the team throughout the campaign. The Portuguese scored three and assisted six goals. There’s no doubt that clubs will be making some transfer inquiries before the 2023/24 campaign gets underway.
Forwards
Mehdi Taremi (FC Porto) – 561 points
Mehdi Taremi is the kind of player that, given the right circumstances, could play well in any league in the world. So far, the Iranian is doing wonderfully for FC Porto, finishing the season as the league’s top goalscorer with 22 and also providing seven assists. Taremi‘s ability and work ethic are beyond reproach and FC Porto will be looking toward him to deliver a new title next season.
Fran Navarro (Gil Vicente) – 551
Fran Navarro scored 17 goals this season which can, largely, explain Gil Vicente’s comfortable glance over the relegation line. The Spaniard proved that he is one of the most dependable, if underrated, strikers in the game, and his move to FC Porto seems to make perfect sense. Fantasy football managers will be anxious to pick him in contests next season.
