Sporting CP legend scoops yet another award

Cristiano Ronaldo won the first Best FIFA Football Award, announced in a ceremony in Switzerland this week.

The Portuguese goalscorer got the better of the Argentinean Lionel Messi and the Frenchman Antoine Griezmann.

France Football awards Cristiano Ronaldo a 4th Ballon d'Or

The Alvalade shotstopper Rui Patrício was named as the world's 12th best player this week by France Football.

The Portuguese international, who was also named as the Euro 2016 Goalkeeper of the Tournament, tallied a total of 6 points and finished ahead of the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, Robert Lewandowski, Dimitri Payet, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the overall winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or, with the Alvalade prodigy winning the award for a 4th time.

Cristiano Ronaldo's new boots dedicated to the most important night of the Portuguese hero's career

Every player has a pivotal moment in their career. For Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, that moment came on the 6th of August 2003, with the inauguration of the new Estádio José Alvalade.

It was his performance against Manchester United, with Ronaldo tearing down the left wing, that saw Sir Alex Ferguson fall in love and make the inevitable move to take the 18-year old to England.

Aurélio Pereira on Cristiano Ronaldo and the secrets of the Sporting Academy

Just two days away from seeing his most famous student, Cristiano Ronaldo, face Sporting in the Champions League, the Sporting youth football legend Aurélio Pereira spoke about the world famous CR7 and the philosophy of the Sporting Academy.

"Knowing Cristiano Ronaldo like I do, he won't go easy on us. You can't take the professionalism out of him. At the beginning he was just an 11-year old lad from Madeira who arrived at the Academy without his parents. In 1997 he cost a lot of money. A day after he got here he was already training with the older lads and he had a capacity that we were not used to seeing. The older players all said that he was something different and he was. On top of his technical quality he had speed and could get away from his marker. He had a bit of skill in the air too", opened Pereira.

Asked to reveal the secrets of the success of the Sporting Academy, the Alvalade legend added: "Talent is one thing, but audacity is another. Players are only human and sometimes you forget that, but Ronaldo had a way of speaking with the rest of the players. On the second day he was completely relaxed with everyone, when anyone else would have packed their bags and went home if faced by the same thing. Youth football is in this club's DNA, it is in our culture. We give our young players creative liberty and we don't format anyone. We are really patient with them and treat them as people."

Bruno de Carvalho declares intention to bring the nation's hero back to Alvalade

The Sporting president dropped an absolute bombshell in his interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca this week, declaring his intention to see Cristiano Ronaldo hand up his boots in Avalade.

"I was in the stadium when we played against Manchester United I knew right then that they would take him. We will face him (on Wednesday) and he will face the club that trained him. Everybody wants to see Ronaldo against his old team. It would be magical to see Ronaldo finish his career in Portugal, with Sporting. That is my objective. We have been making a big effort to bring back some of our old players, like what happened with Nani", explained Bruno de Carvalho, before answering a question on who he sees as Sporting's best weapon for facing the Spanish giants: "Our star? Jorge Jesus of course, our leader. He is the most important person in the group and he complements what we needed. He is perfect for my vision of Sporting, with leadership and a drive for perfection. Now the players understand that they can win titles."

The full interview can be found here.

#LaPortada 'Un Madrid feliz' pic.twitter.com/0hQPxbqWWn

— MARCA (@marca) 11 de setembro de 2016

Sporting CP paired with Real Madrid in Champions League group stage

The draw for the Champions League group stage took place this Thursday, setting Sporting up with encounters against Borussia Dortmund, Legia Warsaw and Real Madrid.

Alvalade is sure to sell out for the hosting of the Spanish giants, which will see Cristiano Ronaldo return home.

The Euro 2016 winner grew up in the Sporting youth system, before bursting into the senior ranks and starting his path to stardom.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Peyroteo: seperated by generations, but both immortal on the football pitch

On the 26th of June 1937, an eager 19-year old named Fernando Peyroteo arrived in Lisbon. He had been playing for Sporting de Luanda, but made the trip to Lisbon from Angola to accompany his mother, who was struggling with health problems. In the Portuguese capital, Aníbal Paciência, a friend of Peyroteo's from Angola, invited him join Sporting and he never looked back, despite FC Porto offering him considerably more money.

Cristiano Ronaldo's path was a little different. He arrived in Lisbon from Madeira at the age of just 12, after being invited to for trails at the Sporting Academy. "After five minutes he was already on first name terms with everyone and was telling people to pass hi mthe ball. That isn't normal. We knew we had to sign him straight away, he just had to join us", commented Aurélio Pereira in a recent interview with the Observador.

The stories of the two Alvalade heroes are now, of course, the stuff of legends. Both have a unique ability for finding the back of the yet, with Peyroteo still the best scorer in Portuguese history, with an average of 1.62 goals per game over the 541 matches played for Sporting. Cristiano Ronaldo played just 31 senior games for Sporting, but he captured the world's hearts with Manchester United and Real Madrid, where he has won the European Golden Boot on four occasions.

Split by so many decades, it is difficult to compare the two. Peyroteo reigned over Portugal's pitches in the 30's and 40's, before European competitions even existed, while Cristiano Ronaldo has spread his magic across Europe. One thing is for sure, both players have absolutely dominated their respective generations of footballers and become true idols of the game... for everyone except goalkeepers of course

Alvalade hero helps Real Madrid to 11th European crown

Cristiano Ronaldo has notched up his third Champions League trophy, after scoring Real Madrid's 5th penalty in a shoot out against Atletico Madrid in Milan.

After a draw in regulation time, the deadlock persisted through extra-time. Called up to convert on his side's 5th and what would be decisive penalty, after Juanfran had driven his effort against the post.