Associação Atlética Portuguesa, also known as Portuguesa Carioca, Portuguesa do Rio or Portuguesa da Ilha, and also nicknamed Lusa, is a Brazilian professional association football club based in Governador Island, Rio de Janeiro. The team plays in Série D, the fourth tier of the Brazilian football league system, as well as in the Campeonato Carioca, the top tier of the Rio de Janeiro state football league.
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History
After a long tour of Rio de Janeiro and Portugal, Constantino Paiva and Joaquim Martins Leal, businessmen in the empty and used bag business, were invited to play a football match at the organized Portuguesa Santista against their colleagues and employees from the Santos area. The result was 1-1 and the two Cariocas, who had Portuguese ancestry and were passionate about Portugal, returned to Rio de Janeiro and told other businessmen about their journey. After this trip, Constantino and Joaquim convinced Rio de Janeiro's bag traders to such an extent that they decided to create Associação Atlética Portuguesa. Bosses and employees came together and formed the sports club. On 17 December 1924, in the home of Luís Gomes Teixeira, the Associação Atlética Portuguesa was founded. Luiz Gomes Teixeira is known as Portuguesa's first president. Its first headquarters were at Rua Visconde de Itaúna, 201, in the city center, a street that would be demolished in the 1940s for the opening of Avenida Presidente Vargas. As a result of the demolition of its first headquarters, Portuguesa went in search of a new home. It would found its new headquarters in the Ilha do Governador with its address at Rua Haroldo Lobo. At the chosen location, already on the island, there was a jockey stadium, with horse racing. Years later, the jockey stadium would go bankrupt and become the permanent home of Portuguesa. The stadium would take on the traditional name of Luso-Brasileiro, which years later would become one of the most important stadiums in Rio de Janeiro, home to the state's greatest teams and the stage for memorable matches. Three years after its foundation, in 1927, it joined the first professional league of teams in Rio de Janeiro. The team had good results in various championships such as those of 1931, 1934 and 1937. On the national stage, Portuguesa played in the C series twice, in 2003 and 2004, and the D series in 2016. In the 2000s, Portuguesa won their first Rio Cup, in 2000, beating Sampaio Correa 4-1 at the Luso Brasileiro stadium. In 2015, Portuguesa finally managed to return to the elite of Rio de Janeiro football after some serious and consistent work by manager João Rêgo. In 2016, the club once again competed in a national championship, the Brasileirão Série D. In the same year, Lusa won the Rio Cup for the second time at Luso, beating Friburguense 4-3.
Roster
First team squad
As of 18 November 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Stadium
Portuguesa's home stadium is Estádio Luso Brasileiro, built in 1965, with a maximum capacity of 4,697 spectators. Portuguesa's stadium is sometimes used by two first division teams from Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo and Botafogo.
Symbols
The team mascot is a zebra.
Honours
Others tournaments
Brazil-Angola International Tournament (1): 2002
Copa Rubro–Verde (2): 2018, 2019
Taça Santos Dumont (1): 2015
Torneio Extra Capital (1): 2015
Runners-up
Copa Rio (3): 2015, 2019, 2022
Campeonato Carioca Série A2 (5): 1981, 1984, 1990, 1997, 2015