Football is divided into two spaces mostly; the rational one, destined for managers and players; and the irrational one, embraced by supporters. In the middle somewhere, somehow, we can all fit and mix together. After all, football is the great equaliser in our lives.
I’ve been in love with football ever since I can remember, with many of my happiest moments (but also saddest), coming from the lens of a football supporter and although I’ve been more than lucky with my club in terms of winning, I do feel that makes me, and all of us, more susceptible to the feeling of “heavy loss”. Football can be a cruel mistress, after all.
I’ve been a FC Porto supporter ever since I can remember. It's a symbol of who I am, of what my values are and that will never change, no matter how many wins and losses happen to us. And yes, I said us, because the club and I are a single persona.
I’m rambling already, but after all, we are supporters so the irrational side is strong and it wants to come out and scream from the top of our lungs, WE ARE “insert club name here”!
Words: Jonee Nuno // @Jonee13
FC Porto crest on one of Jonee’s many kits.
The club’s flag overlooking the city of Porto.
I wanted to celebrate, remember, treasure, and pay homage to my greatest team ever, and yes, it could only be a team, a season, from my FC Porto, because I did say “my greatest” and not “the greatest” (that would be an entirely different discussion), and that team is the group of players who represented my FC Porto in the season 2003/04, when we (again, US) won the league title, the Portuguese Supercup and above all else, the truly magnificent UEFA Champions League!
As we all know (okay, maybe not Real Madrid supporters) winning the UEFA Champions League is the most difficult thing any club can achieve, and most of us are lucky if we celebrate such a win even once in our lifetimes, which says it all about its importance and place in football lore. So for me, to win one as a small boy, too young to really have memories of my own about it, and then win another one, just months before I turned 20, engraved those memories inside my soul, where they will remain for the rest of my life.
The great Bill Shankly left us many memorable quotes, none more so than the famous “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” And I can truly vouch for that, because that win is part of me, of my life, how I remember things, how I compare times. Winning that beautiful trophy changed everything for me and although I am fully aware it may never happen again, I’ve lived through it already. I have no right to complain.
Allow me to present my case as to why that is my greatest team ever. You may be surprised - a lot of it is not really for footballing reasons.
Costinha celebrates after scoring at Old Trafford in Porto’s 2004 Champions League campaign.
Photo Credit: FC Porto Official Museum
FC Porto winning the UEFA Champions League in 2004 is nothing short of a miracle. The truth is, they were never supposed to win. No “small club” is supposed to win it, and the thing is, it’s now been 20 years since that magical night, and no other “small club” has won it, which says everything about the reality of modern European football. That win should be embraced by every supporter outside the Big Five, as their own cry of resistance. Things have changed a lot, and I think any realistic supporter of clubs like FC Porto, Marseille, Celtic, Ajax, Steaua, or Red Star, who have won the competition at some point, knows that is probably never going to happen again.
Is it a sad thing? I guess it is, but it’s also a badge of honor we can wear, because we did it. We got there and got it done, most likely against one of the “big boys” and my goodness, that is a beautiful thing to remember. Go on ask your dad, or your grandad what he still thinks about that season when his, or your, or our club won it, and watch his eyes light up, his face smile.
Since that memorable night in Gelsenkirchen, my life has changed quite a lot, due to this and that but also due to the fact I’ve moved to Manchester, one of two cities, the other being Milan, that knows what it’s like to have both its clubs win the UEFA Champions League. Living in such a football crazy city like this one has allowed me to experience, to see how other fans think and feel football, and although there are differences, the passion is the same, if not bigger!
When I moved up here, one of the items I packed was my FC Porto shirt from that glorious season. In the same way I need socks and jeans, I need to know that shirt is close to me at all times. It’s like my little bit of proof that moment existed.
Any fan has the dream to see their team being the best in Europe at some point during their lives. It’s only natural, after all, to aspire to the top spot in any competition scenario and that feeling is present no matter which club you support. It can be Dumbarton FC or AC Milan, or any club between those; as a fan, as a supporter, we all dream, we all aspire to see our own achieve what others before us achieved. Being a supporter is all about dreams and imagining scenarios. Ask any fan after winning whatever trophy, and immediately they will mention the next one or the bigger one, and that feeling will be a part of the experience forever. It’s both our downfall and greatest thing ever. We all know it and none of us would want football without it.
Well, I started this article mentioning my greatest team ever, and just realised I haven’t named a single player yet, so I guess it is time to speak about the actual team. I will leave the tactical side for another day; this is all about feelings, so I’ll explain what those players felt to me at the time and still do in way or another.
Jonee’s prized possession; his 2003/04 FC Porto home shirt.
FC Porto’s Champions League winning squad, and Jonee’s greatest ever team.
Photo Credit: Planet Football
Vitor Baia meant serenity, Paulo Ferreira was reliability, Jorge Costa was the soul, Ricardo Carvalho was THE WALL, Nuno Valente was steadiness, Costinha represented balance, Maniche meant controlled chaos, Alenichev was guile, Carlos Alberto meant irreverence, Benni McCarthy was opportunity, Pedro Mendes was grit, Derlei is tenacity itself and then we had Deco. Deco was GENIUS. This group of players was coached by José Mourinho, a mix of tactical genius and mind games that could set up any group of players against any opponent, and feel confident about it.
From our side, as supporters, between 2002 and 2004, I can safely say we never felt afraid of any team, in any circumstance. Whoever faced us, we were the team to beat. They had to go through us and good luck with that! We didn't feel invincible per se, but more all-powerful, undeterred and immovable.
FC Porto winning the UEFA Champions League is living proof that dreaming as a supporter does work sometimes.
My greatest team ever is no greater than anyone elses, and I’m sure you feel as confident about yours as I do about mine. That is perfectly natural, even if those teams are from completely different eras and styles, because your feelings as a supporter are and will always be valid. My greatest team just happened to show it on many European pitches that it was indeed the best, but let’s not argue about this.
My love for football has many sides, but only one reason and that is Futebol Clube do Porto. However, the sides represent many other things, from an unexplained passion for Ajax's way of playing, left footed centre backs, slow moving but fast thinking attacking midfielders, not liking left footed players taking penalties, a love for that midfielder who thinks he can score from 40 yards out (even if there is no evidence he actually can), crazy characters who add colour and fire to the game, managers who show they have a passion for the game, supporters who take their shirt off and scream even if it’s minus 10, and so many other things.
Football is not the most important thing in my life, but it is part of who I am and I guess, somehow, that makes it extremely important.
Heritage, according to the Oxford dictionary, means 'The legacy of people, culture and environment inherited from the past. Well, that victory in 2004 was the culmination of the work, love and sweat of many players, managers and supporters before them. We celebrated and still celebrate it, not just for us but also in honour of those who over a century ago, dreamt about creating a football club in the most beautiful Portuguese city, Porto.
From myself, to and from many other Portistas, we did it boys. We really did it!
Paying tribute to the greatest ever team.
Deco represented the beauty present in our game
Photo Credit: Alamy Images
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