Plan B - Reflections on the value of B teams by Liga Portugal

Cycle

2012-2020

reflections on the value of b teams

1.115 M€ ON SALES Balance sheet prior to the transfer window's close-date, on February 2nd 2021

The most Talented players haveaccumulated experience here in order to shine on the biggest tages. It is therefore in the intermediate level of the B Teams, with greater competitive demands, but without the weight of responsibility associated with the big decisions, that all the potential of the players is galvanized and where they are able to make a name for themselves in Europe. The recent past has brought to the fore the paramount importance that the capacity to innovate, create new solutions, new ways that allow us to break new paths and open new horizons assumed in our activities and in our lives. It is in this context that the bet on the B Teams is framed, an intermediate step between development and their full consolidation in the main squads that aims to expand the enormous talent that Portuguese football has been proving to have in abundance. It was, to a large extent, based on athletes that played in B Teams that the National Team won the UEFA Euro and the Nations League; that, in the Under-21 team, they were finalists in the UEFA Euro; that, in the Under-19 team, Portugal won the European Championship twice, being defeated in the final in the same number of times. In the last eight seasons, about half of the 500-plus players called to represent our country at these international levels have played in B Teams. In financial terms, and as referred here in the last edition of this publication, the transfers of footballers who started playing and consolidating their potential in B Teams represented an income for the Portuguese Sports Societies of more than one billion euros!

INDEX PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

PAGE 3

Message from the President

PAGE 4

FRAMEWORK

PAGE 6

FLOW OF SUCCESS: PLAYERS

PAGE 24

FLOW OF SUCCESS: TRANSFERS

PAGE 28

FLOW OF SUCCESS: SPECTATORS

PAGE 30

FLOW OF SUCCESS: Media

PAGE 36

conclusions

PAGE 38

Statements www.ligaportugal.pt

www.ligaportugal.pt

The sporting and economic benefits are too obvious to be overlooked. Besides SL Benfica B and FC Porto B, who compete in the Liga Portugal SABSEG, six more B Teams compete in the Campeonato de Portugal fighting to get promoted to the upper division: SC Braga B (Série A); Rio Ave FC B and Vitória SC B (Série B); Marítimo M. B (Série C); Sporting CP B and Belenenses SAD B (Série G). Since its return to the national competitive scene, we can also verify in the last two seasons a trend that is about to be reversed: in 2019-20 and 2020-21 there are only two B Teams in the Professional Football divisions, as already mentioned - the lowest since 2012-13, when this "Plan B" was renewed, and which has been so fruitful and profitable over the years. But if a more surface reading could raise some apprehension due to the gradual decline of B Teams in Professional Football (from six to five, then to four and ultimately to two), it is with utmost satisfaction that we note that the same commitment is still maintained - and which it keeps being strengthened and renewed. And the more competitive experience a B Team can provide to the young players it develops, the better - in order to sustainably value the enormous Talent generated in Portuguese football. It is a rather inexhaustible industry of Talent that Portuguese Football has to offer!

Pedro Proença, Presidente da Liga Portugal.

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Renewal

framework

framework In 2012-13, the B teams of FC Porto, Marítimo M., SC Braga, SL Benfica, Sporting CP and Vitória SC were allowed to compete in the Liga Portugal SABSEG, taking advantage of an expansion of the competition that was determined for this purpose. Since that season, there have been countless young Portuguese and non-Portuguese players who have benefited of the competitiveness of the Liga Portugal SABSEG to improve their football development and thus be in a better position to play at the highest level. The sporting results have been fluctuant as evidenced by the title won by FC Porto B in 2015-16, but also by the various relegations to lower divisions. However, immediate sporting results are clearly not the focus for the B Teams, the main objective being to develop players to be important assets for the first team in the near future. And in that concern, it is clear that the B Teams have been very successful over the years. In this document, all statistics concerning players and clubs are up-to-date until 31/12/2020. However, it was decided to extend the date to February 2021 in order to include the analysis on transfers and match attendances

Evolution of the B-Teams Rankings 1

2 5

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

10 13

14 15

16 20 21

B teams score on average more goals than the rest of the teams in Liga Portugal SABSEG

11 12 14

Evolution of Goals Scored by B Teams vs. Rest of the Liga Portugal SABSEG

11 13

13 16 18

Average

17 18

21 23

no. of b teams playing in the competition has been decreasing over the years www.ligaportugal.pt

B teams' goal average;

www.ligaportugal.pt

Goal average by the remaining Liga Portugal SABSEG teams; Average: Average of all seasons

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

FLOW OF SUCCESS PLAYERS

PLAYERS WHO HAVE EMERGED on B teams

More B-Team Appearances

Victor García 102

José Sá 91

Piqueti 130

Victor Lindelof 96

Ricardo Esgaio 87

Dénis Duarte 131

More A-Team Appearances

Otávio 141

Fransérgio 96

Nikola Vukcevic 76

Rúben Dias 91

Gelson Martins 92

Pedro Henrique 129

More Appearances in Big 5 Leagues

Diego Carlos 147

Xeka 89

Bernardo Silva 215

Eric Dier 189

Ricardo Pereira 113

More Appearances in European Competitions

André Silva 33

José Sá 27

Zé Luís 26

Jan Oblak 67

Eric Dier 39

Paulo Oliveira1 18

More A-International Caps

André Silva 37

Francisco Trincão 6

Bernardo Silva 51

João Mário 45

Ricardo Pereira 7

More A-International Caps

Diego Reyes 65 (Mexico))

Nuno Rocha 26 (Cape Verde)

Nikola Vukcevic 44 (Montenegro)

Victor Lindelof 38 (Sweden))

Eric Dier 45 (England))

Al Musrati 33 (Libia)

In Liga Portugal SABSEG (Only players who eventually played for the first team in Liga NOS) In Liga NOS

Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 From the Champions League or Europa League Group Stages onwards For Portugal

For another country

Em igualdade com Ricardo Pereira

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

B Teams, over the years, have developed many players, who today are in great prominence both in national and international football. Any player who is included in a B team has the main goal of playing for the first team. There have been countless examples of players who emerged from the B team and later had a great impact on their respective A teams, but there have also been players who, without immediate success, later left for other clubs in Portugal and Europe, and have built a successful career. There are more and more players graduating in Portugal, with major results in European Football and that is proof of the undeniable success of the B Teams and of the revenues that can be generated by selling these players to big European clubs. Many of the players who shine in international football today have emerged in the Liga Portugal Sabseg through the B teams

* Estatísticas atualizadas até 31/12/2020

www.ligaportugal.pt

Bernardo Silva SL Benfica B 51 Inter. Caps 7 Goals Manchester City

André Gomes SL Benfica B 29 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Everton

João Mário Sporting CP B 45 Inter. Caps 2 Goals Sporting CP

Rúben Dias SL Benfica B 24 Inter. Caps 2 Goals Manchester City

André Silva FC Porto B 37 Inter. Caps 16 Goals Eintracht Frankfurt

João Cancelo SL Benfica B 23 Inter. Caps 4 Goals Manchester City

type of Development of the called-up players in 2020 Type of development

PLA

%pla

B Team - Liga Porugal SABSEG

48%

B Team - Former Second Division B

12%

Developed abroad

From the junior team to a foreign club

Youth training club without B team1

21%

From the junior team to the first team

SL Benfica B 22 Inter. Caps 6 Goals Valencia

Renato Sanches SL Benfica B 22 Inter. Caps 2 Goals Lille

Sporting CP B 3 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Olympiacos

Gelson Martins Sporting CP B 21 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Monaco

Gedson Fernandes

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Nélson Semedo SL Benfica B 17 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Wolverhampton

João Félix SL Benfica B 13 Inter. Caps 3 Goals Atlético Madrid

SL Benfica B 2 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Galatasaray

Bruma Sporting CP B 9 Inter. Caps 1 Goal Olympiacos

Pedro Mendes Ricardo Pereira Vitória SC B / FC Porto B 7 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Leicester City

Sérgio Oliveira FC Porto B 7 Inter. Caps 0 Goals FC Porto

Players developed in B teams Players with a different type of development

Pla: No. of Players; %Pla: % of players 1 Rafa Silva was included in this group, despite having made an apperance for SC Braga B. That game was, however, played at the end of the season, after Rafa Silva having already played a few games for the first team and an entire season for CD Feirense.

Rúben Semedo Gonçalo Guedes

FLOW OF SUCCESS PLAYERS

B teams have been a great developer of players, who eventually come to represent the main Portuguese National Team. There have been 25 players who represented B Teams in the Liga Portugal SABSEG, during their youth phase and who have at least one international cap

Sporting CP B 1 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Montpellier

Francisco Trincão SC Braga B 6 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Barcelona

Pedro Neto SC Braga B 1 Inter. Caps 1 Goal Wolverhampton

There are 348 international caps in total, distributed among 25 players

Gonçalo Paciência FC Porto B 2 Inter. Caps 1 Goal Schalke 04

Daniel Podence Sporting CP B 1 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Wolverhampton

Out of the 33 Players who have been called up by National Team’s coach Fernando Santos in 2020, 61% came to the spotlight through the B teams in Portugal

Ivan Cavaleiro SL Benfica B 2 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Fulham

Sundays Duarte Sporting CP B 1 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Granada

Paulo Oliveira Vitória SC B 1 Inter. Caps 0 Goals Eibar

Hélder Costa SL Benfica B 1 Inter. Caps 1 Goal Leeds United

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

national team A

B Teams are the main development pathway for players who reach the National Team. The date below refers only to the players called to the National Team in the calendar year of 2020 for the UEFA Nations League 2020-21

* Statistics up-to-date until 31/12/2020

www.ligaportugal.pt

Since 2017, the National Team has featured over 50% of the squad, in the final stages of each competition, with players that have been developed in B teams. As it is known, the B Teams were allowed to participate in the Liga Portugal SABSEG in 2012-13, and before that there were some teams that participated in the former Second Division B in the beginning of the century. The first 3 players who came out from this new format appeared at the Euro 2016, while there are currently only 3 players left who came through the Second Division B (Cristiano Ronaldo, João Moutinho and José Fonte)

FLOW OF SUCCESS PLAYERS

youth teams

national team A

In the Portuguese youth national teams, the presence of players from B Teams is remarkable. Portugal has reached the Final Stages of all categories on a regular basis with excellent results, and much of this success comes from the experience that most players have gained in the Liga Portugal SABSEG from an early age

Final Stages International Competitions Competition

CAlled-up

%Bp

Nations League 2019 Final Stages

52%

Winners

World Cup 2018

61%

Round of 16

Confederations Cup 2017

57%

3rd Place

Euro 2016

48%

Winners

World Cup 2014

43%

Group Stage

Called-up.: No. of players called up; BP: No. of players who had played in B teams during their developing stage; %BP: percentage of squad players who had played in B teams; FR: Final Result of the Seleção in the respective competition

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

competition

called-up

%BP

Qualification to Euro U-21 2021

71%

Qualified

Euro U-19 2019

70%

Final

World Cup U-20 2019

81%

Group Stage

Euro U-17 2019

45%

Quarter-Finals

Euro U-19 2018

70%

Winners

Euro U-17 2018

80%

Group Stage

Euro U-19 2017

94%

Final

Euro U-21 2017

70%

Group Stage

World Cup U-20 2017

100%

Quarter-Finals

Olympic Games 2016

56%

Quarter-Finals

Euro U-19 2016

89%

Semi-finals

Euro U-17 2016

72%

Winners

Euro U-21 2015

70%

Final

World Cup U-20 2015

76%

Quarter-Finals

Euro U-19 2014

79%

Final

Euro U-17 2014

89%

Semi-finals

Euro U-19 2013

83%

Semi-finals

www.ligaportugal.pt

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Final Stages - Competitions Young International Players

* Statistics up-to-date until 31/12/2020

foreign national teams

players developed in B teams have represented a total of 45 national teams from all FIFA member associations

In B Teams, not only do Portuguese athletes play, so it is not surprising to see that many players with fairly relevant careers on International Teams have in their curriculum the experience of playing in the Liga Portugal SABSEG representing a B Team. In total there are now 95 players representing 45 different countries who have played in our B Teams and who are now International A players for their respective countries,, which is something for us to be proud of. Most international players represent African countries, with a special incidence on the Portuguese-speaking countries, naturally. However, we can see that the B Teams have generated International players from all FIFA member associations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA)

country

South Africa

Libia

Angola

Luxemburg

Argentina

Mali

Azerbaijan

Mexico

Belgium

Mozambique

Brazil

Moldavia

Bulgaria

Montenegro

Burkina Faso

Nigeria

Cape Verde

Panama

Chade

Paraguay

Chile

Peru

China

Poland

Congo

Russia

Ivory Coast

São Tomé e Príncipe

Egipt

Senegal

Slovakia

Servia

Slovenia

Sweden

United States

Tunisia

Gabon

Turkey

Guinea

Uruguay

Guinea-Bissau

Venezuela

England

Zambia

player

country

int.

player

country

int.

Diego Reyes

Mexico

Victor Lindelof

Sweden

Emmanuel Mbola

Zambia

Djaniny

Cape Verde

Jean-Michael Seri

Ivory Coast

Jan Oblak

Slovenia

Oleg Reabciuk

Moldavia

Clésio Baúque

Mozambique

Reinildo

Mozambique

Chidozie Awaziem

Nigeria

player

country

int.

player

country

int.

Nuno Rocha

Cape Verde

Eric Dier

England

Sèrge Kevyn

Gabon

Fidel Escobar

Panama

Marcos Barbeiro

São Tomé e Príncipe

Ary Papel

Angola

Fábio Abreu

Angola

Zezinho

Guinea-Bissau

Gelson Dala

Angola

Diney Borges

Cape Verde

player

country

int.

player

country

int.

Nikola Vukcevic

Montenegro

Al Musrati

Libia

Piqueti

130

Guinea-Bissau

Darwin Machís

Venezuela

Zé Luís

Cape Verde

Khalil Chemmam

Tunisia

Junior Oto'o

Gabon

Tyler Boyd

United States

161

Tomás Dabó

Guinea-Bissau

Ricardo Gomes

Cape Verde

BA: Appearances for the B team in Liga Portugal SABSEG; FA: Appearances for the first team in Liga NOS; Int.: International call-ups

BA: Appearances for the B team in Liga Portugal SABSEG; FA: Appearances for the first team in Liga NOS; Int.: International call-ups 1 6 appearances in the New Zealand national team

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

NP: No. of Players Note: Tyler Boyd has also represented the New Zealand national team in 6 friendly matches, but he currently represents the United States national team

top 5 International players

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

country

FLOW OF SUCCESS playeres

Representation in national teams

* Statistics up-to-date until 31/12/2020

FLOW OF SUCCESS playeres

players used in Liga NOS Since B teams started competing in the Liga Portugal SABSEG in the 2012-13 season, 853 different players have been used on those same teams. The experience gained by these footballers, most of whom are taking their first steps into senior football at a more competitive and demanding level, has been crucial. More than 57% of these players managed to compete later on at the Liga NOS, which proves the success of the second-team projects, in order to nurture the main National division’s teams. Players graduated from B teams in the Liga Portugal SABSEG comprise almost 25% of the players used in the Liga NOS since 2012-13

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Players Used in B Teams Since 2012-13

489 Players Used in Liga NOS Since 2012-13

2.029 Total no. Players Used in Liga NOS Since 2012-13

57,33%

24,10%

Players used in B teams that later competed in the Liga NOS

From the Players used in Liga NOS, this percentage came from B teams

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

853

where

* Statistics up-to-date until 31/12/2020

www.ligaportugal.pt

FLOW OF SUCCESS playeres

Direct Use by the first teams

These date are only relative to players that represented a B Team in the Liga Portugal SABSEG and then made their debut in the Liga NOS for their respective first team1

Debuts per season

Players who represented their B teams in the Campeonato de Portugal and were used by the first team are not included

Francisco Moura (SC Braga) and Zié Ouattara (Vitória SC) are so far the only players who made their debut in the Liga NOS 2020-21 zerozero.pt - Rogério Ferreira / Kapta+

Playeres

player

Otávio

141

Fransérgio

Nikola Vukcevic

Rúben Dias

Gelson Martins

Pedro Henrique

129

Sérgio Oliveira

Alex Soares

Mauro

Victor Lindelof

João Mário

Josué Sá

Ricardo Pereira

Éber Bessa

Fábio Martins

Nélson Semedo

Carlos Mané

Tomané

André Silva

António Xavier

Zé Luís

Ferro

Jovane Cabral

Falaye Sacko

Diego Reyes

Patrick Bauer

Bruno Xadas

Gonçalo Guedes

Rúben Semedo

Raphinha

BA: Appearances for the B team in Liga Portugal SABSEG; FA: Appearances for the first team in Liga NOS

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Since 2012, a total of 198 players who played in the Liga Portugal SABSEG for their respective B Teams before their 23rd birthday were directly used by the Sports Societies. Vitória SC were by far the most successful club, having already brought 50 players into their first team. The number of players brought in each season has been decreasing as a result of the reduction in the number of B teams in the competition following the relegation of Marítimo M. B, Sporting CP B, Vitória SC B and SC Braga B. As these statistics have been updated up until the end of the calendar year, it is normal that there are still only two debutants, therefore this number is expected to increase by the end of the season

* Statistics up-to-date until 31/12/2020

www.ligaportugal.pt

Many of the players that stand out at a very young age in the B Teams draw the attention of the biggest clubs in Europe, so it is natural that sooner or later, the best players developed here end up moving to clubs from the Big leagues. There were 84 players who have played at least one match in one of the Big 5 European Leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany or France) and whose development was through the B teams. Some of these players are already big names in European Football and others are very promising and will certainly reach that level within a short period of time

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

B-team players who have played in a Big 5 League

Diego Carlos is an example of a player who despite NOT being successful at FC Porto, has achieved great prominence in a good European club, namely Sevilla

big5

Diego Carlos

147

Jean-Michael Seri

135

Ricardo Pereira

113

André Silva

Diego Reyes

player

big5

Xeka

Nikola Vukcevic

Gil Dias

Pedro Neto

Yvan Neyou

player

big5

Bernardo Silva

215

Jan Oblak

206

André Gomes

166

João Cancelo

152

Ederson

126

player

big5

Eric Dier

189

Pedro Mendes

172

João Mário

Bruma

Jonathan Silva

player

big5

Ricardo Pereira

113

Darwin Machís

Dalbert

Paulo Oliveira

Ghislain Konan

BA: Appearances for the B team in Liga Portugal SABSEG; FA: Appearances for the first team in Liga NOS; Big5: Total appearances in the Big 5 European leagues (Germany, Spain, France, England and Italy)

* Statistics up-to-date until 31/12/2020 zerozero.pt - Filipe da Silva Coelho

www.ligaportugal.pt

FLOW OF SUCCESS playeres

player

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Big 5 leagues

top 5 Appearances in the big 5 leagues

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Regarding players who have already participated in European competitions, the number is even higher than in the Big 5 leagues, amounting to 136 players. It should be noted that only players who were involved in B Teams in the Liga Portugal SABSEG and who played at least one match in the Champions League or Europa League from the Group Stage onwards are counted here. Matches in Qualifying Stages are not included. Many of these players participated in European competitions directly through first teams, but there are also some cases of players who have an excellent career at European level and who moved directly from the B teams to top clubs

Despite only making a few appearances for SL Benfica's first team, Bernardo Silva has already made an impact in European competitions with Monaco and Manchester City

UEFA

André Silva

Sebá

Otávio

141

José Sá

Sérgio Oliveira

player

UEFA

José Sá

Fransérgio

player

UEFA

Zé Luís

Nikola Vukcevic

Stanislav Kritciuk

Alef

Mauro

player

UEFA

Jan Oblak

Bernardo Silva

Ederson

André Gomes

Nélson Semedo

player

UEFA

Eric Dier

Bruma

Ricardo Esgaio

Gelson Martins

Rúben Semedo

player

UEFA

Ricardo Pereira

Paulo Oliveira

Raphinha

Edmond Tapsoba

Tiago Rodrigues

BA: Appearances for the B team in Liga Portugal SABSEG; FA: Appearances for the first team in Liga NOS; UEFA: Total appearances in the Champions League and Europa League from each Group Stage onwards

FLOW OF SUCCESS playeres

player

André Silva has already played in European competitions for 4 clubs from 4 different countries (FC Porto, AC Milan, Sevilla and Eintracht Frankfurt)

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

European competitions

Top 5 appearances in European competitions

* Statistics up-to-date until 31/12/2020

www.ligaportugal.pt

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

The teams that are relegated from the Liga Portugal SABSEG go directly to the Campeonato de Portugal, the highest nonprofessional division in the Portuguese football scope. It is a very demanding Championship, due to the high number of teams competing for the few promotion places that are available (usually 2)

zerozero.pt Vítor Parente / Kapta+

Belenenses SAD Archives

Vitória SC Archives

SC Braga Archives

SC Braga B

Rio Ave FC B

Vitória SC B

Marítimo M. B

Belenenses SAD B

Sporting CP B

Série A 1st Place 37 Points / 13 Games 27 Players Used

Série B 4th Place 18 Points / 10 Games 30 Players Used

Série B 6th Place 17 Points / 11 Games 33 Players Used

Série C 9th Place 6 Points / 4 Games 34 Players Used

Série G 8th Place 13 Points / 13 Games 39 Players Used

Série G 2nd Place 31 Points / 13 Games 28 Players Used

Debuts in the First Team in 2020-21: Bruno Rodrigues

Debuts in the First Team in 2020-21: Costinha Diogo Teixeira Manuel Namora

Debuts in the First Team in 2020-21: André Amaro

Debuts in the First Team in 2020-21: Léo Andrade

Debuts in the First Team in 2020-21: Francisco Teixeira

Debuts in the First Team in 2020-21:

FLOW OF SUCCESS playeres

Number of footballers who played this year in these teams and have already made their debut in Liga NOS

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Campeonato de Portugal

In 2020-21, Belenenses SAD B, Rio Ave FC B and Sporting CP B were all admitted to the Campeonato de Portugal due to the involvement of their Under-23 teams in the Liga Revelação

* Estatísticas atualizadas até 01/02/2021

www.ligaportugal.pt

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Portuguese clubs are widely seen across borders as clubs that produce talent and then export their best assets abroad. In order for our clubs to remain competitive within the scope of European competitions, transfer revenues are fundamental in the current business model and financing of Portuguese clubs. In this sense, we can verify that the revenue from the direct sale of players who played in the respective B team of each club is quite significant, amounting to almost 1,115 million Euros, since the 2013-14 season. The volume of transfers has always been on the rise, with the exception of the 2018-19 season and the current 2020-21 season, where the number of transfers was the lowest since the B Teams were created, possibly related to the economic impact on a global level caused by the Covid-19 pandemic

Transfer analysis per season

value

2013-14

22 125 000 €

2014-15

7 300 000 €

2015-16

11 650 000 €

2016-17

77 185 000 €

2017-18

17 980 000 €

2018-19

36 275 000 €

2019-20

9 425 000 €

2020-21

value

2013-14

2 100 000 €

2014-15

4 700 000 €

2015-16

7 500 000 €

2016-17

5 450 000 €

2017-18

8 200 000 €

2018-19

12 000 000 €

2019-20

20 400 000 €

2020-21

- €

season

value

2013-14

1 000 000 €

2014-15

15 250 000 €

2015-16

8 300 000 €

2016-17

7 750 000 €

2017-18

40 500 000 €

2018-19

49 520 000 €

2019-20

7 000 000 €

8 250 000 €

2020-21

40 250 000 €

season

value

season

value

2013-14

7 200 000 €

2013-14

- €

2014-15

37 750 000 €

2014-15

- €

2015-16

63 100 000 €

2015-16

2 700 000 €

2016-17

- €

2017-18

1 546 000 €

2018-19

- €

2019-20

- €

2020-21

- €

2016-17

82 500 000 €

2017-18

113 050 000 €

2018-19

15 000 000 €

2019-20

158 889 000 €

2020-21

72 200 000 €

season

value

2013-14

1 500 000 €

2014-15

50 000 €

2015-16

23 630 000 €

2016-17

28 200 000 €

2017-18

23 160 000 €

2018-19

9 150 000 €

2019-20

23 800 000 €

2020-21

31 150 000 €

Fonte: transfermarkt.pt

No. of transfers Volume of transfers Source: transfermarkt.pt

FLOW OF SUCCESS transfers

season

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

clubs' revenue

* Statistics up-to-date until 02/02/2021

www.ligaportugal.pt

2º Fábio Silva

1º Rúben Dias

3º

FLOW OF SUCCESS transfers

Top 2020-21

Most Expensive Sales ever 152m€

Francisco Trincão

Volume of transfers of players developed in B teams in 2020-21

The amount paid for João Félix's transfer to Atlético Madrid. It's the highest sale ever in Portugal and the 5th highest sale in the world

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

* Statistics up-to-date until 02/02/2021

top 10 sales

Source: transfermarkt.pt

www.ligaportugal.pt

season

name

age

from

country

fee

2019-20

João Félix

SL Benfica

Atlético Madrid

Espanha

126 000 000 €

2020-21

Rúben Dias

SL Benfica

Manchester City

England

68 000 000 €

2016-17

João Mário

Sporting CP

FC Internazionale

Itália

40 000 000 €

2017-18

Ederson

SL Benfica

Manchester City

England

40 000 000 €

2020-21

Fábio Silva

FC Porto

Wolverhampton

England

40 000 000 €

2017-18

André Silva

FC Porto

AC Milan

Itália

38 000 000 €

2017-18

Nélson Semedo

SL Benfica

FC Barcelona

Espanha

35 700 000 €

2017-18

Victor Lindelöf

SL Benfica

Manchester United

England

35 000 000 €

2016-17

Renato Sanches

SL Benfica

FC Bayern Munique

Alemanha

35 000 000 €

2020-21

Francisco Trincão

SC Braga

FC Barcelona

Espanha

31 000 000 €

Source: transfermarkt.pt

www.ligaportugal.pt

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

126m€

FLOW OF SUCCESS spectators

stadium attendances The average attendance at Liga Portugal SABSEG matches has been gradually growing since 2015-16, with the exception of the 2019-20 season, where the league was ended prematurely at matchday 24 due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. Usually, the last rounds of the competition have more spectators than the others, which inevitably affected the average of the last season. In general, the average number of attendances in the competition is higher than for the B teams, which is explained by the fact that B teams usually play their home games in different stadiums than their first team, with the exception of Vitória SC B, during the years in which they participated in the liga portugal sabseg. It should be noted that in the current 2020-21 season much of the games were played without fans in the stadiums, also due to the covid-19 pandemic

Average Attendances per Season - Liga Portugal SABSEG

Average Attendances per Season - B Teams as visited FC Porto;

Marítimo M.;

SC Braga;

SL Benfica;

Sporting CP;

Vitória SC

only Vitória SC B have an average home attendance higher than the competition's average

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Average Attendances per Season - B Teams as visitors

* Statistics up-to-date until 05/02/2021

www.ligaportugal.pt

When the B Teams made their appearance in the context of the Portuguese professional football, most of the televised matches in the Liga Portugal SABSEG had at least one of these teams featured. It can thus be said that the B Teams were also essential to give increased television visibility to the competition and to the remaining Teams in the Liga Portugal SABSEG which caused the number of TV broadcasts to increase significantly from 35% to 75% in the current 2020-21 season. The Liga Portugal SABSEG, as a whole, is increasingly appealing to television broadcasters and the B Teams have also played their part in helping to promote the competition Analysis of the number of Televised Games

Of the Liga Portugal SABSEG matches in 2020-21 were broadcast on TV

FLOW OF SUCCESS Media

Broadcasting of matches

75%

The broadcasting of the B-teams' home matches has been, in most cases, provided by the channels associated to the respective clubs (BTV, Porto Canal, Sporting TV and even SC Braga TV on 3 occasions). This fact contributed to a greater preponderance in the broadcasting of B Teams' matches, in relation to the remaining fixtures. Currently, with the appearance of SportTV's Streaming platform on its Match Player, all matches of the Liga Portugal SABSEG have now some form of streaming service. In addition, we can see that SportTV has already broadcast more games this season than in any other, and only the matches corresponding to slightly more than the first turn of the season have been counted. Additionally, an agreement was established this year with Canal 11, which started broadcasting some matches that were being streamed on SportTV's Match Player

of which

included b teams

B Team on TV;

On TV w/o B Teams; 1

SportTV Match Player; No Broadcast; % B-Team matches on TV; Season ended at Matchday 24 due to the Covid-19 pandemic

% Matches Broadcast

season

games

w/o TV

%TV

TVB

%TVB

TVsB

%TVsB

season

BTV

Porto Canal

SC Braga TV1

Sporting TV

SportTV

Match Player2

Canal 11

w/o TV

2012-13

462

350

112

24%

68%

32%

2012-13

350

2013-14

462

365

21%

78%

22%

2013-14

365

2014-15

552

442

110

20%

83%

17%

2014-15

442

2015-16

552

433

119

22%

83%

17%

2015-16

433

2016-17

462

336

126

27%

67%

33%

2016-17

336

2017-18

380

277

103

27%

75%

25%

2017-18

277

2018-19

306

196

107

35%

62%

38%

187

2018-19

187

196

2019-20

216

140

35%

50%

140

2019-20

140

2020-21

158

119

75%

29%

71%

2020-21

Total

168

163

537

366

2578

TV: No. of Games with TV broadcasting; %TV: % of Games with TV broadcasting; TVB: No. of Games with B Teams that were televised; %TB: % of televised matches that had a B team; TVw/oB: No. of televised matches without B teams; %TVw/oB: % of televised matches that had no B team; MP: No. of games streamed on SporTV Match Player

Currently known as 'Next' 2 This table only includes matches that are streamed exclusively on SportTV's Match Player. Matches that are broadcast on Canal 11 are also streamed on Match Player, but for this analysis it was decided that they should not be included in this figure. 1

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

* Statistics up-to-date until 05/02/2021

www.ligaportugal.pt

In a general analysis of the viewership for the matches of B Teams, compared to the remaining teams in the Liga Portugal SABSEG in 2020-21, we find that more viewers on average see games not featuring B Teams than those featuring FC Porto B or SL Benfica B. However, it can be seen that all the Top-10 matches in the competition are broadcast on free-to-air channels. SL Benfica B, in their two games that were broadcast on SportTV+, obtained the same ratings as the most watched games in the Liga Portugal SABSEG, so these numbers are more affected by the TV channel than by the fixture itself

week day

matchday

tv channels

start

fixture

Rating1

31/01/2021

Sunday

SportTV4/SportTV+

14:00

A. Académica - Ac. Viseu

95 037

1,89%

10/01/2021

Sunday

SportTV+

15:00

SC Covilhã - SL Benfica B

72 370

1,53%

09/11/2020

Monday

SportTV1/SportTV+

19:45

FC Penafiel - GD Chaves

72 270

1,40%

10/09/2020

Thursday

SportTV1/SportTV+

20:00

Estoril Praia - FC Arouca

69 832

1,44%

07/12/2020

Monday

SportTV4/SportTV+

18:30

SC Covilhã - GD Chaves

69 316

1,33%

27/12/2020

Sunday

SportTV4/SportTV+

14:00

FC Penafiel - SL Benfica B

63 980

1,41%

28/11/2020

Saturday

Canal 11

15:00

CD C. Piedade - CD Feirense

63 039

1,53%

05/10/2020

Monday

SportTV1/SportTV+

19:45

FC Vizela - GD Chaves

60 977

1,17%

29/11/2020

Sunday

SportTV+

14:00

Estoril Praia - FC Vizela

60 324

1,36%

18/01/2021

Monday

SportTV+

18:00

Estoril Praia - SC Covilhã

59 210

1,30%

week day

matchday

tv channels

start

fixture

Rating1

31/01/2021

Sunday

Porto Canal

15:00

FC Porto B - Varzim SC

56 578

1,12%

21/12/2020

Monday

SportTV5/SportTV+

17:00

Estoril Praia - FC Porto B

34 890

1,08%

25/01/2021

Monday

Porto Canal

15:00

FC Porto B - SL Benfica B

32 526

0,96%

30/12/2020

Wednesday

Porto Canal

15:00

FC Porto B - Ac. Viseu

28 640

1,23%

29/11/2020

Sunday

Canal 11

15:00

FC Arouca - FC Porto B

27 681

0,61%

04/01/2021

Monday

Canal 11

14:00

CD C. Piedade - FC Porto B

27 490

1,33%

13/09/2020

Sunday

SportTV2

18:30

Varzim SC - FC Porto B

25 386

0,64%

06/12/2020

Sunday

Porto Canal

15:00

FC Porto B - A. Académica

25 319

0,52%

07/11/2020

Saturday

Porto Canal

15:00

FC Porto B - CD Mafra

21 300

0,64%

24/10/2020

Saturday

Porto Canal

15:00

FC Porto B - GD Chaves

18 690

0,62%

Date

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Average TV Viewership (in thousands of viewers)

top 10

top 10 week day

matchday

tv channels

start

fixture

Rating1

10/01/2021

Sunday

SportTV+

15:00

SC Covilhã - SL Benfica B

72 370

1,53%

27/12/2020

Sunday

SportTV4/SportTV+

14:00

FC Penafiel - SL Benfica B

63 980

1,41%

25/01/2021

Monday

Porto Canal

15:00

FC Porto B - SL Benfica B

32 526

0,96%

30/11/2020

Monday

BTV 1

16:00

SL Benfica B - Varzim SC

22 240

0,65%

24/10/2020

Saturday

BTV 1

17:00

SL Benfica B - Ac. Viseu

22 230

0,62%

01/11/2020

Sunday

SportTV1

11:15

Leixões SC - SL Benfica B

19 726

0,55%

16/01/2021

Saturday

BTV 1

16:00

SL Benfica B - A. Académica

19 640

0,51%

27/09/2020

Sunday

SportTV1

11:15

CD Mafra - SL Benfica B

19 561

0,63%

13/09/2020

Sunday

BTV 1

18:00

SL Benfica B - Vilafranquense

19 006

0,53%

20/12/2020

Sunday

BTV 1

15:00

SL Benfica B - FC Vizela

18 610

0,46%

Date

Source: GfK * Statistics up-to-date until 05/02/2021

www.ligaportugal.pt

Average no. of viewers per minute of broadcast Source: GfK

FLOW OF SUCCESS Media

Date

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

viewership b teams 2020-21

Top 10 most watched matches Liga Portugal SABseg

FLOW OF SUCCESS Media

The most influential variable in the Liga Portugal SABSEG viewership numbers is clearly the TV channel where the game is broadcast, namely if it is transmitted in a free-to-air channel or not. As such, it was decided to conduct an analysis per channel and compare the ratings of both B Teams with the average of the competition

Average no. of viewers per channel – LigaPortugal SABSEG 2020-21

25K

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

Average rating of FC Porto B in opensignal matches

Liga Portugal SABSEG; Source: GfK

SL Benfica B

56K

Average rating of SL Benfica B in opensignal matches PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

FC Porto B;

average Share

* Statistics up-to-date until 05/02/2021

www.ligaportugal.pt

source of revenue With an average of approximately 140 million euros earned in transfers per season, since 2012-13, on players developed in B teams, we can understand the importance importance that the sale of these assets has on the clubs' finances.

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

development

It is in the development of players that lies the main reason for the existence of B Teams. The transition from youth to senior football is quite challenging, and if there are no intermidiate competitive platforms, it can be very difficult for such player to succeed. spending several years benched or out on loan can lead to many promising talents being wasted, as players fail to reach the confidence levels needed to play at the highest level. With the existence of the B Teams in such a competitive league as the Liga Portugal SABSEG, players have the opportunity to play against senior players of all ages and many of them with a lot of experience. The effective playing time and familiarity with the game system of the first team can be applied from an early age and when the player is called to play in the Liga NOS, he will be much more prepared. The increase in quality that the Portuguese National Teams have had since the appearance of the B Teams is clear, and the fact that most of the players who make up the national teams had this

background in their development only proves the importance of these teams. Many successful players, both in the Liga NOS and in the top European leagues, come from the B Teams. The youth academy system in Portugal is doing extremely well and the B Teams are essential in order to maintain a consistently high level of quality

www.ligaportugal.pt

Almost all the players in the B Teams came from the youth academy squads of the clubs and those who were signed were fairly affordable. Therefore the potential profit margin of these players is huge and has been very important for Portuguese

teams to maintain competitiveness with teams from other leagues in European competitions, since the disparity of financial capacity in other areas is, as we all know, increasing

conclusions

main benefits of B teams

visibility Despite the B Teams having, in general, lower average attendance rates than the competition average (the only exception being Vitória SC B), their appearance in the second division of national football gave greater visibility to the Liga Portugal SABSEG. Until the 2019-20 season, at least half of the televised matches featured a B Team, a fact that was also very much associated with the broadcasts of home matches on the channels associated with the respective clubs clubs (namely BTV, Porto Canal and Sporting TV).

www.ligaportugal.pt

Liga Portugal SABSEG has gained traction on national television through the B teams which has allowed this 2020-21 season to see the percentage of televised matches increase from 35% to 75%. The competition is thus gaining more and more visibility, therefore more fans have the possibility to watch their teams' matches

Abel Ferreira, DN, April 7th, 2014

“We were training with the rest of the players and the feedback they gave us was good, I think the new signings to the B team made the squad more competitive. I'm very satisfied with their performance, but I'm aware that I haven't given all the players a chance yet, there are players who also deserve it, but this is the path to take.”

Bruno Lage

After Benfica's victory over Galatasaray in Turkey, February 15th, 2019

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

"It is important for younger players to have the opportunity to work in a more competitive framework."

"One should keep a door open to every player, and seek to promote what is good. The B teams allow the development of the young Portuguese player, who is very talented and needs opportunities."

Paulo Bento

as national team coach, January 30th, 2012

“I have won two U-14 titles, two U-16 titles, I have won three U-17 titles, that's no small thing. But above all this, every 'Félix', 'Rúben', 'Guedes', 'Yuri', 'Guga', 'Rebocho', all of these are above all the titles. What was asked of us was not to say to the players 'my friends, let's be champions', it was more like 'my friends, let's prepare these players as well and as quickly as possible to give us a sporting return first, in the main squad, and subsequently give us a financial return'. And here's the result.”

Jorge Jesus

Press conference, November 7th, 2020

“The Campeonato de Portugal and the Second League are very competitive competitions, which allow these young players to develop faster. I think that Marítimo are the only ones who have never stopped with the B team and have already benefited from it with players and coaches. The clubs that have the possibility to have three youth teams, the first teams benefit from that.”

Silas

Press Conference, October 30th, 2019

Renato Paiva

Interview to Record, February 10th, 2021

“Recovering the B team is essential to the youth development project. After a year of internal work, we are ready to relaunch the B team. Destroying is easy and quick, but building takes time and requires work. The B team will be back next year.” Frederico Varandas, Received by Pedro Proença at Liga Portugal, October 31st, 2019

Pedro Mil-Homens RR/TVI, June 3rd, 2019

“As I said back in December, the squad is complete. Well, actually it's open, because there's some players from the B team who are doing a great job, who had the opportunity to train with the first team and could be potential additions to the main squad.”

Sérgio Conceição

Press Conference, January 4th, 2020

“There is always doubt. When you're 14 or 15 years old, if you don't play in the youth team... I would not play very often because I was shorter than the others. There are always doubts, you don't know if you're going to make it. When I joined the B team I started to believe that I could be a professional player. But I never imagined I would reach Premier League level, let alone Manchester City.” Bernardo Silva Record, April 17th 2019

www.ligaportugal.pt

“The bet on our B team is strategic. These young players, who joined Benfica's squad in January, February, have arrived with a firsthand experience of competitive professional football. If they didn't exist, they would be playing in the juniors teams, which is completely different. They arrive with experience already, like the 18/19 yearold players in the teams that reach the Champions League semi-finals.”

www.ligaportugal.pt

statements

“B teams exist to develop youngsters and to be able to nurture the first team. The ranking is not the most important thing. But isn't it important for Benfica's B team to stay in the II Liga? Of course it is. It is more competitive, but that is an issue that will never arise. Even if we have to lend a hand in the last few games with players from the first team.”

PLAN B | REFLECTIONS ON THE VALUE OF B TEAMS IN THE 2020-21 CYCLE

“The B teams' priority is not to win games, but to win players for the future.” "Seeing Mané make it to the first team is more important than winning games or competitions."