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12 hours ago
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Alverca have been busy in the last few years. They have shot up the Portuguese pyramid while changing owners, buying a whole new squad and bringing in one of the world’s most famous footballers as a co-owner. The club’s sporting director, Fernando Malta, says they want to be “gamechangers”.
Historically a satellite club for nearby Benfica, Alverca were first promoted to the top flight in 1998 but folded in 2005 after a costly relegation. The club reformed and gradually made its way through the regional divisions before earning back-to-back promotions to take them to the Portuguese top flight in 2025.
But their rapid success came at a cost. Their owners at the time, the Vicintin family, already owned a club in the top flight. Alverca, who were run by Ricardo Vicintin, and Santa Clara, who were overseen by his son Bruno, were on a collision course, so a decision had to be made. “How could a father face his son? I’m talking about the heart,” said Ricardo at the time. “I could never cope with having to face the team that my son loves so much. A father’s role is to let his children grow. And I’m no different.”
Perhaps more pertinently, the Vicintin family were forced to sell up as they were not allowed to own two clubs in the same division. That’s where Vinícius Júnior came in. The Real Madrid forward was part of a group of investors who bought Alverca in February 2025, while they were sealing promotion to the top flight.
Vinícius’s agent Thassilo “Tata” Soares is the majority shareholder, with the player taking on a withdrawn role. “Our relationship with Vinícius is remote,” says Malta. “We say he is the club’s most famous fan.” Vinícius is not the only big name involved. His Real Madrid teammate Eduardo Camavinga and the singer Travis Scott offer the club “communication and marketing” services. Although not hands-on, Vinícius brings the club publicity and is a draw for new signings, especially at the academy level.
Footballers investing in clubs is becoming increasingly common. The Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has invested in Le Mans, who have also secured promotion to the first division. There hasn’t been the same degree of success for Kylian Mbappé, whose SM Caen side were relegated to the third tier of French football a year ago. Their failure incited protests against the France captain. A few former Real Madrid players are also investing in clubs. Luka Modric is involved at Swansea; Cristiano Ronaldo is co-owner of Spanish club Almería, and the former Brazil striker Ronaldo was the majority shareholder in Real Valladolid as well as his hometown club, Cruzeiro.
Vinícius was present for the club’s game against Benfica at the start of last season. He saw a squad of players who barely knew each other. The club made 35 signings last season – a record in Portuguese football. Such a drastic overhaul was necessary as so many of their players were on loan from Santa Clara. By the time Alverca started the season, just one player from the previous season remained – and he left in January.
“Mad” is how the club’s chief scout Dominique Castro describes last summer’s transfer window. Bastien Meupiyou, who joined the club from Wolves last summer, says the players “exceeded expectations” given their standing start. “Our team was made up of entirely new players,” says the young centre-back. “No one knew each other, but we managed to adapt, which happened naturally, and we managed to get along well.
“Everyone in Portugal expected us to be in the relegation zone for the whole season,” adds Malta. Instead, Alverca finished 11th. There was perhaps a degree of smug satisfaction when Santa Clara finished two places below them.
Meupiyou, who has been nominated for this year’s Golden Boy award, was the team’s standout performer. “He’s the player that every high-level club wants to know about,” says Malta. The 20-year-old centre-back – who could become Alverca’s record sale if he moves on this summer – sums up the club’s strategy of developing and then selling players.
Portugal is a hotbed of talent and the Lusophone link makes the country a popular destination for young Brazilian talents arriving in Europe. The club’s owners have established a relationship with Athletic Club in Minas Gerais. They are also picking up players from the Île-de-France region, perhaps the greatest hotbed of talent in the world.
Castro was previously chief scout at Lens, so knows the French market inside out. “Along with São Paulo, it is the region that creates the best young players in the world,” he says. “In France, there is a considerable production of talent. There is maybe even too much talent for the academies and clubs to get the maximum out of all of their players. You find players who are not really being used properly. For some, the only solution is to leave. The talent in France is extraordinary and multicultural, which means players adapt to life abroad quickly and well.”
Alverca are very happily exploiting that surplus talent. Gil Vicente are the only club in the Portuguese top flight with more French players. “We are not a big club in terms of size, so we need to be creative in our scouting and use of data,” says Malta. “The club’s main objective is staying in the top division but the second is selling players. It’s a league that is not sustainable for the owners.
Sustainability and survival are the priorities at Alverca. Malta says he will “never focus” on challenging the top clubs “because they are not from our league”. That is not defeatism but rather realism. The “big three” in Portugal – Benfica, Porto and Sporting – have only been pipped to the title twice in 92 years: by Boavista in 2001 and Belenenses in 1946. If this were an Opta tweet, it would end with the word: “Dominant.”
Alverca know where they sit in the pecking order but they are optimistic and have conviction. “There is space for new things. We strongly believe in our method and that we will be gamechangers,” says Malta, who draws inspiration from Braga’s recent rise.
Having spent much of their history in the shadow of larger, more famous, club. Emboldened and backed by new, big-name investors, they are stepping into the light.
This is an article by Get French Football News
