On 1 November 1938, All Saints' Day, Moreirense was officially founded in a small community in northern Portugal. On 1 November 2026 the club turns 88 years old. Its story proves that in football the small ones can write their own page too.

A group of friends who played ball

The team was born in Moreira de Cónegos, a parish in the municipality of Guimarães, in the Minho region. It was founded by people who met regularly to play football and wanted to give their game an official form.

The team had in fact been presented to supporters as early as 1 September 1938, two months before the official founding. The name is purely local: "Moreirense" simply means "the one from Moreira".

First titles and a long silence

In its first official competition, in 1939/40, it won the Guimarães municipal championship. Two titles followed in the second division of the Braga football association, in 1941/42 and 1942/43.

Then came hard times. Because of financial problems linked to the Second World War, the team stopped playing official matches from 1943 to 1970 and played only friendlies, before returning in 1970/71 and slowly climbing the divisions.

In 1988 it won its series in the third national tier and moved up to the II Divisão B. In 1995 it won that title too and reached the second professional tier for the first time.

Green, white and checks

Moreirense's colours are green and white, which is why fans call the players "os verdes e brancos", the green-and-whites. Today's home shirt is green-and-white checked, with white shorts.

The sources we checked do not explain where the colours or the crest came from, so we won't sell you a myth. The team is also known as "the men from Moreira de Cónegos".

A home for the team

For decades Moreirense had no ground of its own and borrowed school grounds and farmland. In 1974 it got the ground named after Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas, which it still uses today.

It was renovated and reopened in October 2002, with about 6,000 seats. That was the year the team made its top-flight debut under Manuel Machado, who had taken it up with two promotions in a row.

The first season in the top flight ended in 12th place and the second in 9th, before two relegations in a row. In 2005 Jorge Jesus also had a brief spell on its bench.

The winter of 2017

In January 2017 Moreirense, then 14th in the league, pulled off the unthinkable in the Taça da Liga. In the semi-final at the Estádio Algarve it beat Benfica 3-1, with two goals from Boateng.

On 29 January 2017 it beat Braga 1-0 in the final, with a penalty from Cauê just before half-time, and he was also named man of the match. With Augusto Inácio as coach, the small club celebrated the first national title in its history.

In 2018/19, under Ivo Vieira, it finished sixth, the best placing in its history. It has also won two second-tier titles, in 2013/14 and 2022/23.

Celebrate with us

A team from a small community, which went 27 years without an official match, ended up beating Benfica and Braga to win a trophy. That is the football we love.

Happy birthday, Moreirense! Keep painting Portuguese football green and white.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The main stand of the Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas stadium – Bohemio09, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.