Liverpool’s visit to the Estádio do Dragão is obviously the biggest sports news in Portugal today, as the Reds face Porto for the Champions League’s round-of-16.
Now there are many factors that could be making headlines, but the one most repeated is the money card played by the local press.
Newspaper Jornal De Notícias has brought a big infographic about it today, showing that Liverpool’s last starting eleven is worth four times more than Porto’s, according to Transfermarkt.
They show that the Reds’ squad is worth €508m, a lot more than the €209m spent to build the Dragons’ roster. There’s a big difference also for the best rated player, as Mohamed Salah would now cost €80m (according to their figures), and Yacine Brahimi won’t surpass the €25m figures.
Newspaper O Jogo also talked about money. They show that Virgil van Dijk cost Liverpool more than Porto’s starting team, which is also true.
The Reds paid over £70m to buy the player last month, and the Dragon’s eleven cost €51m.
But although the press keeps pressing the same button, Porto manager Sérgio Conceição didn’t want to feed this subject.
Asked about the financial difference between the clubs, Sérgio Conceição said in a press conference: “We do not look at this. We know that we are going to face a strong team with a budget above 200 million euros, but I don’t speak weekly on the superiority of our budget compared to most of the league teams.
“It’s not fair. In this game two historical clubs will be face to face and the players give me confidence that it’s possible to go through the tie.”
