Benfica vs. Sporting: A Kit Battle | OneFootball

Our Kit Battles series heads to Portugal, where bitter rivals Benfica and Sporting are embroiled in a tight title race. But more importantly, which club has the better kits?

With just four matches remaining in the Primeira Liga season, Sporting and Benfica are locked in a battle to win the Portuguese crown. Level on points, this one is going right down to the wire, which means it’s only right that we pit them against each other in the second edition of Kit Battles.

At 34 goals, Viktor Gyokeres is way out in front of the top scorer charts and is rightfully taking a lot of the plaudits. He’s helped take Sporting to the top of the table as they look to defend their title, and has twice as many goals as the league’s next-highest scorer. Benfica are keeping pace, though, and are hoping to pip Sporting to the top and take the title back off their neighbors in green.

Many will be focusing on the Champions League this season as well as a growing interest in Serie A, given the Premier League is pretty much tied up at this point. And while those two competitions are incredibly interesting, the Primiera Liga shouldn’t be slept on as we’re in for a very, very good finish.

So, following on from our previous Napoli vs. Inter battle, this is the Portuguese league edition, with two massive European clubs going head-to-head to see who comes out on top in the style charts — we’ll leave the tactical analysis to someone else. Sporting or Benfica? Let’s find out…

Sporting 1986-87 Home

A real simple way to kick off things: the ’86-87 home shirt from Le Coq Sportif was peak Sporting, with the iconic green and white hoops. Apart from the deep V-neck collar, the shirt didn’t have anything else about it. And that’s why it’s so good, because it’s simple and elegant. Add in the long sleeves finished off with those big thick cuffs and the shirt is a historic masterpiece that acts as a beacon of the days where shirts weren’t plastered with rogue sponsors or random creative elements where the designer has decided to flex their talents.

Benfica 1988-89 Home

In a title-winning season, Benfica looked the business. This adidas kit was fantastic and screams ’80s fashion with the Trefoil logo, V-neck, and Three Stripes down the arm as normal. It’s a beautiful kit and when you were as dominant as Benfica were during this decade, it’s the least you can expect.

Sporting 1994-95 Away

Credit: IG/sportingcp_mws_1906

Moving away from home shirts for a second, this Sporting away shirt was fantastic and the epitome of adidas’ dominance in the ’90s. The template is great, with the nostalgic twisted stripes across the chest and the big thick ’90s style collar to finish it off. Primarily green with hints of white and black, the change kit didn’t give them much of a difference to their home colors, but sometimes that’s fine (unless of course you’re in charge of matches on TV, apparently). They won the Taca de Portugal this year, too, which is a nice touch.

Benfica 1997-98 Away

Credit: Classic Football Shirts

Keeping with the away kit theme, this Benfica 1997-98 is a superb answer to Sporting’s ’94 effort. No trophy this year for Águias, but a wonderful shirt nonetheless. It’s an iconic-looking adidas template, with the typical ’90s collar combined with the lace to add to the retro aesthetic. Primarily black, the red and white stripes down the shoulders/chest contrast with the kit that takes it to the next level. All in all, a brilliant year for Benfica kits.

Sporting 1997-98 Home

Credit: Sporting Football Home

Looking back at some of their iconic home shirts, this Sporting kit from 1997-98 was phenomenal. It’s predominantly white, which Sporting fans don’t agree with, but regardless of the color balance, the kit belongs in the upper echelons of the club’s history. A sublimated pattern on the green stripes and the hooped stripes on the sleeves…*chef’s kiss*.

Benfica 2023-24 Home

Credit: Ian Mcnicol/Getty Images

Coming back to a more contemporary era, this Benfica kit is the ideal example of modern-day adidas doing things well. The Emirates sponsor, regardless of your thoughts on sponsors on shirts, looks good. Alongside that, the striped collar and cuffs perfectly detail the strong and striking all-red base of the shirt, bringing it all together to give Benfica a wonderful addition to their portfolio.

Sporting 1998-99 Third

Credit: Football Kit Archives

The first third kit in this battle and it’s a good one. In Reebok’s first season with the club, they delivered an all-timer with this half-and-half kit, featuring one side in green and the other in white. Complete that with the collar, cuffs, and the black detailing, and the shirt comes together nicely. No trophy or anything for the club this season, but that doesn’t matter when you have a shirt this good.

Benfica 2020-21 Away

I am a sucker for an all-black shirt, to be honest. So, when Benfica released this black away kit, I was all over it. Over their history, they’ve mixed between away colors — black, white, orange, silver and sometimes even pink. It seems they’ve never settled on a secondary color, which is something I love because you get all kinds of kits coming through. This return to a black change kit, albeit such a simple design, was a smart move. Sleek.

Sporting 1988-89 Away

Credit: Shirts Sporting London

There was a time when both Sporting and Benfica were under the guidance of Hummel, which was a superb era. This away shirt is such a sleek, classy design while being so simple in its approach. A clean all-white base, complemented with green details including that iconic Hummel sleeve pattern. Plus, the numbers on the back were peak ’80s design and that just adds to the fantastic aesthetic.

Benfica 1961-70 Home

I am including this shirt in the list from the time it was introduced until when the club changed its design approach. Between 1960 and 1971, the kit stayed the same. Produced in-house, it was a simple kit but one that is etched in the club’s history. During this time, they won seven league titles, four Taca de Portugal trophies and two European cups — the club’s most dominant era. It was also worn by Eusebio, so I had to include it on this list.

Sporting​​ 1992-93 Away

Finishing off Sporting’s list with another brilliant adidas kit, typical of the Three Stripes in the ’90s. This all-white kit is, looking back, a prime example of how good the brand was at the time. The Diagonal green stripes down from the shoulders and that thick collar so synonymous with this era — que lindo!

Benfica 1998-99 Home

Credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

I love this kit. It may not be in everyone’s top lists but it’s such a nice shirt. Predominantly red, this kit is a classic adidas template that offers everything I love — shiny material, thick collar and a baggier cut. Add in the orange detail on the collar and you have a shirt that screams “summer holidays in Lisbon.” What a vibe.

Winner: Benfica

This was such a tough one to call, but post-adidas, Sporting haven’t been keeping pace with their rivals, making Benfica’s longevity a key factor in winning this battle. Who will come out on top in the league, though? Time will tell. Until then, let us know who you’d pick between these two Portuguese giants in this kit battle!