This team from Lisbon was spearheaded at their height by Fernando Peyroteo, Jose Travassos, Albano Pereira, Jesus Correia and Manuel Vasques, a quintet bestowed with the collective nickname “The Five Violins”. With their assistance, Sporting were able to win seven league titles in eight seasons between 1947 and 1954 including an unprecedented four in a row. It was essentially an uninterrupted period of phenomenal success for the club, yet despite their contributions, the tale of Os Cincos Violinos remains largely unknown outside of the minds of the Sporting CP dedicated.

 

Peyroteo was the most famous of the Violins, whose journey to Portugal began in Angola at a time when several Portuguese colonies were developed along the African coast. As a result, pathways were opened up for talented players like Peyroteo and his more famous countryman Euesabio to ply their trade in Europe. A powerful, barrel chested forward, Peyroteo immediately had a training routine set out for him by Sporting’s coach Szabo so that he could develop his fitness and slot into the forward line. As a result, he scored 331 goals in 187 matches, a scoring ratio better than any player ever.  His record of 52 hat-tricks ranks third behind Muller and Pele. In 1947, Sporting incredibly scored 123 goals in 26 matches, an average of 4.7 goals a game, 43 of them coming off the boot of Peyroteo. But this wasn’t even his best highlight. At the end of the 1948 season, Sporting needed to beat Benfica by 3 clear goals to win the league. Peyroteo stepped forth, groggy from flu and hay fever symptoms that left him bed ridden and unable to train. Four goals later, Sporting were champions – Peyroteo scored all of them.  His final goal tally: a ridiculous 635 goals in 393 games.

 

The next Violin is Correia, who had two loves in life winning 11 league titles in one and six World Cup titles in the other. These loves were football and roller hockey. He was recruited by Szabo after he witnessed Correia training for his hockey club and identified technical movements that would make a good template from which to develop a footballer. In one match, he scored all six in a 6-3 thriller against Athletic Aviacion.

 

Then there was Pereira, a left footed player who took over at forward from club legend Joao Cruz and filled his boots perfectly, nutmegging opponents and scoring with ease. Pereira stayed with the club until the age of 36 and epitomised a child-like love for the game and his club. Travassos and Vasquez were great friends, whose Sporting careers both began and ended on the same days. They joined the club at the same time in 1943 and began their retirements on the same day as well. Travassos acted as the engine of the team while Vasques was the artist. Collectively, the Violins were honoured with the Stromp Award, a time honoured Sporting CP tradition recognising achievements of great merit.

Achievements: Primeira Liga – Champions x7
                              Portuguese Cup x 3

Star player: Fernando Peyroteo, DOB 10 March 1918, Humpata, Angola

The numbers of Peyroteo’s career speak for themselves: 1 club, 6 times top scorer, 11 major titles, 544 goals, 197 official appearances for Sporting. In his first season with the club, he scored 57 goals in just 30 games resulting in victories in the Lisbon Championship and the Taca de Portugal. Peyroteo was one fifth of the legendary Cinco Violinos. All in all with the Lisbon side, he won 5 Primera Liga trophies and 5 domestic cups. He once scored 9 goals in a single game against Leca FC and 8 against Boavista. With a goals per game ratio of 1.6, he has arguably the best strike rate in the history of football. He contributed 40 goals to Sportings 1948-49 campaign, helping them to their third title in a row. He also played 15 times for Portugal. He retired aged 31 and used the funds from his testimonial match to pay off debts he had accumalted from a sportswear shop he had opened. He briefly coached the Portugese national team, giving Euseabio his debut. After severely injuring his leg in a veterans match, it had to be amputated. He died in Lisbon aged 60.