Win, draw or defeat? André Pinotes Batista tips Sporting v Galatasaray | OneFootball

Sporting’s start to their Champions League campaign against Galatasaray has once again ignited the fans’ passion in Alvalade. André Pinotes Batista recalled last season’s memorable run, highlighting the sporting and financial returns reaped by Sporting, and hopes the Lions beat the Turkish side.

"The Lions reached the quarter-finals and collected €79.8 million in UEFA revenue, excluding ticketing and merchandising income. Months later, Sporting’s green-and-white summer transfer market surpassed €200 million in sales and loans," he stressed in his column for the newspaper 'Record'.

Beyond the financial impact, the PS deputy praised the prestige earned on European nights with 16 points, 17 goals, and five wins in the group stage. "Added to the money were the strengthening of the brand, institutional stature, and European respect which, as we know, cannot be bought from a catalogue," he said.

Despite the departures of several key figures from the squad, hope remains intact for the new cycle now beginning. "In the meantime, Sporting has changed its skin. Quenda, Hjulmand, Diomande, and Trincão left. Pedro Gonçalves and Daniel Bragança followed in their footsteps. Zalazar, Altimira, Doumbia, Ibrahima Ba, Silas Andersen, and Irankunda arrived, among others, in an investment focused on the future," he noted.

André Pinotes Batista believes the renewal of the squad will be the driving force behind reaching great heights in international competitions wearing Sporting’s colors. "A new cycle has begun, but we have the conditions to honor the founders’ motto: 'We are as great as the greatest in Europe'. In old Irish folklore, the pot of gold will always be somewhere at the end of the rainbow. In the Champions League, we already know the treasure exists. Let us walk forward with courage. Sporting have already proved they know how to return from this rainbow with gold in their hands," he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.