A bit unknown outside of Portugal but the battle of Ourique. Here is why:
In July 1139, the future first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, was trapped. He was deep in Moorish territory at Ourique, surrounded by the massive combined armies of five Almoravid kings. The odds weren't just bad; they were impossible to overcome.
According to the records, the night before the slaughter, an old hermit appeared to Afonso and told him to go out alone when he heard the bell of a nearby chapel.
When the bell tolled at dawn, Afonso stepped out and saw the sky tear open. He saw Christ on the Cross, surrounded by light, who spoke directly to him: "I am the founder and the destroyer of kingdoms... you will have victory and the people will make you King. This is my will. And your people will take my Cross and evangelize even the strangest of people."
Afonso shattered the five Moorish armies so completely that his soldiers acclaimed him King right there on the blood-soaked field.
This was the birth of a nation. Of an empire.
Every time you look at the Portuguese flag, you are looking at the tactical map of that miracle:
>The Five Blue Shields (Quinas): Represent the five Moorish kings defeated at Ourique.
>The Thirty White Dots (Besantes): Represent the 30 pieces of silver for which Christ was sold, or His five wounds (arranged in a cross).
Portugal didn't start with a boardroom meeting or a treaty. It didn't start because men willed it nor because kings wanted it.
It started with a vision of the Cross and a king who refused to count the enemy.
It started because it was the will of God.
And to this day the divinely appointed mission of the Portuguese people is simple: spread the faith and defend it. To the last man.
Sampdoria are currently fighting for their survival in Serie B.
The club and supporters have been through hell the last few years.
This was the fans last night, as Sampdoria fell to a 3-0 defeat to Monza.
These fans refuse to let their club die.
🇵🇹 A Assembleia da República aprovou hoje a nova Lei da Nacionalidade.
Corrige-se o facilitismo e reforça-se a exigência de ligação efetiva à comunidade nacional.
Uma lei mais exigente, equilibrada e humanista.
Isto é reformar, por Portugal.
🚨 ÚLTIMA HORA! 🚨
Mourinho já definiu a prioridade em termos de reforços para o mercado de Janeiro. O treinador
está interessado em Akturkoglu, jogador que quer treinar desde o verão e cuja contratação foi pedida no Fenerbahçe. Turcos pedem 30 milhões, Rui Costa quer dar 40!
Nuno Gomes evitou ser cúmplice da atual direção e, ao contrário de outros, investiu na sua formação de modo a fazer carreira como dirigente desportivo.
Não chorou num amigável, mas deu muito ao Benfica. Merece respeito.