Portugal
Porto
4th Title in a row for the team of Antonio Oliveira
For the dragons of Porto, winning 4 Championships in a row has been easier than the history tells: over the last 64 years, only the Sporting Lisbona achieved so much, becoming ìtetracampeoesî between the 1950 and the 1954.
Porto managed to win its 17th Title ever, even if last seasonís team looked to be much worse than the previous three.
Throughout the year the general interest was focused on the continuous change of coaches perpetrates by Sporting and on the endless trades of Benfica.
However, the arrival of Graeme Souness as a coach, gave Benfica new confidence and enthusiasm, enabling the team from Lisbona to attempt an improbable recovery until the end of the season.
They even defeated (3-0) Porto, and many claimed that to be enough to consider Benfica as the true Champion.
On the other hand, Portoís coach Antonio Oliveira sardonically replied: ìOnly a team that no longer is accustomed to win can consider a so meaningless match so importantî.
Brazilian striker Jardel emerged once again as the top-scorer of the League but also showed his technical limits and wasnít called by Zagallo (who constantly followed his teammate Doriva) to play with the ìSelecaoî.
Only the bad Milan of the last seasons could enable a player like Jardel to suddenly hold the international spotlight.
Oliveira, as usual, lined up many different players throughout the season, and Jardel was the only starting forward to play from the beginning until the final, crucial win against the Boavista of Jaime Pacheco (who, by the way, brightly began the season as a Vitoria Guimaraesí coach but was fired after losing versus Lazio in the UEFA Cup).
Only during the very last part of the season Artur replaced Jardel.
Much earlier Oliveira had modified his midfield by replacing the left-handed Ljubinko Drulovic (Savicevicís backup in the Jugoslav national team) and the Slovenian Zlatko Zahovic, with the less talented but more concrete Chippo (halfback of the Moroccan national team) and Capucho (who a few years ago was considered as another Figo but who eventually took 6 months before becoming a starter with Porto).
The Brazilian Doriva arrived when the season was already started but managed to play even better than his predecessor Emerson.
Some troubles came from the defense: goalkeeper Rui Correia revealed himself to be too shaky, while Jorge Costa and the Brazilian Lula got injured.
Oliveira, therefore, had to place his trust in the 35years old Aloisioís and in the backup Joao Manuel Pintoís hands.
The Croatian Darko Butorovic was replaced (on the right side of the field) by Secretario allowing Sergio Conceicao (best player of Porto) to move back to his original midfield position.
On the left side of the field Fernando Mendes was disciplined and replaced by Rui Jorge and, during the last part of the season, by Kenedy (comeback from an unlucky experience abroad).
Top 11 of F. C. Porto
| Player | role | nationality |
date of birth |
| Rui Correia | goalkeeper | portoghese | 22-10-1967 |
| Secretario | defender | portoghese | 12-5-1970 |
| Aloisio | defender | brasiliano | 16-8-1963 |
| Joao M.Pinto | defender | portoghese | 26-5-1973 |
| Rui Jorge | defender | portoghese | 27-3-1973 |
| Sergio Conceicao | midfielder | portoghese | 15-11-1974 |
| Doriva | midfielder | brasiliano | 28-5-1972 |
| Paulinho Santos | midfielder | portoghese | 21-11-1970 |
| Ljubinko Drulovic | midfielder | jugoslavo | 11-1-1968 |
| Capucho | midfielder | portoghese | 21-2-1972 |
| Jardel | forward | brasiliano | 18-9-1973 |
| Antonio L.A.R. Oliveira | allenatore | portoghese | 10-6-1952 |
Top 11 of season 1997-98
| Player | role | nationality | date of birth | team |
| Silvino | goalkeeper | portoghese | 5-3-1959 | Salgueiros |
| Josè Carlos | defender | portoghese | 2-8-1966 | Vitoria Guimarães |
| Carlos Gamarra | defender | paraguayano | 17-2-1971 | Benfica/Corinthians |
| Beto | defender | portoghese | 3-5-1976 | Sporting Lisbona |
| Mario Silva | defender | portoghese | 24-4-1977 | Boavista |
| Sergio Conceicão | midfielder | portoghese | 15-11-1974 | Porto |
| Calado | midfielder | portoghese | 1-3-1974 | Benfica |
| Ljubinko Drulovic | midfielder | jugoslavo | 11-1-1968 | Porto |
| Karel Poborsky | midfielder | ceco | 30-3-1972 | Benfica |
| Jardel | forward | brasiliano | 18-9-1973 |
Porto |
| Nuño Gomes | forward | portoghese | 30-10-1971 | Benfica |
| Jaime Pacheco | coach | portoghese | 22-7-1958 | V. Guimarães/Boavista |
Final leaderboard
| Leaderboard | points | g | v | n | p | gf | gs |
| FC PORTO (champion) | 77 | 34 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 75 | 38 |
| Benfica | 68 | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 62 | 29 |
| Vitoria Guimarães | 59 | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 42 | 25 |
| Sporting Lisbona | 56 | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 45 | 33 |
| Maritimo | 56 | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 44 | 35 |
| Boavista | 55 | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 54 | 31 |
| Estrela Amadora | 50 | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 42 | 41 |
| Salgueiros | 49 | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 48 | 44 |
| Rio Ave | 46 | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 43 | 43 |
| Sporting Braga | 45 | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 48 | 49 |
| Campomaiorense | 40 | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 53 | 58 |
| Leçã | 38 | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 29 | 52 |
| Vitoria Setubal | 37 | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 38 | 43 |
| Farense | 37 | 34 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 41 | 50 |
| Academica | 36 | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 27 | 41 |
| CD Chaves | 35 | 34 | 10 | 5 | 19 | 31 | 55 |
| Varzim | 29 | 34 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 26 | 51 |
| Belenenses | 24 | 34 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 22 | 52 |