Imagine a town round about the size of Thurles making it into the Champions League. It sounds like the stuff of dreams, but in Portugal it could come true for one town.
Tiny Pacos de Ferreira, in the far north of Portugal, is on the brink of a place in the group stages.
Having finished third in the Primeira Liga this season to qualify for Europe, all that stands between them and untold riches is a two-legged playoff with one of the teams that advances through the early qualifying rounds.
And if Pacos de Ferreria really dare to dream, next season’s Champions League final will be on home soil at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz.
Quite how the club have got themselves into this position is baffling.
Of course it helps that one of Portugal’s Top Three endured an annus horribilis as Sporting Lisbon, finishing all the way down in 7th domestically.
But it was more or less a given that Sporting’s place on the podium would be filled by Braga who have recent Champions League experience and gave Manchester United a run for their money in this season’s group stages.
Yet in a head-to-head battle, it was Braga who blinked first as tiny Pacos pipped them by two points for the final Champions League spot before the final day.
Budget
Pacos is a club that has never won a trophy and normally spends its seasons battling against drop.
In fact just five seasons ago, they only avoided relegation from the Portuguese top flight on a technicality because Boavista – a team that used to qualify for the Champions League a decade ago – had huge financial issues.
They received a reprieve on that occasion, but they are still fighting against the tide. With a stadium that holds just 5,000 people and annual budget of €2.5 million they should not even be thinking of a top half finish, never mind the Champions League.
But their achievements show that money need not be the sole arbiter of success.
Building a squad of mostly Portuguese players – unlike the top clubs in the country – they managed to instil cohesion on a shoestring, in a part of the country famed for its furniture industry.
In many ways they have benefited from the lack of regard shown to local talent. Pacos acquired a host of players previously cast aside by nearby FC Porto’s academy or reserves such as midfielder Andre Leao, winger Caetano and Josue (who has been resigned by Porto) and attacking full-back Manuel Jose.
For the most part, manager Paulo Fonseca, a former centre-back, fielded a 4-2-3-1 or a defensive 4-3-3 which contributed to their strong record at the back which saw them concede 29 times – the third least porous defence in the league.
That solidity was a major boost as they scored just 42 times - only the sixth highest tally in the league. Their top scorer Cicero only netted nine times but the goals were spread around the team.
Home form was key turning their tiny ground into a fortress as they lost only twice on their home patch – and that was against the Top Two.
However, despite the joy of reaching the Champions League qualifiers which will double their budget for the next season, Benfica and Porto will be keeping a close eye on their key players.
Already Porto has brought Josue to the 2011 Europa League champions and other important players would jump at the chance to double or triple their wages.
But it is possible one or two will want to play their part in helping the club to an unlikely feat when the Champions League playoff round gets underway in late August.
