The Portuguese powerhouse have seen many top stars come and go for big transfer fees over the years
Sporting CP are one of the ultimate destinations for top clubs across Europe to find some of the greatest talent around in the game.
It's the club where Cristiano Ronaldo rose to prominence.
It's where Bruno Fernandes revived his career after an underwhelming spell in Serie A with Sampdoria.
And it's also where the likes of Nani, Joao Mario, Joao Moutinho and many more made a name for themselves?
But who are their most expensive sales ever and which players have landed the the most cash on a season by season basis?
Let's take a look!
Sporting CP most expensive outgoing transfers by season
Season
Biggest sale
Fee
Total sales
2022-23
Matheus Nunes
€45M
€119M
2021-22
Nuno Mendes
€7M
€16.67M
2020-21
Wendel
€20.30M
€47.88M
2019-20
Bruno Fernandes
€63M
€113.16M
2018-19
Gelson Martins
€22M
€79.17M
2017-18
Adrien Silva
€20.50M
€49.80M
2016-17
Joao Mario
€41M
€83.46M
2015-16
Cedric Soares
€7M
€19.02M
2014-15
Marcos Rojo
€20M
€31.30M
2013-14
Bruma
€13M
€35.66M
2012-13
Joao Pereira
€3.70M
€15.24M
2011-12
Simon Vukcevic
€2.30M
€6.63M
2010-11
Joao Moutinho
€11M
€22.30M
2009-10
Milan Purovic
€100,000
€100,000
2008-09
None
Nil
Nil
2007-08
Nani
€25.50M
€33.20M
2006-07
Deivid
€4.50M
€6.15M
2005-06
Joseph Enakarhire
€6M
€7M
2004-05
Danny
€3M
€4.80M
2003-04
Cristiano Ronaldo
€19M
€26.85M
2002-03
Hugo Viana
€12.75
€12.75M
2001-02
Delfim
€5M
€5.58M
2000-01
Aldo Duscher
€13M
€24.30M
TOTAL
€760M
*All figures are taken from Transfermarkt unless stated otherwise.
Sporting CP top 10 most expensive player salesGetty Images10Wendel | €20.3m | Zenit | 2020
After joining Sporting in 2018 following a strong season at Fluminense, Wendel found it difficult to adjust to new conditions in Portugal in his first few games for the club.
However, he started earning more caps after the appointment of Marcel Keizer as coach, but then suffered a knee injury which left him out for two months towards the end of 2018.
After returning, he wasn't the same player anymore and with immense competition for midfield spots at Sporting, Wendel was sold to Zenit in 2020 for a decent €20.30 million.
At Zenit, Wendel is performing rather well and he even scored the first hat-trick of his career in his team's 8-0 win against Orenburg.
AdvertisementGetty9Adrien Silva | €20.5m | Leicester | 2017
After making his debut for Sporting in August 2007, Adrien Silva became a mainstay in their team for the best part of a decade.
However, these 10 years at Sporting include a loan move at Academica in 2011, where he helped his new team defeat Porto in the fourth round and Sporting in the final on their way to lift the Portuguese Cup for the first time in 73 years.
He then returned to Lisbon in the summer of 2012 and was awarded the club's Player of the Year award in November 2013.
Fast forward to the summer of 2017, Sporting sold Silva to Leicester City for €20.5m, a move that didn't quite work out as he made just 14 appearances for the Foxes in a three-year spell, which included a season on loan at Monaco.
Getty Images8Raphinha | €21m | Rennes | 2019
After two seasons at Vitoria Guimaraes, Raphinha joined Sporting CP in the summer of 2018.
He scored his first goal for the club against Qarabag in the Europa League in 2018-19 and went on to lift the Taca de Portugal after scoring a penalty in the shootout victory against Porto.
After making 28 appearances during his only season at the club, the Brazilian joined French club Rennes for €21m in 2019.
After just one season in France, Raphinha later ended up joining Leeds in the Premier League in 2020 and then made the big-money switch to Barcelona in 2022.
Getty Images7Gelson Martins | €22m | Atletico Madrid | 2018
Martins was born and raised in Cape Verde, but moved to Portugal as a teenager, playing at youth level with both Benfica and Sporting before he gained promotion to the senior side in 2014.
The winger, who became a Portuguese citizen in 2016, made 125 appearances for the Lisbon team, winning two trophies during his three-year tenure at the club.
In May 2018, an incident involving a group of around 50 fans entering Sporting's training centre who assaulted several players and staff members led to Martins requesting the club to terminate his contract in June.
In July 2018, Atletico Madrid came calling and announced his capture on a free transfer.
Sporting made an official complaint to FIFA over the transfer and demanded compensation of €100m, but the clubs eventually reached an agreement for a €22m fee.
Martins survived just six months at Atletico before being loaned to Monaco in January 2019, eventually being sold to them for €30m.
