Estádio José Alvalade (1956)

About

Estádio José Alvalade was a multi-purpose stadium in Lisbon, Portugal. At its heyday, the stadium was able to hold 75,000 people (with oral anecdotes recalling the stadium with over 85,000 at the 1993-94 UEFA Cup Second round tie against Celtic Glasgow) between the 1980s and late 1990s, but later its capacity was shortened to 52,411 people. It was inaugurated on 10 June 1956. Home venue of the football team of Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting CP) for 47 years, it was mostly used for football matches, but was also used for athletics and cycling. It was the first stadium in Portugal to be equipped with a lighting system that allowed for night-time activities. Designed by architects António Augusto Sá da Costa and Anselmo Fernandez, it was named after Sporting CP's founder José Alfredo Holtreman Roquette, known as José Alvalade. The stadium was closed in 2003, when the new Estádio José Alvalade designed by Tomás Taveira opened.