Boavista grew slowly and won their first title only in the 1970s. They even became a big threat to the “Big Three”. The Big Three are the three largest soccer clubs in Portugal, i.e., F.C. Porto, Sporting Clube de Portugal and S.L. Benfica. The club tasted moderate success through the nineties. The team had flashes of brilliance beating more fancied teams like Inter Milan, AS Roma, Atlético Madrid, OFI Crete, S.S. Lazio of Italy, and ACF Fiorentina. Boavista finished second behind F.C. Porto in 98–99. It won the SuperLiga in 2000–01 beating rivals FC Porto. It finished second in 2002 behind Sporting. Their most brilliant success was in 2003 in the UEFA Cup where they reached the semi-finals. Boavista also won five Portuguese cups (74–75, 75–76, 78–79, 91–92 and 96–97).
Boavista played twice in the prestigious Champions League. The club’s performance was average in 1999. They surprised everyone when they knocked the German Club Borussia Dortmund in the first group match. With another win and a draw, they topped the group. With excellent performances in the next stages of the competition, they were the only Portuguese team on the European competition and had the best International result among the Portuguese that year. In the UEFA Cup in 2002–03, they again performed magnificently beating three major clubs like Maccabi Haifa F.C, Hertha BSC Berlin and Paris Saint-Germain before falling to Celtic FC on the home ground.
On 18 May 2001, the club won its first Portuguese Football Title in almost 100 years of its existence. That was the cause for great jubilation for the club’s members and fans. It was tremendous achievement for this small club in a country whose football scene was dominated by the “Big Three”. This was a culmination of a brilliant planning and work by chairman Loureiro and manager Pacheco. This team is one team against whom few goals are scored. Their attack is one of the best in the business. Their defense also is solid. They improved tremendously under the guidance of Coach Jaime Pacheco.
The Sanchez years are said to be golden period in the club’s history. He was one of the club’s most prominent players having played for the club for about 15 years. He captained the side to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup where they nearly won against Celtic.
The club has established a good reputation for their fierce competitiveness. They always have a ‘never say die’ attitude and fight fiercely till the very end. They have a reputation of never giving up even in the most hopeless of situations. The good defense of the club is a key factor in its success.
Boavista’s main rival is FC Porto and the matches between the two are always fiercely fought especially when played at Estádio do Bessa. Recent matches were very intense and included a fair share of violent play. The club also has an intense rivalry with two other teams, Belenenses and Vitória Guimarães.
The construction of the huge stadium was a big drain on the club’s finances. After 2003, the club is not in the spotlight. They are unable to hire good players because of the financial problems. The club is unable to hire any top player and laying its bets on younger players whom they can afford. Despite the return of Coach Jaime Pacheco, they are unable to lift themselves from the bottom half of the league where they are languishing for quite some time.
The club, though, surprises everyone now and then with flashes of brilliance. They remain fierce competitors. In April 2007, they defeated their great rival F.C Porto 2-1. In the current season, the club is at the thirteenth position. Jaime Pacheco will try hard to make the team competitive at least for the next season and the team will try its best to reach UEFA Cup.
The club remains a symbol of Portuguese football and they are very popular throughout Europe. Their women’s team is a very strong one having won several titles in a row during the nineties. The merchandise line Boavista jersey and other soccer paraphernalia always sell like hot cakes.