Editing Sporting CP (section)

===Golden years and fading (1946–1982)===
[[File:European Cup Winners' Cup trophy at Museum Mundo Sporting.JPG|thumb|The 1963-64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup won by Sporting at Museum ''Mundo Sporting''|200px]]

The football team had their height during the 1940s and 1950s. It was spearheaded by [[Fernando Peyroteo]], [[José Travassos]], [[Albano Pereira]], [[Jesus Correia]] and [[Manuel Vasques]], in a quintet nicknamed "The Five Violins".<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.maisfutebol.iol.pt/efemeride/sporting/o-dia-em-que-os-cinco-violinos-marcaram-12-golos|title = O dia em que os cinco violinos marcaram 12 golos (The day the five violins scored 12 goals)|date = 16 February 2015|access-date = 22 December 2015|website = maisfutebol.iol.pt|publisher = Sara Marques|archive-date = 20 June 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180620180731/http://www.maisfutebol.iol.pt/efemeride/sporting/o-dia-em-que-os-cinco-violinos-marcaram-12-golos|url-status = live}}</ref> With the violins' help, Sporting won seven league titles in eight seasons between 1947 and 1954, including a then unprecedented four in a row from 1950 to 1951 onwards. Fernando Peyroteo, the most known of "the violins", is considered one of the greatest Portuguese players of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/better-messi-pele-muller-how-cristiano-ronaldos-scoring-stacks#:rwB5cG3Wa6XYxA|title = Better than Messi, Pele, Muller: How Cristiano Ronaldo's scoring stacks up|date = 19 October 2015|access-date = 22 December 2015|website = fourfourtwo.com|publisher = Chris Flanagan|archive-date = 23 December 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151223034347/http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/better-messi-pele-muller-how-cristiano-ronaldos-scoring-stacks#:rwB5cG3Wa6XYxA|url-status = live}}</ref>

Sporting and the Yugoslavian team [[FK Partizan|Partizan]] both made history on 4 September 1955, as they played the first-ever UEFA Champion Clubs' Cup match. Sporting player João Martins scored the first-ever goal of the competition, on the 14th minute. The match ended in a 3–3 draw.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0253-0d806e351eaa-c122dffd9552-1000--sixty-five-years-of-european-club-football/|title = When Sporting and Partizan broke new ground|date = 4 September 2015|access-date = 22 December 2015|publisher = UEFA|author = José Nuno Pimentel|archive-date = 29 November 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201129030213/https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0253-0d806e351eaa-c122dffd9552-1000--sixty-five-years-of-european-club-football/?referrer=%2fuefachampionsleague%2fnews%2fnewsid%3d2274124|url-status = live}}</ref> Sporting also inaugurated their new venue, ''[[Estádio José Alvalade (1956)|José Alvalade Stadium]]'', on 10 June 1956, which would be their home ground until 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vaza |first=Marco |date=2003-05-23 |title=Sporting despede-se de Alvalade |url=https://www.publico.pt/2003/05/24/jornal/sporting-despedese-de-alvalade-201576 |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=PÚBLICO |language=pt |archive-date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015191231/https://www.publico.pt/2003/05/24/jornal/sporting-despedese-de-alvalade-201576 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 1960s, Sporting achieved continental success, winning the [[1963–64 European Cup Winners' Cup|1963–64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]], defeating [[MTK Hungária FC|MTK Budapest]] of Hungary in the final. It was the only time a Portuguese team side won a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup title.<ref>{{cite news| title =1963/64: Sporting at the second attempt| url =http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/ecwc/history/season=1963/intro.html| publisher =UEFA| date =1964-05-01| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100629112428/http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/ecwc/history/season%3D1963/intro.html| archive-date =29 June 2010}}</ref> The team entered the competition defeating [[Atalanta B.C.|Atalanta]] in the qualifying round, then past Cypriot club [[APOEL FC|APOEL]] in what was the biggest win in a single UEFA competitions game to date: 16–1, a record that still stands today. On the next round, they lost 4–1 to [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] at [[Old Trafford]] in the first hand, but made a remarkable comeback at home, winning 5–0. In the semi-finals, Sporting eliminated [[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]], and in the end MTK Budapest, in a two-round final to win their first European title. The winning goal was scored by [[João Morais]] from a direct corner kick.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ecwc/news/kind=8192/newsid=3569.html |title=1963/64: Sporting at the second attempt |date=2001-08-17 |access-date=2015-11-24 |publisher=UEFA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519112850/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ecwc/news/kind=8192/newsid=3569.html |archive-date=19 May 2008 }}</ref>

Under the leadership of president [[João Rocha]], the first project of club-company in Portugal was approved by Sporting CP's affiliated partners (''sócios'') in November 1973, and denominated "Society of Constructions and Planning" (''SCP, Sociedade de Construções e Planeamento''). The Portuguese government authorised the establishment of the company and the issue of 2.5 million [[Share (finance)|shares]], with a nominal value of 100 [[Portuguese escudo|escudos]] each.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=2013-03-08 |title=João Rocha, do Sporting à banca e às empresas |url=https://www.dinheirovivo.pt/economia/joao-rocha-do-sporting-a-banca-e-as-empresas-12629632.html |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Dinheiro Vivo |language=pt-PT}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Roseiro |first=Bruno |title=Sporting. João Rocha, o "eterno presidente" que dá nome ao pavilhão |url=https://observador.pt/2017/06/21/sporting-joao-rocha-o-eterno-presidente-que-da-nome-ao-pavilhao/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Observador |language=pt-PT}}</ref> The club-company project with issuance of stock was hampered shortly after due to the events of the [[Carnation Revolution]] of 1974 and the subsequent [[Processo Revolucionário em Curso]] of 1975 (the creation of [[Sociedade Anónima Desportiva|''Sociedades Anónimas Desportivas'']] ("Public limited sports companies") would be later available in Portugal through a new legal status only introduced in the 1990s).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-03-08 |title=Quatro antigos presidentes do Sporting não esquecem João Rocha |url=https://www.publico.pt/2013/03/08/desporto/noticia/dias-da-cunha-soares-franco-sousa-cintra-e-santana-lopes-nao-esqueceram-joao-rocha-1587095 |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=PÚBLICO |language=pt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sociedades Desportivas |url=https://www.parlamento.pt/Legislacao/Paginas/Desporto_Sociedadesdesportivas.aspx |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=Parlamento |language=pt-PT}}</ref>

The club reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1974, but lost to eventual winners [[1. FC Magdeburg]] of East Germany.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}