first Europeans to explore Africa. They have influenced a lot of their former colonies, notably in the realm of football. This was mostly due to the concept of Lusotropicalism, which became popularized during the tenure of António Salazar. The Portuguese enthusiasm for football led to the spread of the sport into its former overseas colonies of Angola, Mozambique, Guiné-Bissau, Cape Verde, S. Tomé and Principe, Goa, Macau, and East-Timor. Eventually, Portugal would attempt to integrate their colonies, which would lead to them having many African players in the teams on the mainland. Introduced in the colonies as early as the 19th century, football became increasingly. By the 1950s many Africans would support football teams on the mainland. The popularity of the game in the colonies also meant that there were many people who wanted to play it professionally. Many top players from the former colonies have represented Portugal at the international level, as well as playing for many clubs in the various tiers of the national and international leagues, most notably in the past the likes of Fernando Peyroteo, Matateu, Hilário, Costa Pereira, Coluna, Eusébio, and Abel Xavier. Recent history Club football The main domestic football competition is the Primeira Liga, and the dominant Portuguese teams are S.L. Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting CP, which form the "Big Three" clubs in Portugal. Other clubs, such as C.F. Os Belenenses, Boavista FC, Vitória S.C., and S.C. Braga, have been contenders for the coveted place of fourth biggest club. One of the oldest clubs still in existence is Académica de Coimbra, founded in 1887. Other historical club is Boavista F.C., founded in 1903. S.L. Benfica was founded in 1904 as Sport Lisboa, who merged with Grupo Sport Benfica in 1908. Sporting CP was founded in 1906. F.C. Porto was founded in 1906 and changed its foundation year to 1893 in the 1980s. Leixões S.C. was founded in 1907; Vitória F.C., C.S. Marítimo, C.D. Nacional in 1910; S.C. Olhanense in 1912; S.C. Espinho, Portimonense S.C. and Académico de Viseu F.C. in 1914; C.F. Os Belenenses in 1919. The success of these earlier clubs inspired the rapid spread of football to all corners of Portugal. After the end of World War I, the sprouting of football clubs all over the country gained momentum and, in the 1920s, S.C. Braga, Vitória S.C., Gil Vicente F.C. and S.C. Beira Mar among many others, were founded, further