Estádio do Dragão/import

The Estádio do Dragão ( Portuguese pronunciation:  [(ɨ)ˈʃtadiu du dɾɐˈɣɐ̃w], Stadium of the Dragon) is an all-seater football stadium located in Porto, Portugal, and the home of F.C. Porto. It was inaugurated on 16 November 2003 with a friendly match between Porto and FC Barcelona, which set an attendance record of 52,000 people. The stadium's current capacity is 50,431.[1]

Designed by Portuguese architect Manuel Salgado, the Estádio do Dragão replaced the club's previous stadium, the Estádio das Antas, inaugurated in 1952. Rated a UEFA category four stadium, it hosted five matches in the UEFA Euro 2004, including the opening, and has held several other international club competition and national team matches. It has also served as a concert venue to international music artists, such as Coldplay and The Rolling Stones.

The stadium's name comes from the dragon atop the club crest, which also gives the team their nickname, Dragons.

Contents

 * 1 Construction and inauguration
 * 2 Naming
 * 3 Portugal national football team
 * 4 Major events
 * 4.1 Euro 2004 Matches
 * 4.2 Concerts
 * 5 Transport Links
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

Construction and inauguration
Dragão's logo, a stylized dragon

Construction works began in late 2001, and were complete in November 2003, some months after what was expected, since in February 2002, Porto mayor Rui Rio changed the estate distribution, criticizing the plan for including high-scale housing and shopping for the area. These actions forced the chairman of F.C. Porto, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, to halt all building operations, which were only resumed after a consensus was reached.

Designed by Portuguese architect Manuel Salgado and built by Portuguese contractor Somague, it cost €97,755,318, of which €18,430,956 was subsidized by the government. To help underwrite costs, each stand carries one or two sponsor names: Super Bock (south), tmn (east), meo (west), and Coca-Cola (north stand). Away fans are placed in the left corner of the north stand, while home Ultra groups, Super Dragões and Colectivo Ultras 95, occupy the south stand and the north stand, respectively, like on the old stadium.

The stadium was inaugurated on November 16, 2003, with a match against F.C. Barcelona, which featured the debut of a 16-year-old Lionel Messi in the Catalan side. Porto won 2–0 with goals by Derlei and Hugo Almeida. Due to severe turf problems, however, Porto was forced to return and play in the old Estádio das Antas, until the turf was replanted by mid-February 2004.

Naming
The stadium's name is derived from the presence of a dragon on the club's crest, which is composed of an old stitched leather football under the city's coat of arms. It is also the nickname of the club's football team. Other alternatives were considered, such as keeping the old name, Estádio das Antas (officially, unlike the former stadium), or name after former player Pinga, former manager José Maria Pedroto, or president Pinto da Costa (holding office since 1982).[citation needed]

Portugal national football team
The following national team matches were held in the stadium.

Major events
Estádio do Dragão, during opening night (seen from west stand's top tier)

Euro 2004 Matches
Constructed to become one of the venues of the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament, it staged the inaugural match between hosts Portugal and eventual winners Greece, as well as three group stage, one quarterfinal, and one semifinal fixtures.

Concerts
The stadium further cemented its reputation as an all-round sports and entertainment venue when it hosted the Portuguese leg of The Rolling Stones 2006 world tour, and the 2009 Race of Champions South Europe finals. In 2012 it hosted the kick-off to Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto Tour 2nd European leg. On June 10, 2013, Muse performed at the stadium as part of their The 2nd Law Tour. Also, One Direction are going to bring their Where We Are Tour (One Direction) to the stadium on July 2014.

Transport Links
The stadium is connected to the city centre by the Porto Metro from Estádio do Dragão Metro Station. There are also local buses and taxis.