José Chança

One-Hit Wonder

Having only appeared in two tournaments, both with drastically contrasting fortunes, this one-hit wonder belongs to this list for one single reason: his stunning title at the very First Portuguese Championship! His route to depended much upon luck than judgement, the First Tournament competitors were not nearly as strong as subsequent competitions and his single comeback on the Fourth Tournament ended in abject failure – but this piece of Mega Drive history is enough to secure him a place in the top ten.

Arsénio Ferraz

Fans Favourite

Adored by friends, foes and fans alike polite demeanour, Arsénio wasn’t always a top competitor. He spent the early tournaments lingering in obscurity with an array of early eliminations (except the Third, fighting games, Tournament and never looked like a genuine contender. An extraordinary romp to the title at the 8th tournament finally earned him some respect as a serious Mega Drive player and put his name in Mega Drive Championships annuls. Since then, he frequently qualifies to the later rounds – even if he struggles to swim with the bigger sharks, Arsénio strikes fear into First Stage opponents where he can, finally, live up to his hype.

Fátima Campos

Seasoned Veteran

A long-time veteran who’s never easy to beat, Fátima has been reaching the final four for a long time. On a tally of six semi-finals appearances out of twelve tournaments, she’s the most achieved competitor who never made it to a tournament final. Using all the experience earned by training with her brother during early tournaments, she remains a formidable opponent even if there’s a lot of rust to shake away now that the siblings live separately. Her stunning consistency in the higher ranks of the tournaments definitely grants her a solid place on the 10 greatest ever on the Portuguese scene, in spite of being the only member on this list to have never lifted a tournament title.

David Magueijo

Loudmouth

A good solid competitor whose vocal complaints are the only thing superior to his Mega Drive ability! While he performed more solidly in earlier tournaments, with a final defeat in an all Ken bout against Jorge Esteves in the Street Fighter 2 Final of the Third Championship, David won the Sixth Mega Drive Tournament following what was claimed to be the worst final in tournament history - a 2-2 draw and penalty shootout triumph on World Cup Italia '90. Following a semi-final appearance at the Eighth Tournament, David has failed to live up to the big name he established during early tournaments, although it would certainly be folly to presume his poor form is permanent.

Filipe Semião

Raw Talent

Of all the members who shone in the early tournaments, Filipe Semião is the most relevant. Building his results upon a raw talent, although he was the defeated finalist at the First Tournament, Filipe went on to win the Fourth Tournament. He made two further appearances at the fifth and seventh tournaments and impressed at both, reaching the semi-finals both times. While the newer generation of Portuguese elite rank superior to the older, Filipe participated in a qualification tournament for the 2010 European Championship. Of the eight players invited, he finished in joint second and proved he more than deserves a place in the top ten.

Ferdinand Menéndez

Big Gun

Created a storm at his debut at the Sixth Tournament where he blasted his way past some strong opposition to reach the final, where he was defeated by David Magueijo. Since then a continuation of the skill and hard work that assured him a final berth has allowed him to maintain his level. Following the honour of being one of the first trios of Portuguese player to enter and win the European Mega Drive Championship in 2008, Ferdinand won the Ninth Mega Drive Tournament following a Herzog Zwei battle against Luis Xavier. He perhaps lacks the ability to be classified as truly elite, but Ferdinand is certain on the periphery and his opponents know it!

Pedro Bragança

Elite Force

A big lover of retro-gaming, Pedro was virtually unnoticed when he first joined: eliminated at the first stage of the Ninth Tournament in a play-off against eventual winner Ferdinand Menéndez, Pedro Bragança was overshadowed by fellow debutant Pedro Mendes. Absent from the Tenth Tournament, nobody expected anything when he returned for the Eleventh, however, Pedro took the competition by storm, winning the title and qualifying to the Portuguese Mega Drive team for 2009. He would qualify for the national team again in 2010, having finished in third place at the Twelfth Tournament.

Jorge Esteves

Goliath

The dominant force of the early Mega Drive Championships. Jorge took the second and third tournament titles and went on to reach the Fifth final, where he was defeated by Alberto Campos... achievements which are all the more amazing by the fact he was absent from the First and Fourth tournaments! By his own supremely lofty standards, Jorge disappointed at the Sixth Mega Drive Championship where he was eliminated in Stage Two. The standard of the Portuguese Tournaments has undoubtedly improved from the days Jorge strode like a colossus above the rest of the competition and it was often mused how this giant of yesteryear would perform against the current generation of Portuguese legends. These questions were answered when the titan from the past emerged for the Twelfth Tournament and although his status was downgraded from invincible to Goliath, Jorge certainly proved that even without practice he ranks as one of the elite.

Alberto Campos

All-Round Awesome

Alberto Campos has been a strong contestant since the tournaments began. Although he did not reach the Third Stage until the Third Tournament, he has since maintained a nearly constant place within the final four. Many individuals in Portugal regard Alberto as the most dangerous member and he has represented Team Portugal in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 European Mega Drive Championships, with impressive results in all three. Domestically, however, in spite of his nigh assured position in the final four, Alberto has only won the one title, a Fifth Tournament triumph against Jorge Esteves. He is extremely consistent and can adapt to almost any challenge before him.

Dário Pelixo

European Elite

Dário Pelixo is the only member in the history of the Portuguese competitions to have won the domestic title three times (7th, 10th and 12th tournaments) and the European title three times (2008, 2009 and 2010) within those European triumphs, Dário has given the best individual performance in 2009 and 2010. He has recently been dubbed the best Mega Drive athlete in the world in which a full article studied this man of insanely brilliant 16-bit skill! Read the full article here. The Cristiano Ronaldo of Mega Drive has skill and talent in abundance and is not afraid to use either.