Portugal: the Flag and the meaning of its colours

The history of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has almost always been painted with the green and red of the national flag, but it wasn't always like this. If the FPF had been born, like its English counterpart, at the end of the 19th century, the colours on the supporters' scarves and national team shirts would have been different.
As happens in the vast majority of countries, the colours and symbols that the various flags that Portugal has known throughout its almost 900 years of life are closely linked to the political and cultural moment of each specific historical period. For example, when King Afonso Henriques "created" the first national flag, he added the besantes (or dinheiros) to the blue cross on a silver background (which was curiously identical to the coat of arms of the port city of Marseille), thus indicating that the owner of this coat of arms could mint money.
This flag would end up being changed during the reign of D. Sancho I (son of D. Afonso Henriques), who replaced the blue cross with the five "quinas", which have lasted until today in the national heraldry. Later, and already after several alterations that saw the red border castellated in gold (representation of the fortresses taken by Afonso III from the Moors in the Algarve) and the armillary sphere (symbol of the Portuguese conquests during the Discoveries) being added to the flag, in the aftermath of the restoration of independence in 1640, the first allusions to the colour blue would appear, a colour that would become the distinctive mark of the national flag until the revolution that transformed Portugal into a republican country on 5 October 1910.
More than 380 years have passed and the Portuguese flag continues to serve as an inspiration and a source of pride for all those who wear Portugal at their breast. The official equipment of the FPF 2022 aims for the Portuguese to wear the flag of Portugal and show pride in being Portuguese and in the national team. 
For that reason, more than ever, it is important to understand the true meaning of the national flag.