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Benfica

200px
Full name	Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Nickname(s)	Benfiquistas Águias (Eagles) Encarnados (Reds) Glorioso (Glorious One)
Founded	February 28, 1904 (1904-02-28) (108 years ago) as Grupo Sport Lisboa
Ground	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon (Capacity: 65,647[1])
President	Luís Filipe Vieira
Manager	Jorge Jesus
League	Primeira Liga
2011–12	Primeira Liga, 2nd
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Portuguese pronunciation: [spɔɾ liʒˈboɐ i bɐ̃ȷ̃ˈfikɐ]; Euronext: SLBEN), commonly known as simply Benfica or SLB, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon, Portugal. Although Benfica successfully competes in a number of different sports, it is mostly known for its football team.

Founded on 28 February 1904, at a meeting in Farmácia Franco involving 24 men led by Cosme Damião, Sport Lisboa e Benfica (originally known as Grupo Sport Lisboa) is one of the Três Grandes (Big Three) football clubs in Portugal, with Sporting and FC Porto being the other two clubs, Benfica's biggest rivals. Benfica has more than 14 million fans and holds the Guinness World Record for the football club in the world with most members.^[2] It is the most popular Portuguese club in the world and its supporters are often called Benfiquistas.

Benfica is the most successful football club in Portuguese competitions, with 67 titles, and the second most successful Portuguese club overall, with 70 titles.

Benfica holds the record of 32 Portuguese Liga titles, the record of 24 Portuguese Cups (record of 4 consecutively), another record of 4 Portuguese League Cups (totally and consecutively), 3 Championships of Portugal and 4 Portuguese SuperCups. Benfica has the distinction of being the first in the history of the Portuguese Liga to have completed an entire 30 game season unbeaten (in 1972–73) and the only to do it twice (in 1977–78). In the season of 1972–73, Benfica won 23 matches in a row and set the Portuguese league and European leagues record for most consecutive victories. Benfica finished the season with 58 points in 30 games, the most ever obtained (96.7% efficiency), and achieved the largest difference ever between champion and runners-up (18 points), in a 2 points per win system.

Benfica was one of the founding members of the Primeira Liga in 1933 and it has never been relegated from the Primeira Divisão (First Division) of Portuguese football.

Internationally, Benfica was the first and only Portuguese club to win a Latin Cup and 2 European Cups consecutively: the 1960–61 and the 1961-62 European Cups. In addition, Benfica were runners-up in the 1961 and 1962 Intercontinental Cups, in the 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1987–88 and 1989-1990 European Cups, and in the 1982–83 UEFA Cup; holding the national record of 8 European finals played.

As a sports club, Benfica currently has departments for futsal, roller hockey, basketball, handball, volleyball, athletics, triathlon, rugby, table tennis, judo, among others. Due to the success and popularity of its football, Benfica has built the biggest fan base among the Três Grandes in Portugal. Benfica also has one of the biggest fan bases in the world, with many supporters outside of Portugal in countries like Andorra, Angola, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, France, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, United Kingdom, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, Switzerland, Netherlands and United States.

As one of the biggest clubs in the world, Sport Lisboa e Benfica has its own television channel called Benfica TV and is involved in social intervention with Benfica Foundation (Fundação Benfica in Portuguese).^[3]

History[link]

The foundation and first years (1904–1910)[link]

Active departments of S.L. Benfica
Football	Futsal	Basketball
Roller hockey	Handball	Volleyball
Rugby union	Cycling	Athletics
Beach soccer	Judo	Triathlon
Swimming	Boxing	Gymnastics
Table tennis	Archery	Golf

On February 28, 1904, a meeting of young people from the Belém neighborhood of Lisbon and former students from the Real Casa Pia de Lisboa took place at the Farmácia Franco (Franco Pharmacy), located on Rua de Belém in the southwest part of Lisbon, with the goal of forming a new football club that would be called Grupo Sport Lisboa. There were a total of 24 people who attended the meeting, including the co-founder and future soul of the football club, Cosme Damião. During the meeting, José Rosa Rodrigues was appointed as the club's first president, along with Daniel Brito as secretary and Manuel Gourlade as treasurer.

The first game was played in January 1905. Despite important football victories in the first few years, the club suffered due to poor operating conditions. As a result, in 1907, several players from the first team joined the then more prosperous Sporting, located across the city.

In 1908, Grupo Sport Lisboa acquired, by mutual agreement, the Sport Clube de Benfica, a club founded in 1906 as Grupo Sport Benfica and later changed its name to Sport Clube de Benfica. Despite the merger of the two football clubs, Grupo Sport Lisboa and Sport Clube de Benfica continued their respective club operations. For Grupo Sport Lisboa, they maintained the football team, the red and white shirt colors, the eagle as the symbol, the "E Pluribus Unum" as the motto, and the logo. For Sport Clube de Benfica, they maintained the football field, the main directors, and the club's house.

Under the mutual agreement, both Sport Clube de Benfica and Grupo Sport Lisboa determined that the foundation date of the newly formed club should coincide with the foundation date of Grupo Sport Lisboa, February 28, 1904, given that it was the most recognized club (of the two) in the merger and it was already quite popular in Lisbon due to its football merits. (It is interesting to note that Sport Lisboa e Benfica is the only club of the "Big Three" that has never changed its foundation date.) With regard to the new club's logo, a bicycle wheel was added to the Grupo Sport Lisboa's original logo, which represented the most important sport of Sport Clube de Benfica. As for the new club's name, Benfica from Sport Clube de Benfica was added to the Sport Lisboa of Grupo Sport Lisboa to form Sport Lisboa e Benfica, which remains the formal full name of Benfica today. As for other notes, the club moved from the Belém area of Lisbon to the present-day Benfica area, which is a neighborhood located in the northern part of the city. Furthermore, the two entities of the new club had simultaneous associates, which helped to stabilize operations and later increased the success of the merger.

Benfica team in 1904.

In October, 1908, a month after the agreement, the club won the first game ever against Sporting. Then, in the 1909–10 season, Benfica ended Carcavelos Club's reign (for the last three years) as Lisbon Champions. In addition, that season was considered a "golden one", as the club won all three regional championships in Portuguese competition, thus establishing a record.

An early age of achievements (1910–1921)[link]

Between 1905 and 1922, the club won 11 Lisbon regional titles in football.

Meanwhile, club’s popularity increased outside of Lisbon's city borders. Several affiliate clubs were created, mainly in the Algarve.

The 1913–14 season was very successful, as the club was the first to win the regional Lisbon championships in all the four categories.

The first international matches were played with some relevant results: in 1913, the club won their first international football trophy, named Torneio Três Cidades (Three Cities Tournament).

The rink hockey department was created in 1917. In 1919, the club organized the first ever football game played at night in Portugal.

It was not until the 1920s that the club became more known as Benfica. A falling out within the club regarding some football players led to several members leaving the club and founding Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, which is now Lisbon's third largest football club. This is regarded as the second major crisis within the club.

Football crisis and cycling dominance (1922–1930)[link]

The national football competitions only began in the 1920s. The impact of the defection of players to Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses was made worse by further losses due to the creation of Casa Pia Atlético Clube in Lisbon. This exodus of players left Sport Lisboa e Benfica struggling in the following years and the club would only win two regional titles until 1930.

Fortunately for Benfica, cycling picked up the slack and became an important source of victories. Spearheading the team was Alfredo Luís Piedade, considered to be one of the greatest names in Portuguese cycling.

In 1925, the club inaugurated the Amoreiras Stadium. The departments of field hockey, rugby, and basketball were created in this decade; only the first mentioned doesn’t have official activities today.

From the time 1921–1922, one begins to realize thePortugal. Championship The representative Madeira only enter in the competition next season. In 1927–1928 the club only adds to their participation. Was on the edge of Benfica win the quarter-final, with the 3-1 win until the last minute of the game, but ending up losing 3-4 in the extended discount.

The first national football titles (1930s)[link]

The 1930s were a much kinder decade to Benfica. The club's football team started the decade by winning two national championships (for the first time) in 1930 and 1931 and one regional championship.

After losing the first national championship, Benfica won the next three championships in a row (1935–36, 1936–37, and 1937–38), and their first Portuguese Cup, in 1939–40.

Cycling continued to be the key sport within the club. The duels between Benfica's José Maria Nicolau and Sporting's Alfredo Trinidade on the road throughout the country enthralled many fans and were a critical factor for the ascendance of popularity of not only Benfica but also Sporting. José Maria Nicolau is regarded as one of Benfica's greatest ever cyclist and won two Volta a Portugal's titles in 1931 and 1934.

The 1940s[link]

The 1940s saw the domination by Benfica and Sporting in the country's football championship to an extent never seen before. Between 1941 and 1950, the two clubs finished first and second in every championship except for the 1945–46 season when Benfica finished second to Os Belenenses. During this period, Benfica and Sporting each won four titles. By now, football was clearly the club's most important sport.

The 1950s[link]

Benfica's first major international football success happened in 1950 when they won the Latin Cup by defeating Bordeaux in the final. The Latin Cup was then seen as one of Europe's most prestigious European Cups in a time when UEFA (which hadn't been formed yet) had yet to launch its unified European Cups.

Another highlight came in 1954 when Benfica moved into the famous Estádio da Luz. It initially had capacity for 40,000 spectators, but this was gradually expanded due to club's growing success and fan base.

Benfica won three championships during the 1950s and were runner-ups three times. They also gathered six Portuguese Cups, and their accomplishments included a series of four consecutive victories between 1948 and 1953. The Portuguese Cup was not held in 1950 due to the Latin Cup being organized in Portugal.

In addition to all these successes, Benfica was able to end the decade with the foundations in place enabling the club to enter the 1960s with one of the best teams in Europe.

The golden era (1960–1970)[link]

Benfica was the first team to break Real Madrid's dominance in the early European Champions' Cup. winning two European Cups in a row against FC Barcelona (1961) and Real Madrid (1962).

During the 1960s, Benfica would reach another three European Champions' Cup finals, but never managed to win a European trophy again. They lost in the final against Milan (1963), Internazionale (1965), and Manchester United (1968).

In 1968, Benfica was considered the best European team by France Football, despite its defeat in the European Champions Clubs' Cup. Many of its successes in the 1960s were achieved with all-time football great Eusébio playing for the Lisbon side. In fact, the 1960s were the best period of Benfica history, in which the club won an astonishing eight championships (1960, '61, '63, '64, '65, '67, '68, and '69), three Portuguese Cups (1961, '64, and '69), and two European Champions Cup (1961 and '62).

The silver era (1970–1994)[link]

During the 1970s, the team faded slightly from the European scene, but remained the main force inside Portuguese football, winning six championships (1971, '72, '73, '75, '76, and '77) and two Portuguese Cups (1970 and '72). Jimmy Hagan led the club to three successive Portuguese championships, and once to the national cup between 1970 and 1973. Benfica also attracted Europe-wide attention when the team reached the semi-finals of the European Cup of Champions, where the team was only narrowly defeated 1–0 on aggregate by the legendary Ajax side of that era.

In 1972–73, Benfica became the first club in Portugal to last a whole season without defeat and won 28 matches — 23 consecutively — out of 30, and drew two. In that year, Eusébio also became Europe's top scorer with 40 goals, in what was his penultimate season as a Benfica player. The team scored 101 goals, breaking 100 only for the second time in their history.

The club had some problems in the late 1970s, early 1980s, but managed to stand up to its standards again, this time under the guidance of Sven-Göran Eriksson. In two years (1983 and 1984) the club won the Portuguese championship, one Portuguese Cup, and reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1983 against Anderlecht.

Following the completion of improvements to the football stadium, the board of Benfica decided to open the third level of the Estádio da Luz, which transformed it into one of the biggest in Europe, with a standing room capacity of 120,000. In 1987, Benfica won another double (championship and Portuguese Cup), an achievement done for the ninth time in their history.

During the period from 1988 to 1994, Benfica made a huge financial investment in an effort to win another European cup, but the club failed to meet its expectations. While Benfica reached the European cup final in 1988 and 1990, it lost in the final against PSV and Milan, respectively. Domestically, Benfica won three more championships (1989, '91, and '94) and one Portuguese Cup (1993).

The dark years (1994–2003)[link]

Financial trouble began to undermine the club due to rampant spending and a questionable signing policy which allowed for squads composed of well over 30 players. Consequently, the period from 1994 through 2003 was arguably the darkest in the history of Benfica. During this time, Benfica only won one Portuguese Cup in season 1995–96 and finished in positions, such as sixth in 2000–01 and fourth in 2001–02. The debts were accumulating, and nearly every year saw the hire of a new Benfica coach.

The rebuilding years[link]

In 2004, the club regained some of its sporting prowess, with a new president and the manager José Antonio Camacho, winning the first title in eight years (the Portuguese Cup, won against José Mourinho's FC Porto in the final), and in 2004–05, the first national championship in 11 years, this time with Giovanni Trapattoni as coach. That year was also marked by the death of the Hungarian player Miklós Fehér during a match against Vitória de Guimarães at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, shocking scenes of paramedics trying to revive the player on the pitch to no avail will live on in the memory of many and certainly of the players that were there that day. The wake was held at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques and both the President Luís Filipe Vieira and the captain Nuno Gomes went to Hungary for the players burial.

In 2004–05, Benfica won the Portuguese SuperCup for the fourth time. In the 2005–06 Champions League, Benfica managed to reach the quarter-finals, defeating Manchester United 2–1 in the decisive group stage encounter, and then overcoming the 2005 European champions Liverpool 3–0 on aggregate. However, Benfica lost in the Quarter Finals to the eventual Champions League winner Barcelona by an aggregate of 2–0, both goals coming during the second leg in Camp Nou. In the 2006–07 season, Benfica found themselves again facing Manchester United in a decisive Champions League group match in which the winner would advance. However, this time it was Manchester United who prevailed, gaining revenge in a 3–1 win.

On August 20, 2007, José Antonio Camacho returned to Benfica on a two-year contract, following the sacking of Fernando Santos after only one match in the league (a tie against the recently promoted Leixões), at time when Benfica was facing a vital Champions League qualifying game against Copenhagen. Benfica granted a place in the Champions League after defeating Copenhagen for 1–0, but eventually exited the competition at the group stage. They then parachuted to the UEFA Cup where they were defeated by Spanish debutants, Getafe. Camacho resigned a few months later, in March. Benfica failed to gain a top three finish in the 2007–08 season, placing the team in the UEFA Cup for the upcoming season.

On May 22, 2008, former Valencia manager Quique Sánchez Flores was appointed as the club's new manager for the new season.

In 2008, Benfica launched its own TV channel called Benfica TV.

In 2009, Benfica won the second edition of the Portuguese League Cup defeating their cross-town rival Sporting, under the guidance of Quique Sánchez Flores.

Jorge Jesus Era to the Present (2009–present)[link]

On June 8, 2009, manager Quique Sánchez Flores resigned as coach after agreeing to a friendly contractual termination; he was replaced by former Sporting de Braga manager Jorge Jesus on June 17.

On August 2, in their ninth friendly, Benfica won the Guimarães Tournament against Vitória de Guimarães. The next week, Benfica won the Eusébio Cup on penalty kicks against Milan which kept the Eusébio Cup in Lisbon for the first time.

In the 2009-2010 season, Benfica also had the highest average home attendance with 46,737; their highest mark was 58,659 against FC Porto.^{[citation needed]} In March 2010, a 3–0 win against arch-rivals FC Porto allowed Benfica to take the 2010 Portuguese League Cup.

Benfica were paired with Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. In Lisbon at the Estádio da Luz, Benfica defeated the English club 2–1 but were defeated after a 4–1 loss in Liverpool.

On May 9, 2010, Benfica won their final match against Rio Ave and became the Champion of the 2009–2010 season. Óscar Cardozo finished top scorer of the season with 26 goals. They ended the season five points ahead of runners-up SC Braga, securing direct entry into the Group Stage of the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League.

In the next season after being eliminated from UEFA Champions League, Benfica progressed to their first European semi-final in 18 years. They were beaten on the away goals rule after a 2-2 result, against SC Braga. They won the League Cup final against Paços de Ferreira clinching their third consecutive. On the Portuguese league they finished second.

In 2011-2012, Benfica reached the quarter-finals of UEFA Champions League being eliminated by eventual winners Chelsea FC, won their fourth Taça da Liga consecutively, and finished in second place of Portuguese league qualifying directly to the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League. Óscar Cardozo was again the top scorer of Primeira Liga with 20 goals.

Club statistics and records[link]

Eusébio presently holds records for number of total appearances for Benfica with 614 games played.

Benfica's all time top goalscorer is Eusébio, who scored 638 goals for the club in 614 games. José Águas is in second place with 438 goals in 514 games for the club followed by Nené, who has scored 359 goals in 575 games.

The club jointly holds the record of having gone a whole season without losing a game, during the 1972–73 season and has a European winning streak record of 29 games between 1971–72 and 1972–73.

Symbols[link]

The emblem of Benfica at the entrance to the stadium.

The emblem is composed of an eagle, a shield in the club colours of red and white, and the acronym SLB for "Sport Lisboa e Benfica" over a football, all superimposed over a bicycle wheel, which was taken from the Grupo Sport Benfica emblem. The club motto is "E Pluribus Unum," Latin for "Out of many, one".

Stadium[link]

A view inside Benfica's stadium.

A view outside Benfica's stadium.

Benfica plays at the "Estádio da Luz" (Portuguese pronunciation: [(ɨ)ˈʃtadiu dɐ ˈluʃ])translation for the stadium name would be "Stadium of Luz".

It is officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, and is a football stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, the home of Benfica. It is called "a Catedral" (the Cathedral) by the Benfica fans.

The term Luz refers, historically, to the parish of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz (Church of Our Lady of the Light). The Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England was named after the miners lamp that was used to "light" the way in the colliery on which the ground is now built on top of, and is officially the only "Stadium of Light"

In Portuguese, the word Luz means "Light". Although the stadium was named in honor of the parish, the words da Luz in the parish name translates to "of the Light". Hence, the name is not mistranslated and is correctly translated.

The stadium hosted several matches in the 2004 European Football Championship, including the final match. The previous Benfica stadium (also called "Estádio da Luz" and one of the largest stadiums in the world with 120,000 seats) was demolished and the new one was built for the tournament with a capacity of 65,647.

On the 20th of March 2012 "Estádio da Luz" was designated the venue for the European Champions League final in 2014.

Training centre and youth academy[link]

Benfica owns state-of-the-art training facilities in Seixal. The complex is called the Caixa Futebol Campus, named after sponsor Caixa Geral de Depósitos, a leading Portuguese bank. It is here that the professional team trains daily and also is the home of all Benfica's youth squads.

History of team honours[link]

From 1922 to 1938, the Portuguese championship was carried out as a knock-out competition. In 1934, an experimental and unofficial League Championship (Campeonato da I Liga) was introduced. This tournament was the precursor of the Portuguese League which started with the 1938–39 season. The previous format continued in renamed form as the cup competition.

International finals campaigns[link]

1950 Latin Cup Stage Opponent Result Replay 1/2 Lazio 3–0 Final Girondins Bordeaux 3–3 (a.e.t.) 2–1 (a.e.t.)

1957 Latin Cup Stage Opponent Result 1/2 Saint-Étienne 1–0 Final Real Madrid 0–1

1960–61 European Cup Stage Opponent Home Away Pre. Round Hearts 3–0 2–1 1st Round Újpesti Dózsa 6–2 1–2 1/4 AGF 3–1 4–1 1/2 Rapid Vienna 3–0 1–1 Final Barcelona 3–2

1961–62 European Cup Stage Opponent Home Away 1st Round Austria Wien 5–1 1–1 1/4 Nuremberg 6–0 1–3 1/2 Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 1–2 Final Real Madrid 5–3

1962–63 European Cup Stage Opponent Home Away 1st Round Norrköping 5–1 1–1 1/4 Dukla Prague 2–1 0–0 1/2 Feyenoord 3–1 0–0 Final Milan 1–2

1964–65 European Cup Stage Opponent Home Away Pre. Round Aris 5–1 5–1 1st Round La Chaux-de-Fonds 5–0 1–1 1/4 Real Madrid 5–1 1–2 1/2 Vasas ETO Györ 4–0 1–0 Final Internazionale 0–1

1967–68 European Cup Stage Opponent Home Away 1st Round Glentoran (a) 0–0 1–1 2nd Round Saint-Étienne 2–0 0–1 1/4 Vasas 3–0 0–0 1/2 Juventus 2–0 1–0 Final Manchester United 1–4 (a.e.t.)

1982–83 UEFA Cup Stage Opponent Home Away 1st Round Real Betis 2–1 2–1 2nd Round Lokeren 2–0 2–1 3rd Round Zürich 4–0 1–1 1/4 Roma 1–1 2–1 1/2 Universitatea Craiova (a) 0–0 1–1 Final Anderlecht 1–1 0–1

1987–88 European Cup Stage Opponent Home Away 1st Round Partizani Tirana 4–0 w/o 2nd Round AGF 1–0 0–0 1/4 Anderlecht 2–0 0–1 1/2 Steaua Bucureşti 2–0 0–0 Final PSV 0–0 (a.e.t.) 5–6 (p.s.)

1989–90 European Cup Stage Opponent Home Away 1st Round Derry City 4–0 2–1 2nd Round Budapest Honvéd 7–0 2–0 1/4 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1–0 3–0 1/2 Marseille (a) 1–0 1–2 Final Milan 0–1

Official national titles[link]

Fans invade the field after Benfica wins the 2004–05 Portuguese Liga championship, 11 years after the last title.

• Primeira Liga (Primeira Divisão, Primeira Liga, Campeonato Nacional):
  • Winners (32) (Record): 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1949–50, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1993–94, 2004–05, 2009–10

• Portuguese Cup (Taça de Portugal):
  • Winners (24) (Record): 1939–40, 1942–43, 1943–44, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1992–93, 1995–96, 2003–04

• League Cup (Taça da Liga):
  • Winners (4) (Record): 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12

• Portuguese SuperCup (Supertaça de Portugal):
  • Winners (4): 1980, 1985, 1989, 2005

• Campeonato de Portugal (Campeonato de Portugal):
  • Winners (3): 1929–30, 1930–31, 1934–35

Regional (Lisbon) titles[link]

• Cup of Honour (Taça de Honra):
  • Winners (18): 1919–20, 1921–22, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88

• Lisbon Championship (Campeonato de Lisboa):
  • Winners (10): 1909–10, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1915–16, 1916–17, 1917–18, 1919–20, 1932–33, 1939–40
  • Runners-up (20): 1906–07, 1908–09, 1910–11, 1914–15, 1918–19, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1940–41, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1943–44, 1944–45, 1946–47

• Lisbon Championship – 2nd Category/Reserves:
  • Winners (42): 1909/10, 1910/11, 1912/13, 1913/14, 1914/15, 1915/16, 1917/18, 1918/19, 1919/20, 1920/21, 1921/22, 1926/27, 1928/29, 1930/31, 1935/36, 1938/39, 1940/41, 1942/43, 1944/45, 1948/49, 1949/50, 1952/53, 1953/54, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1962/63, 1963/64, 1964/65, 1965/66, 1969/70, 1970/71, 1971/72, 1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1986/87, 1992/93

Unofficial national titles[link]

• Império Cup (Taça do Império):
  • Winners (3): 1912, 1913, 1918

Note: It shouldn't be translated as Empire Cup as it refers to Império LC, a Lisbon club from the early 20th century.

• Titles of the National Olympic Games (Títulos dos Jogos Olímpicos Nacionais):
  • Winners (3): 1910, 1912, 1913
• Taça de Ribeiro dos Reis (Ribeiro dos Reis Cup):
  • Winners (3): 1963–64, 1965–66, 1970–71

International titles[link]

• UEFA Champions League:
  • Winners (2): 1960–61; 1961–62

• Latin Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1950

Unofficial International titles[link]

• Iberian Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1983

Friendly Competitions[link]

• Three Cities Tournament (Torneio Três Cidades):
  • Winners (1): 1913

• Four Cities Tournament (Torneio Quatro Cidades):
  • Winners (1): 1916

• Páscoa Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1925

• Ramon de Carranza Trophy:
  • Winners (2): 1963, 1971

• Badajoz Trophy:
  • Winners (2): 1969, 1973

• Salamanca Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1973

• Vinho do Porto Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1973

• Los Angeles Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1975

• Belo Horizonte Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1975

• Braga Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1977

• Paris Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1979

• FC Schalke 04 Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1980

• Toronto Tournament:
  • Winners (4): 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987

• Lisboa Trophy:
  • Winners (3): 1984, 1986, 1987

• Lisboa International Trophy:
  • Winners (2): 1983, 1985

• Maputo Tournament:
  • Winners (1): 1986

• Teresa Herrera Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1987

• Vigo Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1990

• Dubai Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2007

• Guadiana Trophy:
  • Winners (5): 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010,2011

• Cidade de Guimarães Trophy:
  • Winners (3): 2008, 2009, 2010

• Amsterdam Tournament:
  • Winners (1): 2009

• Eusébio Cup:
  • Winners (2): 2009, 2011

• Pedro Pauleta Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 2009

• CNE Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2009

• Albufeira Summer Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2010

Award winners[link]

Ballon d'Or

The following players have won the Ballon d'Or while playing for Benfica:

• Eusébio – 1965

European Golden Boot

The following players have won the European Golden Shoe while playing for Benfica:

• Eusébio (43 goals)  – 1968 (First winner)
• Eusébio (40 goals)  – 1973

FIFA World Cup Golden Boot

The following players have won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot while playing for Benfica:

• Eusébio (9 goals)  – 1966

Best European Goalkeeper

The following players have won the Best European Goalkeeper while playing for Benfica:

• Michel Preud'homme – 1994

UEFA European Football Championship

The following players have won the UEFA European Football Championship while playing for Benfica:

• Takis Fyssas – 2004

Copa América

The following players have won the Copa América while playing for Benfica:

• Aldair – 1989
• Ricardo Gomes – 1989
• Valdo – 1989
• Luisão – 2004
• Maxi Pereira – 2011

FIFA Confederations Cup

The following players have won the FIFA Confederations Cup while playing for Benfica:

• Luisão – 2005, 2009
• Léo – 2005

Summer Olympics Football Tournament

The following players have won the Summer Olympics Football Tournament while playing for Benfica:

• Ángel di María – 2008

Players[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Artur 3 DF Emerson 4 DF Luisão (captain) 6 MF Javi García 7 FW Óscar Cardozo 8 MF Bruno César 9 FW Nolito 10 MF Pablo Aimar (vice-captain) 12 FW Yannick Djaló 14 DF Maxi Pereira 16 FW Nélson Oliveira 19 FW Rodrigo 20 MF Nicolás Gaitán 21 MF Nemanja Matić

No. Position Player 24 DF Ezequiel Garay DF Luisinho 27 DF Miguel Vítor 28 MF Axel Witsel 30 FW Javier Saviola 33 DF Jardel 34 DF André Almeida 36 DF Luís Martins 37 MF Rúben Pinto 38 DF Joan Capdevila 39 GK Mika FW Hugo Vieira FW Lorenzo Melgarejo FW Ola John FW Michel

Retired numbers[link]

29 – Miklós Fehér, Forward (2002-04) - posthumous honour of respect due to death on field while playing.

As of the 2004–05 season, president Luís Filipe Vieira said no player will wear the number 29 shirt in Benfica, since the club decided to retire the shirt out of respect for Miklós Fehér due to his tragic death.

Benfica B[link]

Out on loan[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Júlio César (to Granada) GK Jan Oblak (to Leiria) DF Daniel Wass (to Evian) DF Sidnei (to Beşiktaş) DF Léo Kanu (to Belenenses) DF José Shaffer (to Leiria) DF Roderick Miranda (to Servette) DF Fábio Faria (to Paços de Ferreira) DF Lionel Carole (to Sedan) MF Leandro Pimenta (to Atlético CP) MF Nuno Coelho (to Beira-Mar) MF Carlos Martins (to Granada) MF Airton (to Flamengo) MF Felipe Menezes (to Botafogo) MF Fellipe Bastos (to Vasco da Gama)

No. Position Player MF Miguel Rosa (to Belenenses) MF Elvis (to Leiria) MF José Luis Fernández (to Estudiantes de la Plata) MF Jonathan Urretaviscaya (to Vitória de Guimarães) MF David Simão (to Académica de Coimbra) MF Rúben Amorim (to Braga) MF Enzo Pérez (to Estudiantes) FW Éder Luís (to Vasco da Gama) FW Alan Kardec (to Santos) FW Hélio Vaz (to Atlético CP) FW Alípio (to Al Sharjah SC) FW Franco Jara (to Granada) FW Ishmael Yartey (to Servette) FW Rodrigo Mora (to Peñarol)

Benfica Juniors[link]

Notable former players[link]

Officially recognized[link]

This is a list of footballers, including the years in which they were part of the squad, who have been recognized as prime and best performers in their positions playing for Benfica, according to their official website:^[4]

Coaches[link]

Current coaching staff[link]

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Jorge Jesus
Assistant Coach	Minervino Pietra
Assistant Coach	Miguel Quaresma
Assistant Coach	Raul José
Goalkeeper Coach	Hugo Oliveira
Physical Fitness Coach	Mário Monteiro
Technical Observer	Marco Pedroso
Scout	Rui Águas
Scout	José Sampaio

Last updated: 27 June 2011
Source: ZeroZeroFootball

Former coaches[link]