SL Benfica
Full name	Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Nickname(s)	As Águias (The Eagles) Encarnados (The Reds) Diabos Vermelhos (The Red Devils)
Founded	28 February 1904
Ground	Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Estádio da Luz), Lisbon, Portugal (Capacity 65.200)
Chairman	Luís Filipe Vieira
Manager	Quique Flores
League	BWINLIGA
2007-08	BWINLIGA, 4th
Home colours 　 Away colours

Sport Lisboa e Benfica (pronounced [spɔɾ liʒˈboɐ i bɐ̃ĩˈfikɐ]; commonly referred to as simply Benfica, S. Football club names are a part of the sport 's culture reflecting century-old traditions This is a of lists of the use of Nicknames in football (soccer. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on The Estádio da Luz ( pron ɨʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and commonly mistranslated as Stadium of Light Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The following is a list of Association football stadia. They are ordered by their capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators that the Luís Filipe Vieira (full name Luís Filipe Ferreira Orelhas Vieira born 22 June 1949, is the chairman of Portuguese Sports club Sport Quique Flores, full name Enrique Sánchez Flores (born 2 February 1965 in Madrid) is a Spanish football coach and former The Portuguese Liga ( pron 'liɣɐ currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese The 2007-08 Portuguese Liga season was the seventieth since its establishment and started on August 17, 2007. L. Benfica and in many fan anthems as SLB [ɛsɨ ɛɫɨ be]) is an eclectic multisports club based in Lisbon, Portugal, best known for its football team. A sports club, athletics club or sports association is an eclectic institution oriented to multiple Sports which fields many Teams and in several Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Sport Lisboa e Benfica was founded in 1904 by a group of twenty-four men. The club's main stadium is the Estádio da Luz. The Estádio da Luz ( pron ɨʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and commonly mistranslated as Stadium of Light

They were founding members of Portuguese Liga in 1933, and, together with FC Porto and Sporting CP, they have never been relegated from the Primeira Divisão. The Portuguese Liga ( pron 'liɣɐ currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known Sporting Clube de Portugal ( pron 'spɔɾtĩg 'klub(ɨ dɨ puɾtu'gaɫ referred to coloquially as Sporting, Sporting CP or erroneously Sporting Benfica was once the most successful club in Portugal with a total of 31 Portuguese Liga, 27 Portuguese Cup, 4 SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira, 2 UEFA Champions League and 1 Latin Cup, but in the last decade its performance has been shadowed by those of F.C. Porto and Sporting Club de Portugal. The Portuguese Liga ( pron 'liɣɐ currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese History The first incarnation of the Taça was in 1912 but very few clubs could participate and thus it was not a regular competition the fact which ended it in History In the season 1943-44 it was created a special game between the champions Sporting Clube de Portugal, and the cup holders S See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club The Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known Sporting Clube de Portugal ( pron 'spɔɾtĩg 'klub(ɨ dɨ puɾtu'gaɫ referred to coloquially as Sporting, Sporting CP or erroneously Sporting SL Benfica has also participated in a total of seven European Champion's League finals and one UEFA Cup final, being the Portuguese club to reach more European competitions finals.

As a club oriented to multiple sports, Benfica has departments for athletics, basketball, cycling, football, futsal, handball, judo, rink hockey, rugby, swimming, volleyball, and others. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Cycling is the use of Bicycles or - less commonly - Unicycles Tricycles Quadricycles and other similar wheeled Human powered vehicles Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Futsal is an indoor version of Association football. Its name is derived from the Portuguese fut ebol de sal ão and the Spanish Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, or Olympic handball) is a Team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six meaning "gentle way" is a modern Japanese martial art ( Gendai budō) and Combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late Roller Hockey (Quad is highly popular and has many names worldwide that mean the same sport Rugby football (usually just " rugby " may refer to a number of sports through history descended from a common form of Football developed at Rugby School Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 active players (5 normal players and one 'libero' are separated by a net that is usually four feet In total, Benfica has won several titles in these sports.

SL Benfica has the biggest fan base among Portuguese clubs, having also the largest number of supporters outside of Portugal for a Portuguese club, with a total of 14 million Benfica's supporters worldwide. Fans in Little Italyjpg|thumb|right|Fans in Little Italy Manhattan celebrating the victory of the Italian association football team after the 2006 FIFA World Cup]][[Image Wm-oly-de-cr ^[1] It is also the biggest club in the world in number of associates (registered paying supporters), with a current (November 2006) number of 160,398, a fact which was attested by the Guinness Book of Records on November 10, 2006. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[2]

During the 2005-06 season, SL Benfica was ranked 20th in the Deloitte Football Money League with an estimated revenue of €85. The Deloitte Football Money League is a ranking of football clubs by income 1 million, being the first Portuguese club to appear in the ranking.

In September 2007, SL Benfica was considered the 17th most valuable Football brand in Europe, by BBDO. Benfica is then the most valuable football brand in Portugal and 4th in the Iberian Peninsula (after Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia). [1]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Foundation and first years (1904-1910) 1.2 An early age of achievements (1910-1922) 1.3 Football crisis and cycling dominance (1922-1930) 1.4 The first national football titles (the 1930’s) 1.5 The 1940’s 1.6 The 1950’s 1.7 The Golden Era (1960-1970) 1.8 Titles After Titles (1970-1994) 1.9 The Dark Years (1994-2003) 1.10 The New Era (2004-Present) 2 Stadium 2.1 Training center and youth academy 3 Supporters 4 Organization and finances 5 Notable figures 6 Historical results 7 Team honours 7.1 Performances Along The Years 7.2 National 7.3 European titles 7.4 International 8 Retired numbers 9 First team 9.1 Squad changes for 2008/09 season 10 Junior Team "A" 11 Notable former players 12 Former Football coaches 13 Other sports 13.1 Athletics 13.2 Basketball 13.3 Billiards 13.4 Cycling 13.5 Futsal 13.6 Handball 13.7 Gymnastics 13.8 Judo 13.9 Rink hockey 13.10 Rugby 13.11 Swimming 13.12 Triathlon 13.13 Table tennis 13.14 Volleyball 14 References 15 See also 16 External links

History

Foundation and first years (1904-1910)

On February 28, 1904, a reunion took place in Rua de Belém, in the southside parish of Lisbon, with the goal to form a new football club, that would be called Grupo Sport Lisboa. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. There were 24 people in that reunion including the co-founder and the future soul of the club, Cosme Damião. Cosme Damião ( Lisbon, Portugal 2 November 1885 - Sintra, 11 June 1947) was a football player as José Rosa Rodrigues was also appointed the first president. ^[3]

The first game was played in January 1905. Despite important football victories in the first years, the club suffered from poor conditions. In 1907, several players from the first team joined the wealthy Sporting CP.

In 1908, the Grupo Sport Lisboa (GSL) acquired by mutual agreement the Sport Clube de Benfica (SCB). None of the clubs were destroyed: the first maintained the football team, the red and white shirt colours, the eagle as a symbol, the E Pluribus Unum as the motto, and the logo. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group A logo ( Greek el λογότυπος = el-Latn logotypos is a graphical element ( Ideogram, Symbol, Emblem, Icon, Sign) The latter the football field, the main directors, and the club's house; the foundation date was chosen the one of the Grupo Sport Lisboa, as it was the most important club of the reunion, being also already quite popular around Lisbon because of is football merits. Sport Lisboa e Benfica is the only club of the “Big Three” that never changed it’s foundation date. The Big Three (Os Três Grandes is the nickname of the three most powerful Sports clubs in Portugal. A bycicle wheel was then chosen to join the GSL's logo, as it was the most important sport of SCB (a club founded in 1906 as Grupo Sport Benfica, would change later the name) and Benfica was added to the Sport Lisboa name. The club moved from the Belém area to the Benfica area, a suburb located north of the city. Santa Maria de Belém, or just Belém, pron. ˈsɐ̃tɐ mɐˈɾiɐ dɨ bɨˈlɐ̃ĩ is a Parish of Lisbon, Portugal, located Benfica ( pron. bɐ̃ĩˈfikɐ is a Portuguese parish located in the municipality of Lisbon. Both clubs had simultaneous associates, something that increased the success of this decision.

In October 1908, a month after the agreement, the club won the first game ever against Sporting. In the 1909/10 season, Carcavelos Club' reign in the last three years as the Lisbon Champions was over; this season was considered a "golden one", as the club won all the three regional championships in dispute, establishing a first record.

An early age of achievements (1910-1922)

Between 1910 and 1922, the club won eleven regional titles in the football first category Lisbon championships, failing only two titles.

Meanwhile, the club’s popularity increased outside of Lisbon 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 3 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 decade 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 Belenenses, which is now Lisbon's third largest football club. Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, usually known simply as Belenenses ( pron This is regarded as the second major crisis within the club.

Football crisis and cycling dominance (1922-1930)

The national football competitions only began in the 1920s. The impact of the defection of players to Belenenses' was made worse by further losses due to the creation of the Casa Pia Atletico Clube club in Lisbon. Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, usually known simply as Belenenses ( pron Casa Pia Atlético Clube is a Sports association founded in 1920 and based in Lisbon, Portugal. 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 took 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.

The first national football titles (the 1930’s)

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 to FCPorto in the 1934/35 season, Benfica won the next three championships in a row (1935/36, 1936/37 and 1937/38), and the first Portuguese cup, in 1939/40. Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known

Cycling continued to be the key sport within the club. The duels between Benfica's José Maria Nicolau and Sporting Lisbon's Alfredo Trinidade on the road throughout the country entralled many fans and were a critical factor for the ascendance of popularity of not only Benfica but also Sporting Lisbon. Sporting Clube de Portugal ( pron 'spɔɾtĩg 'klub(ɨ dɨ puɾtu'gaɫ referred to coloquially as Sporting, Sporting CP or erroneously 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. History The competition started in 1927 however it second edition only occurred in 1931

The 1940’s

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 save the 1945/6 season. During this period, Benfica and Sporting each won four titles. By now, football was clearly the club's most important sport.

The 1950’s

Benfica's first major international football success happened in 1950 when they won the Latin Cup by defeating Girondins de Bordeaux in the final. The Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. FC Girondins de Bordeaux is a French football team playing in the city of Bordeaux. The Latin Cup was then seen as one of Europe's most prestigious European Cups in a time when UEFA had yet to launch its unified European Cups.

Another highlight came in 1954 when Benfica moved into its first own stadium, the famous Estádio da Luz. The Estádio da Luz ( pron ɨʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and commonly mistranslated as Stadium of Light 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 organised 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)

Benfica was the first team to break Real Madrid's dominance in the early European Champions' Cup. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club Having won two European Cups in a row against FC Barcelona (1961) and Real Madrid (1962). Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan

During this decade Benfica would reach another 3 European Champions' Cup finals, but the Lisbon club never managed to win a European trophy again. Having lost against A.C. Milan (1963), Internazionale (1965) and Manchester United (1968). Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Football Club Internazionale Milano, most commonly referred to as simply Internazionale, or Inter, is an Italian professional football club

In 1968, Benfica was considered the best European team by France Football despite its defeat in the Champions Cup. France Football is a French bi-weekly Magazine containing football news from all over the world Many of its successes in the 1960s were achieved with all-time football great Eusébio playing for the Lisbon side. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in In fact, the 60's were the best period of Benfica history, in which the club won an astonishing 8 Championships (1960, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68 and 69), 3 Portuguese Cups (1961, 64 and 69) and 2 European Champions Cup (1961 and 62). The Portuguese Liga ( pron 'liɣɐ currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese History The first incarnation of the Taça was in 1912 but very few clubs could participate and thus it was not a regular competition the fact which ended it in

Titles After Titles (1970-1994)

During the 1970s, the team faded slightly from the European scene, but remained the main force inside Portuguese football, winning 6 championships (1971, 72, 73, 75, 76 and 77) and 2 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. James (Jimmy Hagan ( 21 January 1918 &ndash 26 February 1998) was an English football player and manager born in 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 0-1 on aggregate by the legendary Ajax of that era. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax ( also referred to as AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax, is a professional football club from Amsterdam

In 1972-73 Benfica became the only ever club in Portugal to last a whole season without defeat and won 28 matches - 23 consecutively - out of 30, and drew two. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. In that year Eusébio also became Europe's top scorer with 40 goals, in what was his penultimate season as a Benfica player. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in The team scored 101 goals, breaking 100 only for the second time in their history.

The club had some problems in the late 70s, early 80s, but managed to stand up to its standards again, this time under the guidance of Sven-Göran Eriksson. Sven-Göran Eriksson ( born February 5 1948 is a Swedish football manager, who is currently the manager of the Mexico national football team. In 2 years (1983 and 1984) the club won 2 championships, 1 Portuguese cup and reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1983 against Anderlecht. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA, is a Belgian football club from Anderlecht, in the Brussels

In 1985 the board decided to close the third level in the Estádio da Luz, which transformed the stadium into one of the biggest in Europe, with a standing room capacity of 120. The Estádio da Luz ( pron ɨʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and commonly mistranslated as Stadium of Light 000 and in 1987 Benfica won another double (championship+Portuguese cup), an achievement done for the ninth time in their history.

During the period from 1988-94 Benfica made a huge financial investment in an effort to win another European cup, but the club failed to meet its expectations. While they did reach the European cup final in 1988 & 1990, Benfica lost in the final against PSV Eindhoven and AC Milan respectively. Philips Sport Vereniging ( English: Philips Sports Union) widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Sports club from Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Domestically, Benfica won 3 more championships (1989, 1991 and 1994) and 1 Portuguese cup (1993).

The Dark Years (1994-2003)

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 ('96) and finished in embarrassing positions such as 6th in '00/'01 and 4th in '01/'02. The debts were accumulating, and nearly every year saw the hire of a new Benfica coach and the addition of high-priced but under-performing players.

The New Era (2004-Present)

In 2004 the club regained some of its sporting prowess, with a new president and the manager Jose Antonio Camacho, winning the first title in eight years (the Portuguese cup, won against Mourinho's FC Porto in the final), and in 2004–2005 the first national championship in eleven years, this time with Giovanni Trapattoni as coach. José Antonio Camacho Alfaro (born June 8, 1955 in the village of Cieza, Murcia) is a former Spanish Football (soccer Giovanni Trapattoni (born March 17, 1939 in Cusano Milanino, Province of Milan) is an Italian football coach considered In 2005/2006 Benfica won the Portuguese supercup for the 4th 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 F.C. 3-0 on aggregate. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. However Benfica lost in the Quarter Finals to the eventual winner F.C. Barcelona by an aggregate of 2-0, both goals coming during the second leg in Camp Nou. Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan The Camp Nou (kam ˈnɔw Catalan for "new field" often erroneously called the Nou Camp in both Spanish and English) is a football 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 20th August 2007 Jose Antonio Camacho returned to SL Benfica on a 2-year contract, a more or less desperate move as Benfica was facing a vital Champions League qualifying game against F.C. Copenhagen, ending with an away win by 1-0 that granted Benfica a place in 2007-08 Champions League where they exited the competition at the group stage. FC Copenhagen ( Danish: FC København, or FCK in short is a Danish football team located in Copenhagen. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club They then parachuted to the UEFA Cup where they were defeated by Spanish debutants, Getafe CF.

On May 22nd 2008, the former Valencia manager, Quique Sanchez Flores was appointed as the clubs new manager. Quique Flores, full name Enrique Sánchez Flores (born 2 February 1965 in Madrid) is a Spanish football coach and former Benfica had failed to gain a top three finish in the Portuguese Liga 2007-08 season but were promoted to the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League after league champions Porto were expelled for bribing referees in the 03-04 season. The 2007-08 Portuguese Liga season was the seventieth since its establishment and started on August 17, 2007. Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known

Stadium

Main article: Estádio da Luz

The Estádio da Luz (IPA: [(ɨ)ʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ]), officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica which translated means, "Stadium of Light", is a football stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, the home of SL Benfica. The Estádio da Luz ( pron ɨʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and commonly mistranslated as Stadium of Light Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. It is also called A Catedral ("The Cathedral") by Benfica's supporters due to historical reasons.

The term "Luz" refers, historically, to the parish of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz (the Church of Our Lady of the Light). The Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England may well have been inspired by the name of this Lisbon stadium. The Stadium of Light is a football Stadium in Sunderland, North East England which opened in 1997. Sunderland (, or /ˈsʌn(dlən/ is a City in Tyne and Wear, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

Some people mistakenly believe the stadium is mistranslated as "The Stadium of Light", however, they are incorrect.

In Spanish and 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. It is incorrect grammatically, to refer to this naming as a "misnomer".

It hosted several matches in the 2004 European Football Championship, including the final. The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship (or just Euro 2004) was the twelfth edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football 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 65,400.

Training center and youth academy

Benfica has state-of-the-art training facilities in Seixal. Seixal ( pron sɐj'ʃaɫ is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 96 The complex is called Caixa Futebol Campus, named for sponsoring reasons after Caixa Geral de Depósitos which is the largest banking corporation of Portugal. Caixa Geral de Depósitos, pron. 'kaiʃɐ ʒɨ'ɾaɫ dɨ dɨ'pɔzituʃ (CGD is a Portuguese State-owned Banking Corporation. It is here that the professional team trains daily and also the home of all Benfica's youth academy. ^[4]

Supporters

In Portugal, a majority of the population who likes competitive football, are said to be Benfica sympathisers. Almost every municipality of Portugal has its own Casa do Benfica (House of Benfica), which can also be found in many cities and towns of countries worldwide (Andorra, Angola, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, England, France, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Luxembourg, Macau, South Africa, Switzerland, and United States). Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Republic of Cape Verde ( Portuguese: Cabo Verde, 'kabu 'veɾdɨ is a Republic located on an Archipelago in the Macaronesia England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Republic of Guinea-Bissau (ˈgɪni bɨˈsaʊ República da Guiné-Bissau ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɐ giˈnɛ biˈsau is a country in Western Africa, and one of the smallest Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[5]

Since the 2004-2005 championship, club membership figures have seen a significant increase (See reasons above). In April 2006 the number of club members surpassed 140,000. [2] In July 2006, S. L. Benfica had 143,000 members, 1,000 more than Manchester United. S. L. Benfica is since 2006, the club with the most associates (registered paying supporters) in the world, with over 160,000 members.

Like all major Portuguese football clubs, Benfica has an organized group of supporters (claque, in Portugal), including the Diabos Vermelhos (Red Devils), which is affiliated with the club, and the No Name Boys, which maintains an independent line.

Benfica has also the highest average attendance in Portuguese top league with about 40 thousand supporters in the last season. The Portuguese Liga ( pron 'liɣɐ currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese ^[6]

Organization and finances

Sport Lisboa e Benfica is organized by sports department and has a number of specific businesses. The holding company for all Sport Lisboa e Benfica's departments and businesses is the Sport Lisboa e Benfica SGPS, S. A. that has participations in all branches and businesses of the club.

Sport Lisboa e Benfica - Futebol, S. A. D. , the football department, is the largest by number of athletes, allocated budget, attendance and sponsoring contract's receipts. Portuguese stock market authority CMVM approved in 2007 the Benfica's prospectus for the initial public offering (IPO) for up to 15 mln shares in the Futebol, S. The Portuguese Securities Market Commission (Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários, also known by its initials CMVM, was established in April 1991 Initial public offering (IPO, also referred to simply as a "public offering" is when a company issues Common stock or shares to the public for the first A. D. , a 33% free-float. The free float of a Public company is an estimate of the proportion of shares that are not held by large owners and that are not stock with sales restrictions ( Sport Lisboa e Benfica - Futebol, S. A. D. (ticker: SLBEN) debuted on Euronext Lisbon on 22 May 2007 and is since then a publicly traded company. Euronext Lisbon is a Stock exchange in Lisbon, Portugal. It belongs to the NYSE Euronext group the first global stock exchange A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered securities ( Stock, bonds, etc In June 2007, after the share price has fallen from an initial 5€/share to nearly 2,69€/share, Portuguese businessman Joe Berardo made a takeover offer of 60% of the stock for 3,5€/share. José Manuel Rodrigues Berardo, GCIH, most commonly known as Joe Berardo, (born July 4, 1944, in Madeira, Benfica's president Luís Filipe Vieira refused the offer saying "Benfica will always have the majority of the stock". Luís Filipe Vieira (full name Luís Filipe Ferreira Orelhas Vieira born 22 June 1949, is the chairman of Portuguese Sports club Sport ^[7]

During the 2005-06 season, SL Benfica was ranked 20th in the Deloitte Football Money League with an estimated revenue of €85. The Deloitte Football Money League is a ranking of football clubs by income 1 million, being the third in the Iberian Peninsula behind only Spain's Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona, and becoming the first Portuguese football club to appear in the Money League. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan

In the last five years Benfica more than double their revenues.

Benfica's revenue sources and percentages:

• 2002 - €42 mln
• 2003 - €40 mln
• 2004 - €55 mln
• 2005 - €63 mln
• 2006 - €85. 1 mln
  • Matchday €38. Match Day was a football Computer game, published by Ocean Software in 1984, on the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, 6 mln
  • Broadcasting €17. For the band see Broadcast (band Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or Video signals which transmit 2 mln
  • Commercial €29. Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer 3 mln

The other sports departments have their own budget policy, sponsoring contracts and government bodies. Although being traditionally referred to as "the amateur sports departments", many of their main competitive teams are composed of full-time professional athletes and coaches. They develop also instructional and youth sport programmes at both men's and women's sports events.

The businesses include a network of Benfica's merchandising shops (Loja do Benfica) across the country, the online shop and Benfica's stadium management. Merchandising refers to the methods practices and operations conducted to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the Internet. Other projects like a pay per view S. Pay-per-view (often abbreviated PPV) is the system in which Television viewers can purchase events to be seen on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event L. Benfica TV channel, a radio station and even a motorsports team have been discussed and are possibilities for the future.

Structure:

• Sport Lisboa e Benfica (the sports club)
• Sport Lisboa e Benfica – Futebol, SAD (company for football) - 40% owned by Sport Lisboa e Benfica; 10,04% owned by Sport Lisboa e Benfica, SGPS, SA
• Sport Lisboa e Benfica, SGPS, SA (holding company)
• Sport Lisboa e Benfica – Multimédia, SA (multimedia)
• Benfica Estádio – Construção e Gestão de Estádios, SA (stadium management)
• Sport Lisboa e Benfica – Comercial – Gestão e Exploração da Marca Benfica, SA (brand management/merchandising)

Notable figures

Some notable personalities in S. L. Benfica's history include (chronological order):

• Cosme Damião: Co-founder of the Sport Lisboa in February 28th, 1904, player and captain of the team (he retired as a player (midfielder) in 1916, aged 30), and coach for a record 18 years, Cosme Damião would become the heart and soul of the club in the first twenty-two years of the club's existence. Cosme Damião ( Lisbon, Portugal 2 November 1885 - Sintra, 11 June 1947) was a football player as A charismatic figure, he was also one of the directors of the club that eventually became SL Benfica, and it is not easy to fully understand all his contributions to the club, as he was involved in all Benfica's departments; despite this, he never became President. He was behind all the club's major issues during that period; in 1908, as Sport Lisboa barely struggled to create a new football team after the departure of many players to newly founded and wealthier Sporting CP (one of the reasons for that being that Sport Lisboa didn't have a football field of their own), he literally saved Sport Lisboa from collapse. Thanks to his efforts, the main assets of Grupo Sport Benfica were acquired by Sport Lisboa (the football field, the club house, and even the board of directors), thus creating Sport Lisboa e Benfica. Cosme Damião had a clear vision for SL Benfica's future: he was in favour of sports eclecticism, of the founding of regional houses and increasing the number of associates (thus laying the groundstone to the Club's national dimension), and also of playing international football games. This merit is extraordinary, as virtually all of the first Lisbon clubs disappeared, with the exception of Sporting C.P., Belenenses and Casa Pia A.C., all of them founded with players contracted at Sport Lisboa e Benfica. Sporting Clube de Portugal ( pron 'spɔɾtĩg 'klub(ɨ dɨ puɾtu'gaɫ referred to coloquially as Sporting, Sporting CP or erroneously Sporting Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, usually known simply as Belenenses ( pron Casa Pia Atlético Clube is a Sports association founded in 1920 and based in Lisbon, Portugal. Cândido de Oliveira said about him: "He made of Benfica the biggest Portuguese club". He was later awarded with the Golden Eagle, the most important Benfica award for lifetime achievements in favour of the Club. Benfica annually celebrates his name on a sports gala in which the club's athletes and personalities of the year are nominated and receive the Cosme Damião awards.

• Ribeiro dos Reis: One of the players in Portugal's very first international friendly (against Spain) in 1921, he played for Benfica in the years 1914-1925. He was also an athlete, making good use of his impressive speed. Ribeiro dos Reis was also a remarkable sports journalist, debuting at this parallel career in 1915. He would as well give his personal mark as a coach, a director in Benfica and in FPF, and as a prestigious referee and national coach. A man of culture, he was nominated for the FIFA Referees' Committee and was co-founder of the oldest sports newspaper still active today, A Bola. This articles is about the Portuguese Newspaper: for information about the town in Galicia, Northwestern Spain, see A Bola Ourense He is one of the few personalities awarded with the Golden Eagle, the main award given by SL Benfica, recognizing notable achievements in favour of the club.

• José Maria Nicolau: It wasn't any football achievement to give national recognition to Benfica, but cycling, by giving continued sport days along many cities and villages of Portugal. This was incarnated by a strong man, whose days on a bicycle since 1929 and through the next decade contributed uncountable memories to the people. Nicolau gave to Portugal's sport many passionate and unforgettable days competing on a bicycle, especially with his friend although teams rival Trindade. Nicolau in the thirties was considered a national sport hero, and he alone conceded to the club a human patrimony that still is today one of the Benfica's trademark: it's huge popularity. He won two times the Volta a Portugal as well as many other smaller competitions and classics. History The competition started in 1927 however it second edition only occurred in 1931

• Espírito Santo: A living legend of Benfica's History. He was the perfect example of an eclectic athlete: as a footballer, he represented the club for 12 seasons, between 1936 and 1950, winning seven titles overall. Because of his gentleness and capabilities inside of the field, he soon became known as “the Black Pearl". Meanwhile, he proved his immense talent in sports elsewhere: in 1938, just two years after arriving, he was honoured with the award “Silver Eagle”, for remarkable achievements in athletics events – he beat three national records in all the jumps categories; he would later became the Iberian record holder of the high jump. In the beginning of the 1940s, he was the most popular player of Benfica and one of the top Portuguese athletes. He also practiced tennis and later was awarded with the Golden Eagle Award. He was congratulated honourable president in a symbolical gesture during Benfica's celebration of the club's centenary, in 2004.

• Rogério: Probably the greatest Portuguese footballer in the beginning of the 1950s, he was known as a skilled dribbler and a fine crosser. Rogério Lantres de Carvalho (born December 7, 1922) was a Portuguese footballer who played for SL Benfica, also known as "O Rogério was also a great goalscorer. He has the record for more goals in the Portuguese cups and was part of the Benfica team that won the first international cup, the Latin Cup. The Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. He lifted the cup, despite not being the captain. He made with Arsénio a great duo. He was properly nicknamed Pipi, from a team mate, because that was a common Portuguese name referring to an elegant and fashionable man (as Rogério was inside and outside of the field). One of Benfica's legends, he played more than 300 games in 12 seasons at the club, with an impressive record of more than 200 goals scored.

• Otto Glória: The man that brought professionalism to Benfica in the 50's and many said that without his influence in the structure, no Champions Cup would be won. Otto Martins Glória (* 9 January 1917 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - † 4 September 1986) was a Brazilian Football Using the 4-4-2 tactic, imported from Brazil, as well as new training techniques, the Brazilian master shaped Benfica in such a way that he granted the pillars to Portuguese domination and international rising. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld

• Costa Pereira: An eclectic athlete, before fixing himself in the football world, Costa Pereira was Benfica's keeper for thirteen years, and is one of the club's legendary names. Alberto da Costa Pereira (born December 22, 1929 in Nacala, Portuguese East Africa – died October 25, 1990 in Was European champion twice, Portuguese national champion seven times, and won five Portuguese cups, with more than 350 games played at the club. Was an international player between 1955 and 1965.

• Mário Coluna: was a Mozambican-born Portuguese footballer, perhaps the best midfielder his country has ever had. Mário Esteves Coluna ( pron 'maɾiu ku'lunɐ (born August 6, 1935 at Inhaca, Portuguese East Africa) is a former Portuguese Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa His footballer nickname is O Monstro Sagrado (The Holy Monster). In 1999, he was voted 60th in the European Player of the Century election held by the IFFHS ahead of Gunnar Gren. Gunnar Gren ( October 31, 1920 - November 10, 1991) was a Swedish football player and coach, part of the famous He moved to Benfica in 1954/55, where he played until 1969/70. He won 10 National Championships, and 6 Portuguese Cups. He won the European Cup twice with Benfica, in 1961 and 1962, and also played in the finals of 1963, 1965 and 1968, this last time as the captain. He played 57 times for the Portugal national team, scoring 8 goals.

• José Águas: The legendary captain that won and had the destiny of rising the most important cup of Benfica history. José Pinto Carvalho dos Santos Águas ( pron ʒu'zɛ 'agwɐʃ ( 9 November 1930 &ndash Lisbon, 11 December 2000) was Known for being a spectacular header and a tireless worker, Águas marked an era and confessed years later that he played football like it was a normal job. His son, Rui Águas, who played for FC Porto in 1988 and return to Benfica in 1990, scored 2 goals against Steaua Bucaresti in the 1988 Champions Cup semi-final to take Benfica to the final after 20 years of absence. Rui José Lopes Águas (born 28 April, 1960, Lisbon, Portugal) was a Portuguese former professional footballer and Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known CSA Steaua Bucureşti ( Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua - English: Army Sports Club Steaua) is a Romanian Sports

• Torcato Ferreira: A legendary coach of the Portuguese rink hockey, he is responsible for 8 national championships and the appearance of players like Garrancho, Livramento and Ramalhete.

• Béla Guttmann: This Hungarian coach arrived at Benfica in 1959 and led the club to the Portuguese title in his very first year. Béla Guttmann (born Budapest, Hungary, March 13 1900; died Vienna, Austria, August 28 1981) also Better then that, in the following two years, with a team that included Eusébio, José Águas, José Augusto, Costa Pereira, António Simões, Germano and Mário Coluna, the club won the European Cup twice in a row. In 1961 they beat Barcelona 3-2 in the final and in 1962 they retained the title, coming from 2-0 and 3-2 down to beat Real Madrid 5-3. Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan But after this game he decided to leave the club, because of monetarial controversy with the Benfica directors and that's when, the legend says, he cursed the club: "Not in a hundred years from now, will Benfica win a European Cup again. ". The truth is that despite being finalists on six occasions - 1963 (A.C. Milan, 1-2 in Wembley), 1965 (Inter Milan, 0-1 in San Siro), 1968 (Manchester United, 1-4 AET in Wembley), 1983 (Anderlecht, 0-1 in Belgium, 1-1 in Portugal), 1988 (PSV Eindhoven, in Neckarstadion 0-0 , 5-6 pk) and 1990 (AC Milan 0-1, in Ernst Happel Stadion) - Benfica have never won any European competition again. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy original Wembley Stadium was a football Stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the Football Club Internazionale Milano, most commonly referred to as simply Internazionale, or Inter, is an Italian professional football club For the town in the Province of Como, see San Siro (Como. For the saint after which these places are named see Syrus of Pavia or Syrus of Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA, is a Belgian football club from Anderlecht, in the Brussels Philips Sport Vereniging ( English: Philips Sports Union) widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Sports club from In fact, before the 1990 final, which was played in Vienna, where Guttmann was buried, Eusébio prayed at his grave to ask for the curse to be broken. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. It wasn't.

• António Livramento: Recognized as the greatest rink hockey player ever, he made a career in Benfica for 15 years (1959-74) winning 8 championships and several cups. He was part of one of the best hockey teams ever in Portugal, with the goalkeeper Ramalhete, Garrancho, Casimiro and Jorge Vicente, in the 1960s.

• Ramalhete: Considered one of best rink hockey keepers ever, Ramalhete played for Benfica between 1960-74 and 1979-81. Won eight national championships and 3 Portuguese cups. The team never won any international title, despite being in three European Cups finals.

• José Torres: The Bom Gigante (Good Giant) made a legacy that no one can forget. José "Chegui" Torres, (born May 3, 1936) is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer He and Eusébio made one of the more lethal duos of the 60's, and scored the goal that granted the bronze medal in 1966. The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup was held in England from 11 July to 30 July He was the coach of the Portuguese team in the World Cup 1986 and before the miracle of Stuttgart he asked the press to let him dream of an impossible win against the powerful Germany; and eventually, Carlos Manuel, against all odds, scored the goal that made that dream possible. The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from May 31 to June 29.

• José Augusto: The Portuguese Garrincha, considered in the 60's one of the best right wingers of the world by the European press. José Augusto ( pron ʒu'zɛ au'guʃtu (full name José Augusto Pinto de Almeida) (born April 13, 1937, in Barreiro) is a former Manuel Francisco dos Santos (October 28 1933 &ndash January 20 1983 known by the nickname "Garrincha" ("little bird" was a Brazilian He scored the goal in the first Portuguese win against Brazil and was known for his speed and dribbling and for being a good scorer. He was part of the "Fabulous Five" of Benfica (Coluna, José Augusto, António Simões, José Torres and Eusébio).

• António Simões: One of the greatest left wingers the world has met. António Simões da Costa ( pron ɐ̃'tɔniu si'mõĩʃ (born Corroios 14 December, 1943) is a legendary Portuguese footballer and a current With 18 years he was part of the team that beat 5-3 Real Madrid at the 1962 Champions Cup Final and the Portuguese team of "Magriços" in the 1966 World Cup. Known for his perfect assists to Eusébio, even today many say that more than half of the Black Panther goals belong as well to Simões.

• Eusébio: The days of the Portuguese international Eusébio were Benfica's most glory filled years. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. In 1962, he won the Champions Cup, scoring two goals in the final against Ferenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano's Real Madrid. Ferenc Purczeld Biró ( 2 April 1927 &ndash 17 November 2006) or "Ferenc Puskás", was a legendary Hungarian Alfredo di Stéfano Laulhé (born 4 July 1926 in Barracas, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine - Spanish former footballer and Benfica won 5-3. He scored 46 goals for Portugal in 64 appearances, and hit 317 goals in 291 League games for Benfica. The Portugal national football team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF finishing 4th at the last World Cup. He was the leading scorer in the 1966 World Cup where he scored nine goals, four of those against North Korea. The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup was held in England from 11 July to 30 July The national football team of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (recognized as Korea DPR by FIFA) is the national team of North Korea and is controlled He was the 1965 European Footballer of the Year, and in 1968 was the first winner of the Golden Boot Award, as Europe's leading scorer, a feat he repeated five years later. The European Golden Shoe, formerly known as the European Golden Boot, is an Association football award presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league The Portuguese Liga's top scorer seven times from 1964 to 1973, he helped Benfica to 11 league championships and 5 cup wins. The Portuguese Liga ( pron 'liɣɐ currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese He scored an outrageous 727 goals in 715 matches wearing Benfica's jersey. Eusébio was the all-time leading scorer for his country, with 41 goals (in 64 matches), until Pauleta surpassed his record against Latvia on October 12, 2005. Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, OIH (born April 28, 1973 in Ponta Delgada, Azores) nicknamed Pauleta The Latvian national football team ( Izlase in Latvian) is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. His last game for the Selecção was a 2-2 draw with Bulgaria on October 19, 1973 in a World Cup qualifier. The Bulgaria national football team is the national football team of Bulgaria and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. There is a statue of Eusebio at the main entrance of the Estádio da Luz. The Estádio da Luz ( pron ɨʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and commonly mistranslated as Stadium of Light

• Humberto Coelho: Considered by many as the best Portuguese defender of all times, Humberto played for Benfica from 1968/69 to 1974/75, and from 1977/78 to 1984/85. Humberto Manuel de Jesus Coelho (born 20 April, 1950, Cedofeita, Portugal) is a Portuguese former professional footballer He won 8 National Champion titles and 7 Portuguese Cups and was Portuguese Footballer of the Year in 1974. Unfortunately he never played in a major competition (he had a chance in 84 but had a terrible injury). He was compared by his coaches (Pavic, Baroti, Hagan) to Franz Beckenbauer. Franz Anton Beckenbauer (born September 11, 1945) is a German football coach manager and former player nicknamed der Kaiser Later, he coached Portugal in a spectacular campaign in the Euro 2000. The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by

• Toni: Known as "The Bearer of the Mística", Toni was known in-game as a force of nature, due to his stamina and strength. António José Conceição Oliveira (born October 14 1946) known as Toni, is a coach, and a former Portuguese football Captain and coach, he is the man that represented Benfica more times than anyone else with nearly 400 games as a player and 300 as a coach. He guided the team to great games like Leverkusen (4-4) or Sporting (6-3 in alvalade). His stint in 2001-2002 didn't go well and many said that was because he didn't evolve in his coaching skills. Even the less he still is considered a legend.

• Manuel Bento: Probably the greatest Portuguese keeper ever. Manuel Garlinho Bento (born 25 June, 1948, Golegã, Portugal - died 1 March 2007, Barreiro, Portugal Since his debut in the Selecção until his last game against England in the World Cup 1986 he played 63 of the 65 games that the national team played since his debut. He played more than 400 games for Benfica. He was considered one of the best keepers of the Euro 84 specially after a spectacular exhibition against France (2-3). The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in France. The French national football team represents the nation of France in international football. He was hired in 1972 and ended his career in 1991.

• Shéu Han: The red general, of Mozambican and Chinese heritage, Shéu Han played more than 400 times for Benfica and was known for his finesse in the game. Shéu Han (born August 3, 1953 in Inhassoro, Mozambique) is a former Portuguese footballer, who played for Sport Lisboa China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National He scored the goal in the 1983 UEFA Cup final that didn't prevent Anderlecht from winning the trophy. Even today he is the team secretary and very popular among the fans.

• Jimmy Hagan: Invincible should be his name, after winning the Portuguese Championship in 1972/73 with an unbeaten run (28 wins and 2 draws, with 23 of those victories in a row). James (Jimmy Hagan ( 21 January 1918 &ndash 26 February 1998) was an English football player and manager born in He won 3 titles (70-73) and created a team that rivaled with none in Portugal.

• Borges Coutinho: The most notorious president of Benfica. He led the club from 1969 to 1977 and in that period the club won 6 championships and 3 Portuguese cups, maintaining the club finances in a very good state.

• Chalana: His first appearance in the senior team was at the age of 17 years old. Fernando Albino de Sousa Chalana ( pron fɨɾ'nɐ̃ðu ʃɐ'lɐ He played in the club from 1975/76 to 1983/84 and 1987/88 to 1989/90 and won 6 championships and 3 Portuguese cups. He made one of the best left wing duos of Portugal and Europe (because of exibithions in euro 84) with Álvaro Magalhães. He played more than 300 and is still remembered for his incredible dribbling style and speed. The peak of his career was at Euro 84, where he was one the leading figures of the National Team that reached the semi-finals.

• António Leitão: Athlete specialized in middle distance, he is an undeniable name of the Portuguese 1980's athletics generation. Was national champion and record holder of the main distances. Won the European Cup twice in a row, in the 5000 metres distance, in the 1983 and 1985 events. In the Los Angeles' Olympic Games, held in 1984, he was bronze medalist in the 5000 metres event, placing his name as the first and until now the only one of Benfica's athletes to won Olympic medals.

• Alexandre Yokochi: A notable name of Benfica and one of Portugal's greatest sportsmen, Yokochi is considered the best Portuguese swimmer of all-time; he was specialized in the 100 and 200 metres breaststroke. Was many times national champion and achieved international status by fulfilling great results in several competitions, including Latin titles and a silver medal on the European Championships. He also accomplished remarkable results at the World Championships and at the Olympics Games, where he was a finalist in 1984 and winner of the B final in 1988, both in the 200 metres breaststroke events.

• Carlos Manuel: The Barreiro Express. Carlos Manuel Correia dos Santos (born Moita, 15 January 1958 commonly known by Carlos Manuel, was a Portuguese football player and is a current He played more than 300 times for Benfica and was known for his technique, resistance, shooting skills and strength (years as a train rail worker). Crucial as both leader and scorer, he his also known for his decisive goal against Germany during the last game of the 1986 Football World Cup Qualifiers, placing the national team in the competition for the second time and ending an absence of twenty years. He won 4 national championships and was part of the Barreiro Group (Bento, Diamantino, Chalana, Frederico).

• Diamantino Miranda: Even today Benfica supporters still cry of his absence in the Stuttgart Champions Cup Final of 88, specially because before his injury against Vitória Guimarães he was in a spectacular form. Diamantino Manuel Fernandes Miranda (born 3 August 1959 in Moita) known just by Diamantino in his playing days is a former Portuguese Vitória Sport Clube is a Portuguese Sports club based in the cityof Guimarães, located 40 km northeast of Porto in Portugal Known for his fantasy, Diamantino was also known for being a rebel but always giving his best for the team.

• António Veloso: One of the few players that surpassed 500 games for Benfica in all competitions. António Augusto Silva Veloso (born January 31, 1957 in São João da Madeira) is a retired Portuguese footballer who played in various Known for being resourceful, he played in various positions throughout his career. Veloso was the player that was most times team captain and bearer of the "Mística". He was the player who missed the penalty kick in the penalty shootout of the 1988 Champions Cup Final, and he missed the 1990 Final due to seeing a yellow card in the semi-final against Marseille, after fouling a player that was about to score a goal that would prevent Benfica from reaching the final. Olympique de Marseille (also known as l'OM or Marseille) is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football

• Sven-Göran Eriksson: Success at other clubs in Sweden got him into a bigger job in Portugal as he took over Benfica. Sven-Göran Eriksson ( born February 5 1948 is a Swedish football manager, who is currently the manager of the Mexico national football team. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. While at Benfica Eriksson had what many considerer a quick impact at the Estádio da Luz when in his first season he won the Portuguese Championship, the Portuguese cup and finished runner-up in the 1983 UEFA Cup. The Estádio da Luz ( pron ɨʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and commonly mistranslated as Stadium of Light After a second Championship the following year, Eriksson moved to Italy with A.S. Roma where he won the Coppa Italia in 1986. Associazione Sportiva Roma, ( commonly referred to as simply Roma, is an Italian professional football club from Rome, and are currently amongst For the Italian rugby competition see Coppa Italia (rugby The Coppa Italia ( Italy Cup, officially known as TIM Cup In 1989 Benfica once again was where the Swedish coach began using his managing power. In 1990 Sven led Benfica to the European Cup final with players like prolific striker Mats Magnusson, and where they were runners-up to A.C. Milan, Sven also won another league title in 1991. Mats Ture Magnusson (born 10 July 1963 in Helsingborg) is a former Swedish footballer, who played as a Striker. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy

• Carlos Lisboa: Recognized by the Basketball specialists as the greatest Portuguese player of all-time, Lisboa was the leading figure of the most gifted team of the Portuguese Basketball. Carlos Humberto Lehman de Almeida Behnoliel Lisboa Santos (born 23 July 1958 in Praia, Cape Verde) better known as Carlos Lisboa, Between 1985 and 1996, Benfica basketball team dominated the national competitions, having won an astonishing number of trophies, surpassing more than twenty official titles. Benfica Basket is the professional Basketball team of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, based in Lisbon, Portugal. At Europe competitions, Benfica won against European giants. Lisboa was a talented player, with huge percentages in the 3-point line. A famous line from the Fado song "Cheira a Lisboa" was adopted by the fans to cheer Lisboa and the Benfica team ("It smells of Lisbon", simple translation, as "Lisboa" literally means "Lisbon"): Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa! (. . . it smells good, it smells of Lisbon!. . . ).

• Carlos Mozer: One of the best foreigner defenders in Benfica's History, Mozer was known for being tough and skillful. José Carlos Nepomuceno Mozer, usually known as Carlos Mozer or simply Mozer (born on 19 September, 1960 in Rio de Janeiro) is He played for the club in two different periods (1987-89 and 1992-95) and today still has a close relation with the club.

• Ricardo Gomes: The Brazilian central defender arrived in the summer of 1988 and quickly became a key figure in the team. Ricardo Gomes Raimundo, usually known as Ricardo Gomes or simply Ricardo (born on December 13, 1964 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Although they only played a season together, he made with Carlos Mozer an important duo in the club's History. He represented Benfica until the end of the 1991 season, and returned to the club to fulfill another season (1995\96). With a total of four titles won in four seasons, probably his greatest achievement in the club was realized in April 1991, when he became the first foreigner to be the captain of a football team of Benfica.

• Rui Costa: Known as The Maestro by Benfica fans, has a life long love affair with the club. Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH, usually referred to simply as Rui Costa ( pron He arrived at the club as a 10 year old, and debuted at 20 years old with the senior team in 1991. He spent more 3 years at the club winning one Portuguese league and one Portuguese cup. He then moved to Fiorentina in the biggest transfer of Portuguese football, back then. A famous episode took place when he returned to Estadio da Luz to a friendly between Benfica and Fiorentina, and after he scored a goal for the Italians, he started to cry, as the Benfica fans cheered in applauses. The Estádio da Luz ( pron ɨʃ'tadiu dɐ luʃ officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and commonly mistranslated as Stadium of Light In 2006 he returned to Benfica. He retired from football at the end of the 2007/2008 season and immediately took up a position as a club Director at Benfica.

• Luís Ferreira: Captain of Benfica Hockey team during the 1990-2002 period, Luis Ferreira was one of the best players of the team. He retired in 2002, with thirty-seven years, after 18 official titles won.

• Mário Palma: The legendary Basketball coach who led Benfica in the 1990s to great results in Europe, beating teams like Cibona Zagreb, Panathinaikos, Pao Orthez, Paok, Real Madrid, Joventut, Buckler, Olimpija Ljubilana, CSKA Moscow and Partizan; a list of international results that was considered rather impossible or very hard to achieve to many specialized viewers, during that time. He succeeded Tim Shea and organized a team that is easily recognizable in Portugal as the most successful team ever, with Carlos Lisboa, Pedro Miguel, Jean Jacques, José Carlos Guimarães, Mike Plowden, Henrique Vieira, among other players. The group won 11 national championships in 12 years (with a period of seven titles won in a row). Palma was responsible for 5 of those titles and the referred European victories.

• Carlos Dantas: Led Benfica to 5 national rink hockey championships, 7 Portuguese cups, 5 supercups and one CERS cup during 1988 and 2003. He returned to Benfica in the 2006 season.

• Jean Jacques: One of the best Angolan players ever and a symbol of Benfica's Basketball. Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central He won 7 championships and 4 cups and is still remembered for his skills among the fans.

• Pedro Miguel: The point guard of the Portuguese Basketball "dream-team", in the 1990s period (5 national championships, 9 Portuguese cups). He was the player responsible for the victory against Real Madrid in October 1996, in Spain, by scoring two decisive points in the last moments of the game.

• Vitor Fortunato: One of the best defenders of the hockey World during his stint in Benfica and a regular in the national team during the 1990s. He stayed in the team until 2002.

• João Vieira Pinto: Undoubtedly one of the top three players of Benfica along the 1990 decade, he was Benfica's last player to be eight consecutive seasons in the club. João Manuel Vieira Pinto (born 19 August 1971 in Porto) is a former Portuguese footballer, who made his name mostly at a domestic In the first period in Benfica (1992-1996) he climbed fast to be the central player, and was nicknamed The Golden Boy. By that time he was surely the top name in the Portuguese golden generation, just before other names arise into planetary level. He was the key figure in the 1993\94 championship, and in the decisive game at home of the national title's main opponent (Sporting-3 Benfica-6), he demolish any fears of Benfica to lose the title. He scored 3 goals that night, assisted in another, and was involved in another goal. The Portuguese' sports newspaper A BOLA give him 10 points in 10 to his overall play, the first time ever this happened, since the newspaper started given the game-by-game regularity award, in the 1967\68 season. He would be also the key player in the final of the 1995\96 Portuguese cup, having then completely surpassed a serious injury he suffered in the last season. He already was then the captain of the team. The last four years at the club were not successful at all, not only by the absence of titles, but also because of the ultimate degradation of Benfica's football department; JVP, as he was also known, was only one of the few gifted players in the teams that were changed almost completely every season, alongside Preud´Homme or Poborsky. He controversially left Benfica in 2000, without any glory whatsoever, despite being the horsepower of the team by many years. As a free agent, would later sign to Lisbon rival's Sporting.

• Michel Preud'homme: was a famous goalkeeper from Belgium known for his great saves and agility. Michel Preud'homme (born January 24, 1959 in Ougree) is a former Belgian football Goalkeeper, currently a head coach In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Preud'homme was also at his best while at Benfica. He was the first keeper ever to win the prestigious Yashin Award for his terrific saves in the net, during the 1994 World Cup where he was part of the most valuable players (MVP's). At the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament several awards are attributed to the players and teams which have distinguished from the rest in different aspects of the game The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in the United States from June 17 to July 17 1994 He signed for Benfica after that World Cup, and won the Cup of Portugal in 1996 with the team. History The first incarnation of the Taça was in 1912 but very few clubs could participate and thus it was not a regular competition the fact which ended it in He was considered by many people the best goalkeeper at the time, an icon in his native Belgium and Benfica. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those

• Panchito Velasquez: the Argentinian player was crucial in several moments between 1998 and 2002 of the Benfica team. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. He made a great duo with Filipe Gaidão. He is mostly remembered for his skills, placing him in the top of the rink hockey best players of the time. He never won the Portuguese national championship, something that cannot be separated of the beginning of the crisis and the almost ultimate decline in the Benfica's rink hockey department.

• Simão Sabrosa: Simão was probably the best player of Benfica in the last decade. Simão Pedro Fonseca Sabrosa, OIH, commonly known as Simão Sabrosa ( pron. In 2001, after a comparatively low-key tenure at FC Barcelona, Simão moved to Benfica, on a deal reportedly worth €12 million. Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan He became an instant fan-favorite, quickly acquired the status of captain and was often acclaimed as Benfica's top player during the six years he spent at the club and also one of the Portuguese championship's best. Since he arrived at Benfica, Simão always ended seasons as the best goalscorer of the squad. He scored a total of 72 goals in 172 matches for Benfica, an extraordinary record for a winger. In the 2007-2008 season Simão was sold to Atlético Madrid for a €20 million fee plus the choice of 2 players during the next 4 years.

• Nélson Évora: Portuguese athlete who specializes in the triple jump and long jump. Nelson Évora (born April 20 1984 is a Portuguese athlete who specializes in the Triple jump and Long jump. On August 27, 2007 (with 23 years old) he became the Triple Jump World Champion in the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, in Osaka, Japan.

• Vanessa Fernandes: Winner of the 2006 Triathlon World Cup and the virtual winner of the 2007 World Cup ranking. Vanessa de Sousa Fernandes (vɐˈnɛsɐ fɨɾˈnɐ̃dɨʃ born September 14, 1985) is a Portuguese athlete from Perosinho, Vila Nova She also won the World Champion Title in Hamburg, Germany, on September 1, 2007 and the Duathlon World Champion Title in Hungary, on May 19, 2007.

• Telma Monteiro: Winner of the silver medal in the under-52 kg category, on the World Championships, held in Rio de Janeiro, on 15th September 2007. Telma Monteiro (b 27 December, 1985) is a Portuguese Judoka from the city of Almada. This is the best Portuguese result ever, at international level. She is already classified to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Historical results

• Benfica-7 Madrid Football Club-0 in 1913: Still not known by the royal name, the Spanish side traveled to Portugal, after being invited to play against Lisbon clubs. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. In January 26th, despite being in it's dawn of international games, Benfica would achieve one of the heaviest defeats ever of Real Madrid's international historic record.

• Benfica-12 FC Porto-2 in 1943: in the 5th round of the 1942\43 national championship, FC Porto suffered their biggest defeat ever in the championships. Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known Julinho scored four times, Manuel da Costa, Valadas and Teixeira twice and Francisco Ferreira one. Alfredo scored an own goal. At half time, the score was 4-0. Benfica would eventually win the title in the end.

• Benfica-7 Sporting-2 in 1946: The longest series of consecutive defeats (5) against the historical rival ended in style, in the 18th round of the 1945\46 championship. Both Arsénio and Mário Rui achieved a hat-trick while Rogério scored one goal. Rogério Lantres de Carvalho (born December 7, 1922) was a Portuguese footballer who played for SL Benfica, also known as "O It was the first time in History either team scored more than 5 goals against the other.

• Benfica-2 Girondins Bordeaux-1 in 1950: Breaking an unprecedent four years hiatus by winning the 1949\50 national league championships, the club played the recently formed Latin Cup, held in Portugal, in the national stadium. The Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Estádio Nacional (National Stadium also known as Estádio do Jamor, is the Portuguese national football ground. Surpassing S.S. Lazio in semi-finals, Benfica met the French champions, Bordeaux, in the final game. Società Sportiva Lazio, ( commonly referred to SS Lazio or simply Lazio, is an Italian professional Sports club most noted for its football FC Girondins de Bordeaux is a French football team playing in the city of Bordeaux. The final 3-3 result after extra time obliged both teams to play another game, one week later. In June 18th, 1950, Benfica won 2-1, with a goal from Julinho, on the 146th minute, after a late tie in the regular time. The game was added 30 minutes scheduled in extra time which didn't produce any goals, followed by a 10-minute extra period until one of the teams scored the winning goal. With 266 minutes in total, this was easily one of the longest finals in Football History. It was the very first international success of Benfica as well as the Portuguese football.

• FCPorto-2 SL Benfica-8 in 1952: In the inauguration of the old "Estádio das Antas" (Antas Stadium), Benfica humiliated the rival team in its new home. This was not an official game but Benfica, that some weeks before had lost the Portuguese Championship to Sporting, played with its best team and giving no chances to the weak Porto team.

• Heart Of Midlothian-1 SL Benfica-2 in 1960: The first victory of Benfica in the European Champion Clubs' Cup, and also in UEFA competitions, in the second time that Benfica competed. The European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply the European Cup, is a Trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. Considering all Portuguese clubs´ poor behaviour in the first five years, as only once the first round was surpassed, the expectations were not very high at start; however, Guttmann's strong personality made Benfica's directors formally agree to pay money awards if the club won the cup, something no one imagined possible. Béla Guttmann (born Budapest, Hungary, March 13 1900; died Vienna, Austria, August 28 1981) also But in the 29th of September, 1960, in Edinburgh's Tynecastle Park, home of the Scottish champions, goals from José Águas and José Augusto were turning a dream into reality. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in Edinburgh, Scotland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. José Pinto Carvalho dos Santos Águas ( pron ʒu'zɛ 'agwɐʃ ( 9 November 1930 &ndash Lisbon, 11 December 2000) was José Augusto ( pron ʒu'zɛ au'guʃtu (full name José Augusto Pinto de Almeida) (born April 13, 1937, in Barreiro) is a former Dreams are the images sounds thoughts and feelings experienced while Sleeping, particularly strongly associated with Rapid eye movement sleep. Reality, in everyday usage means "the state of things as they actually exist" On the return match (victory by 3-0), the famous third tier of the Stadium of Light was inaugurated, on his first expansion phase, increasing the crowd-capacity to seventy thousand.

• Benfica-3 Barcelona-2 in 1961: For the first time, Benfica reached an European Cup final in 1960/61. Their opposition was the giant and highly favorited Barcelona. Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan Benfica defeated Barca 3-2, becoming the first club to win the European Cup besides Real Madrid, who had won the previous 5 finals. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club

• Benfica-5 Real Madrid-3 in 1962: In 61/62 Benfica reached the European Cup final again, in one of the most anticipated finals of all time: The current champions against the former 5 times winners Real Madrid. With Eusébio on one side and Di Stéfano on the other. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in Alfredo di Stéfano Laulhé (born 4 July 1926 in Barracas, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine - Spanish former footballer and The game was a very emotional one, with Benfica coming from 2-0 and 3-2 down to beat Real Madrid 5-3 and becoming European champions for the second time in a row. The European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply the European Cup, is a Trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Eusébio scored 2 goals in this historic victory. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in As twice European champion, Benfica proved such success wasn't random, but a long-term effort, established since Otto Gloria's arrival at the club in 1954. Otto Martins Glória (* 9 January 1917 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - † 4 September 1986) was a Brazilian Football

• Benfica-5 Real Madrid-1 in 1965: Game for the 1/4 finals of the 1964/65 Champions Cup's season and Benfica demolished the Spanish giants, with Eusébio scoring 2 goals. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in It was an attendance record in Portugal, only estimated at seventy thousand, certainly a number incorrectly quantified, because extra seats were mounted, increasing crowd figures near 85-90 thousand. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Despite expensive tickets, it has been said that if there were enough seats to 300 thousand people, the Stadium would also be sell-out. Benfica was at top form in Europe, probably the best ever, and the career was promising a happy ending.

• Internazionale-1 Benfica-0 in 1965: The fourth European Cup final in five years was a succession of misfortune incidents, and the defeat was considered a "glorious one" by some newspapers. The game was held at Milan Stadium, San Siro, home of |Inter. Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. For the town in the Province of Como, see San Siro (Como. For the saint after which these places are named see Syrus of Pavia or Syrus of Football Club Internazionale Milano, most commonly referred to as simply Internazionale, or Inter, is an Italian professional football club Furthermore, it rained severely, and in a muddied field, the higher technical skills of Benfica players were conditioned, helping the Italian catenaccio side. Catenaccio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence In the 42th minute, Benfica's keeper Costa Pereira easily conceded a goal. Alberto da Costa Pereira (born December 22, 1929 in Nacala, Portuguese East Africa – died October 25, 1990 in In the 57th minute, the Benfica's keeper was out of the game, seriously injured (he returned to Lisbon in a wheel-chair), being replaced by the central defender Germano. Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. A wheelchair is a wheeled Mobility device in which the user sits In the Sport of Association football, each of the eleven players on a team is assigned to a particular position on the field of play Germano de Figueiredo (Lisbon 18 January 1933 &mdash 14 July 2004) commonly known by just Germano ( pron. Eusébio was also physically down, and received special treatment prior to the game. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in Despite of the bad luck, Benfica dominated by far the game. Benfica's president conceded later the game's prize to the Portuguese players, as well as a symbolical trophy to the club, considering Benfica the "morally victorious" side of this strange final. The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west

• Ajax-1 Benfica-3 in 1969: Counting for the first leg of 1968\69 Champion's Cup´ quarter-finals, Benfica won in a heavily snowed field, beating Johan Cruijff ´s side with a great performance. "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation. This win is historically significant, as Benfica was the first club in Europe to be able to defeat the Amsterdam team in his homeland for UEFA competitions, and was the only European club to achieve such success for a long time: Ajax wouldn't lose another European match at home until September 1981, in the first round of 1981\82 Cup Winners' Cup edition, when Tottenham Hotspur beat them 2-1. Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax ( also referred to as AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax, is a professional football club from Amsterdam The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax ( also referred to as AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax, is a professional football club from Amsterdam Tottenham Hotspur, ˈtɒʔnəm is an English professional football club which currently plays in the Premier League. Despite the important victory, Benfica didn't secure the two goals advantage, losing by the same score in the return match in Lisbon, and by 0-3 after extra time in Paris, in the decision match, not managing to follow to the semi-final for the sixth time in nine years. Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

• Benfica-5 Feyenoord-1 in 1972: In the first hand, Benfica had lost 0-1 to Feyenoord, but in the return leg, Benfica were able to win 5-1, with 3 goals scored in the last 10 minutes. Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam.

• Benfica-6 FCPorto-0 in 1972: Game for the 1/4 finals of the Portuguese Cup. History The first incarnation of the Taça was in 1912 but very few clubs could participate and thus it was not a regular competition the fact which ended it in And it was one of the biggest victories of Benfica over rivals FC Porto. Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known

• Benfica-5 Sporting-0 in 1978: A very famous victory of Benfica over the all-time-rivals Sporting. Sporting Clube de Portugal ( pron 'spɔɾtĩg 'klub(ɨ dɨ puɾtu'gaɫ referred to coloquially as Sporting, Sporting CP or erroneously Sporting At half-time Benfica were already winning 5-0.

• AS Roma-1 Benfica-2 in 1983: A magnificent victory in Italy over a great Roma team that became Italian champions that year, and reached the Champions cup final in the following year. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Associazione Sportiva Roma, ( commonly referred to as simply Roma, is an Italian professional football club from Rome, and are currently amongst Final classification Results References and Sources Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004

• Benfica-5 Sporting-0 in 1986: Game for the 1/4 finals of the Portuguese Cup and Benfica were able to equal the victory of 1978. History The first incarnation of the Taça was in 1912 but very few clubs could participate and thus it was not a regular competition the fact which ended it in

• Benfica-2 Steaua-0 in 1988: 2ª hand of the semi-finals of the Champions Cup of the 87/88 season. With an astonishing attendance of 120. 000, Benfica won 2-0 at Gheorghe Hagi's Steaua and reached the final. Gheorghe Hagi (ˈge̯orge ˈhaʤi in Romanian born February 5, 1965 in Săcele) is a Romanian former football player

• Benfica-1 Marseille-0 in 1990: 2ª hand of the semi-finals of the Champions Cup of the 89/90 season. In France, Benfica had lost 1-2 and in this game, Benfica scored the winning goal, only five minutes to the end, in a polemic goal. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Vata scored with his hand, which wasn't spotted by the official.

• Arsenal-1 Benfica-3 in 1991: Game for the 2° round of the Champions Cup. After a 1-1 draw at Lisbon, the teams drew again in London after 90 minutes. Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. However, Benfica were able to score 2 goals in extra-time and eliminated the English champions from the most important competition in Europe. The European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply the European Cup, is a Trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA

• Leverkusen-4 Benfica-4 in 1994: One of the most emotional matches of Benfica's History. A total of eight goals in the end of this game, as Benfica got the passport to the semi-finals of the Cup winners Cup.

• Sporting-3 Benfica-6 in 1994: In the game that decided the 93/94 championship, Benfica made one of the best performances of all times, winning in an astonishing way in the home of their arch-rivals.

• Benfica-2 Manchester United-1 in 2005: For the first time, Benfica were able to defeat the mighty Man Utd, gaining the right to play the next round of the Champions League, and even more impressive: leaving Man Utd out of European competitions for the season.

• Liverpool-0 Benfica-2 in 2006: Benfica is one of the few European clubs that can proudly say that were able to defeat Liverpool at Anfield. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. Anfield is an all-seater Association football Stadium in the district of Anfield, in Liverpool, England A historical victory, against then, the current Champions League holders. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club

Team honours

For more details on this topic, see S.L. Benfica trophies ^[8]

From 1922-1938 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 1938-1939 season. The previous format continued in renamed form as the cup competition.

Performances Along The Years

Season	Pos.	G	W	D	L	GS	GA	Pts.	Europe	Coach(es)
1989-90	2nd	34	23	9	2	76	18	55	UEFA Cup	Sven-Göran Eriksson
1990-91	1st	38	32	5	1	89	18	69	Champions Cup	Sven-Göran Eriksson
1991-92	2nd	34	17	12	5	62	43	46	UEFA Cup	Sven-Göran Eriksson
1992-93	2nd	34	22	8	4	60	18	52	Cup Winners' Cup	Tomislav Ivic
1993-94	1st	34	23	8	3	73	25	54	Champions Cup	Toni
1994-95	3rd	34	21	5	8	60	30	47	UEFA Cup	Artur Jorge, Zoran Filipovic
1995-96	2nd	34	22	7	5	57	27	73	Cup Winners' Cup	Paulo Autuori
1996-97	3rd	34	17	7	10	49	30	58	UEFA Cup	Mário Wilson, Manuel José, Paulo Autuori
1997-98	2nd	34	20	8	6	62	29	68	Champions League	Graeme Souness, Mário Wilson, Manuel José
1998-99	3rd	34	19	8	7	71	29	65	UEFA Cup	Graeme Souness, Shéu Han
1999-00	3rd	34	21	6	7	58	33	69	UEFA Cup	Jupp Heynckes
2000-01	6th	34	15	9	10	54	44	54	Didn't Qualify	Jupp Heynckes, José Mourinho, Toni
2001-02	4th	34	17	12	5	66	37	63	Didn't Qualify	Toni, Jesualdo Ferreira
2002-03	2nd	34	23	6	5	74	27	75	Champions League	Jesualdo Ferreira, Camacho
2003-04	2nd	34	22	8	4	62	28	74	Champions League	Jose Antonio Camacho
2004-05	1st	34	19	8	7	51	31	65	Champions League	Giovanni Trapattoni
2005-06	3rd	34	20	7	7	51	29	67	Champions League	Ronald Koeman
2006-07	3rd	30	20	7	3	55	20	67	Champions League	Fernando Santos
2007-08	4th	30	13	13	4	45	21	52	Champions League**	Fernando Santos, Jose Antonio Camacho, Chalana

** - Qualified because of F.C. Porto's disqualification by U.E.F.A. for corrupting referees along the years

Pos = Position in the Table; G = Games played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; GS = Goals Scored; GA = Goals Against; Pts = Points

National

• Portuguese League (I Divisão, I Liga, Superliga, Liga): 31 (record). The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Sven-Göran Eriksson ( born February 5 1948 is a Swedish football manager, who is currently the manager of the Mexico national football team. Sven-Göran Eriksson ( born February 5 1948 is a Swedish football manager, who is currently the manager of the Mexico national football team. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Sven-Göran Eriksson ( born February 5 1948 is a Swedish football manager, who is currently the manager of the Mexico national football team. Tomislav Ivić (born June 30, 1933, in Split, Yugoslavia) is a former Croatian football manager. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Artur Jorge is a Portuguese given name it also used as artist name of various people Artur Jorge Braga Melo Teixeira (born 1946 Portuguese international footballer Zoran Filipović (Зоран Филиповић (born February 6, 1953 in Titograd, Montenegro, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia Paulo Autuori de Mello (born in August 25, 1956 in Rio de Janeiro, RJ) is a Brazilian football manager The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Mário Wilson (born October 17, 1929 in Lourenço Marques, today's Maputo, Mozambique) is a retired football player and Manuel José (born 1946 is a Portuguese football manager who has coached Sporting Portugal, Boavista FC, Belenenses, and SL Benfica Paulo Autuori de Mello (born in August 25, 1956 in Rio de Janeiro, RJ) is a Brazilian football manager Graeme James Souness (ˈsuːnɨs (born 6 May, 1953 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager Mário Wilson (born October 17, 1929 in Lourenço Marques, today's Maputo, Mozambique) is a retired football player and Manuel José (born 1946 is a Portuguese football manager who has coached Sporting Portugal, Boavista FC, Belenenses, and SL Benfica The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Graeme James Souness (ˈsuːnɨs (born 6 May, 1953 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager Shéu Han (born August 3, 1953 in Inhassoro, Mozambique) is a former Portuguese footballer, who played for Sport Lisboa The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Josef "Jupp" Heynckes (b 9 May 1945 in Mönchengladbach, Germany) is a former German football player and coach Josef "Jupp" Heynckes (b 9 May 1945 in Mönchengladbach, Germany) is a former German football player and coach José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho, GOIH (ʒuˈzɛ moˈɾiɲu (born 26 January 1963 in Setúbal) is a Portuguese José Antonio Camacho Alfaro (born June 8, 1955 in the village of Cieza, Murcia) is a former Spanish Football (soccer Giovanni Trapattoni (born March 17, 1939 in Cusano Milanino, Province of Milan) is an Italian football coach considered Ronald Koeman (born 21 March 1963 in Zaandam) is a former Dutch football defender and current manager José Antonio Camacho Alfaro (born June 8, 1955 in the village of Cieza, Murcia) is a former Spanish Football (soccer Fernando Albino de Sousa Chalana ( pron fɨɾ'nɐ̃ðu ʃɐ'lɐ Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. The 2004-05 season saw SL Benfica clinch the SuperLiga Galp Energia title after almost 11 years The Portuguese Liga ( pron 'liɣɐ currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese
  • Winners: 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
  • Runners-up (27): 1943/44 1945/46 1946/47 1947/48 1948/49 1951/52 1952/53 1955/56 1958/59 1965/66 1969/70 1973/74 1977/78 1978/79 1981/82 1985/86 1987/88 1989/90 1991/92 1992/93 1995/96 1997/98 2002/03 2003/04

• Portuguese Cup: 24(record). History The first incarnation of the Taça was in 1912 but very few clubs could participate and thus it was not a regular competition the fact which ended it in
  • Winners: 1929/30 1930/31 1934/35 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
  • Runners-up (9): 1938/39 1957/58 1964/65 1970/71 1973/74 1974/75 1988/89 1996/97 2004/05

• SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira : 4
  • Winners: 1980 1985 1989 2005
  • Runner-up (11) ¹ 1981 1983 1984 1986 1987 1991 1993 1994 1996 2004

¹unofficial

European titles

• UEFA Champions League (former European Cup): 2^[9]
  • Winners: 1960–61; 1961–62
  • Runners-up (5):1962–63; 1964–65; 1967–68; 1987–88; 1989–90

• UEFA Cup: 0
  • Runner-up (1): 1982–83

• Latin Cup: 1
  • Winners: 1950
  • Runners-up (1): 1957

International

• Intercontinental Cup: 0
  • Runners-up (2): 1961, 1962

Retired numbers

S. History In the season 1943-44 it was created a special game between the champions Sporting Clube de Portugal, and the cup holders S See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. The Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. L. Benfica has retired the number of Hungarian player Miklós Fehér, who died of cardiac arrhythmia in January 2004 after falling unconscious during a match for the Portuguese Liga. Football clubs around the world sometimes retire Squad numbers to recognise players' loyal service or tragic death Miklós "Miki" Fehér ( Tatabánya, July 20, 1979 &ndash Guimarães, January 25, 2004) was an Hungarian Dysrhythmia redirects here For the American band see Dysrhythmia (band. The Portuguese Liga ( pron 'liɣɐ currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese

• 29 Miklós Fehér, Striker, 2001 - 2004

First team

No. Miklós "Miki" Fehér ( Tatabánya, July 20, 1979 &ndash Guimarães, January 25, 2004) was an Hungarian In the Sport of Association football, each of the eleven players on a team is assigned to a particular position on the field of play Position Player 1 GK José Moreira 2 DF Luís Filipe 3 DF Edcarlos 4 DF Luisão 5 DF Léo 6 MF Petit 7 FW Óscar Cardozo 8 MF Kostas Katsouranis 9 FW Mantorras 12 GK Quim 14 MF Maxi Pereira 17 DF Marco Zoro 18 MF Gilles Augustin Binya 20 MF Ángel Di María 21 FW Nuno Gomes

No. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports José Filipe da Silva Moreira, OIH (born in March 20, 1982 in Massarelos, Porto) is a Portuguese football In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Luís Filipe Ângelo Rodrigues Fernandes, commonly known as Luís Filipe (born June 14, 1979 in Cantanhede) is a Portuguese In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Edcarlos Conceição Santos, or simply Edcarlos (born May 10 1985 in Bahia) is a Brazilian central defender who currently In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Luisão, real name Ânderson Luís da Silva (born 13 February, 1981 in Amparo São Paulo is a Brazilian footballer. In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Leonardo Lourenço Bastos commonly known as Léo (born 6 July 1975) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a Brazilian Football For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. For the musician see Armando Teixeira (musician. Armando Gonçalves Teixeira born on 25 September1976 in Strasbourg, France Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Óscar René "Tacuara" Cardozo (born May 20, 1983 in Juan Eulogio Estigarribia) is a Paraguayan football striker For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Konstantinos (Kostas Katsouranis (Κωνσταντίνος „Κώστας“ Κατσουράνης born June 21, 1979 in Patras) is a Greek Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Pedro Manuel Torres (born March 18 1982 in Huambo) is an Angolan football player In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Joaquim Manuel Sampaio da Silva, OIH, known as Quim, ( pron kĩ born in Vila Nova de Famalicão, November 13, For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Maximiliano Pereira (born 8 May, 1984 in Montevideo) is an Uruguayan football Midfielder. In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Marco André Zoro Kpolo (born December 27 1983 in Abidjan) is an Ivorian football player who currently plays as a defender For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Gilles Augustin Binya (born August 29, 1984 in Yaoundé) is a footballer from Cameroon, currently Defensive midfielder For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Ángel Fabián Di María (born February Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro, born on 5th July 1976 in Amarante. Position Player 22 DF Nélson 23 DF David Luiz 25 MF Nuno Assis 26 MF Cristian Rodríguez 30 FW Freddy Adu 33 DF László Sepsi 38 FW Ariza Makukula - MF Ruben Amorim - MF Fábio Coentrão - FW Yu Dabao - DF Rafik Halliche - MF Hassan Yebda - DF Miguel Vitor - MF Romeu Ribeiro

Squad changes for 2008/09 season

In:

• Ruben Amorim - Belenenses for Free
• Hassan Yebda - Le Mans for Free
• Jorge Ribeiro - Boavista for Free

Total spending: ▼ 0 €

Out:

• Hans-Jörg Butt - FC Bayern Munich for Free

Total income: ▲ 0 €

Junior Team "A"

No. In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Nélson, full name Nélson Augusto Tomar Marcos (born 10 June 1983 in Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde) is a Portuguese In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring David Luiz Moreira Marinho or otherwise known as David Luiz (born on April 22 1987 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Nuno Assis Lopes de Almeida, Nuno Assis (born 25 November 1977 in Lousã) is a Portuguese football Attacking midfielder For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Cristian Gabriel Rodríguez Barotti, known as Cebolla (born September 30, 1985 in Juan Lacaze) is an Uruguayan footballer who plays Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu (born June 2 1989 in Tema, Ghana) is an American Association football forward or Attacking In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring László Sepsi (born June 7, 1986 in Luduş) is a Romanian ( ethnic Hungarian) footballer, who currently plays as a Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Ariza Makukula (born March 4 1981 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo) is a Portuguese international football For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Ruben Filipe Marques Amorim (born January 27, 1985 in Lisbon) is a Portuguese footballer who plays Midfielder for For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Fábio Alexandre da Silva Coentrão (born March 11, 1988 in Vila do Conde) is a Portuguese Footballer, currently playing as Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Yu Dabao ( is a Chinese International Football player born in China on April 18 1988 that currently plays for China In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Rafik Halliche (born September 2, 1986 in Alger) is an Algerian footballer who currently plays as a Central defender For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Hassan Yebda (born 14 May 1984 in Saint-Maurice) is a French midfielder of Algerian origin currently playing for the Portuguese In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Romeu Oliveira Ribeiro (born January 13, 1989 in Vieira do Minho, Braga) is a Portuguese Footballer who currently Ruben Filipe Marques Amorim (born January 27, 1985 in Lisbon) is a Portuguese footballer who plays Midfielder for Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, usually known simply as Belenenses ( pron Hassan Yebda (born 14 May 1984 in Saint-Maurice) is a French midfielder of Algerian origin currently playing for the Portuguese Le Mans (ləmɑ̃ in French) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Jorge Miguel de Oliveira Ribeiro (born 9 November 1981 in Lisbon) is a Portuguese football left wing-back / Midfielder Boavista Futebol Clube ( pron boɐ'viʃtɐ often simply known as Boavista, is a Sports club from Porto, Portugal that was founded Hans-Jörg Butt (born May 28, 1974 in Oldenburg) is a German goalkeeper who plays for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga FC Bayern München is a German Sports club based in Munich, Bavaria (München Bayern Position Player 1 GK Daniel Casaleiro 12 GK Rui Santos - GK Diogo Freire - GK Rogério António 2 DF Ruben Lima 3 DF Abel Pereira 5 DF Pedro Eugénio 13 DF Airton Oliveira 14 DF João Pereira 15 DF André Magalhães - DF Wagner Silva 20 DF Vlad Chiriches 7 MF Leandro Pimenta - MF Fellipe Ramos Ignez Bastos 8 MF Miguel Rosa

No. In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Fellipe Ramos Ignez Bastos (born 1 February, 1990 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian football player. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Position Player 16 MF João Alberto 17 MF David Simão - MF Ishmael Yartei - MF Abdoulaye Efall - MF Gil Blumstein 9 FW Rui Ferreira 10 FW Robert Moldoveanu 11 FW Marius Calcaia 18 FW Carlos Correia 15 FW Coelho 19 FW Wang Gang 21 FW Daud Machude 80 FW André Soares 80 FW Ugo Akuchie - FW Guido Ezequiel Abayian

Notable former players

The legendary Eusébio, whose statue stands near Benfica's stadium is a symbol of the club and of Portuguese football. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Gil Blumstein (גיל בלומשטיין is an Israeli footballer playing currently for Maccabi Petah Tikva]] signed to a four year deal Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Coelho (Rabbit is a common Portuguese surname It can refer to People Bento Coelho da Silveira (ca Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in

List of notable football players of Benfica's history:

1904 - 1950 Albino Alfredo Valadas Arsénio Trindade Duarte Cosme Damião Espírito Santo Félix Francisco Ferreira Francisco Moreira Gaspar Pinto Gustavo Teixeira Julinho Luís Xavier Rogério Rogério de Sousa Vítor Silva

1951 - 1970 Ângelo António Simões Artur Correia Costa Pereira Cruz Cavém Eusébio Francisco Calado Francisco Palmeiro Germano José Águas José Augusto Jaime Graça Mário Coluna Mário João Raúl Santana Serra Torres Zézinho

1971 - 1990 Álvaro Magalhães Artur Jorge Bastos Lopes Carlos Manuel Chalana Diamantino Eurico Gomes Humberto Coelho João Alves José Henrique José Luís Manuel Bento Nené Pietra Rui Águas Rui Jordão Shéu Han Silvino Toni Veloso Vítor Baptista Vítor Martins Manniche Zoran Filipović Mats Magnusson

1990s Paulo Sousa João Vieira Pinto António Veloso Vítor Paneira Paulo Futre Maniche Rui Costa Paulo Bento Abel Xavier Vata Claudio Caniggia Michel Preud'Homme Erwin Sánchez Valdo Mozer Ricardo Gomes Isaías Aldair Machairidis Ilian Iliev Jorge Bermúdez Mario Stanić Jean-Jacques Eydelie Abdelkrim El Hadrioui Carlos Gamarra Basarab Panduru Sergei Yuran Alexander Mostovoi Jonas Thern Stefan Schwarz

2000s Nuno Gomes Rui Costa Ricardo Rocha Miguel Tiago Fernando Meira Simão Sabrosa Manuel Fernandes Carlos Bossio Ángel Di María Tomo Šokota Karel Poborský Abdel Sattar Sabry Robert Enke Hans-Jörg Butt Giorgos Karagounis Takis Fyssas Kostas Katsouranis Miklos Feher Fabrizio Miccoli Pierre Van Hooijdonk Ljubinko Drulović Zlatko Zahovič Carlos Marchena

Former Football coaches

Manuel Gourlade : 1904-1908 Cosme Damião : 1908-1926 Ribeiro dos Reis : 1926-1929 Arthur John : 1929-1931 Ribeiro dos Reis : 1931-1934 Vítor Gonçalves : 1934-1935 Lipót Hertzka : 1935-1939 János Biri : 1939-1947 Lipót Hertzka : 1947-1948 Edward "Ted" Smith : 1948-1952 Alberto Zozaya : 1952-1953 Ribeiro dos Reis : 1953 José Valdivieso: 1954 Otto Glória : 1954-1959 Béla Guttmann: 1959-1962 Fernando Riera : 1962-1963 Lajos Czeizler : 1963-1964 Elek Schwartz : 1964-1965

Béla Guttmann: 1965-1966 Fernando Riera : 1966-1967 Fernando Cabrita: 1967-1968 Otto Glória : 1968-1970 Jimmy Hagan : 1970-1973 Fernando Cabrita: 1973-1974 Milorad "Michel" Pavić : 1974-1975 Mário Wilson: 1975-1976 John Mortimore: 1976-1979 Mário Wilson: 1979-1980 Lajos Baróti: 1980-1982 Sven-Göran Eriksson : 1982-1984 Pál Csernai : 1984-1985 John Mortimore: 1985-1987 Ebbe Skovdahl : 1987 Toni : 1987-1989 Sven-Göran Eriksson : 1989-1992 Tomislav Ivić : 1992

Toni : 1992-1994 Artur Jorge : 1994-1995 Mário Wilson: 1995-1996 Paulo Autuori : 1996-1997 Manuel José : 1997 Mário Wilson: 1997 Graeme Souness : 1997-1999 Jupp Heynckes : 1999-2000 José Mourinho : 2000 Toni : 2000-2002 Jesualdo Ferreira : 2002 José Antonio Camacho : 2002-2004 Giovanni Trapattoni : 2004-2005 Ronald Koeman : 2005-2006 Fernando Santos : 2006-2007 José Antonio Camacho : 2007-2008 Fernando Chalana : 2008 Quique Flores : 2008-

Other sports

Athletics

Main article: SL Benfica (athletics)

Athletics is a sport with a great tradition in Benfica's history. Cosme Damião ( Lisbon, Portugal 2 November 1885 - Sintra, 11 June 1947) was a football player as Rogério Lantres de Carvalho (born December 7, 1922) was a Portuguese footballer who played for SL Benfica, also known as "O António Simões da Costa ( pron ɐ̃'tɔniu si'mõĩʃ (born Corroios 14 December, 1943) is a legendary Portuguese footballer and a current Alberto da Costa Pereira (born December 22, 1929 in Nacala, Portuguese East Africa – died October 25, 1990 in Domiciano Barrocal Gomes Cavém (Vila Real de Santo António 21 December 1932 &ndash Alcobaça 12 January 2005) was a Portuguese footballer Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM ( pron eu'zɛbiʊ dɐ 'siɫvɐ fɨ'ʁɐiɾɐ (born January 25, 1942 in Germano de Figueiredo (Lisbon 18 January 1933 &mdash 14 July 2004) commonly known by just Germano ( pron. José Pinto Carvalho dos Santos Águas ( pron ʒu'zɛ 'agwɐʃ ( 9 November 1930 &ndash Lisbon, 11 December 2000) was José Augusto ( pron ʒu'zɛ au'guʃtu (full name José Augusto Pinto de Almeida) (born April 13, 1937, in Barreiro) is a former Jaime da Silva Graça pron 'ʒaim(ɨ 'gɾasɐ (born Setúbal 10 January 1942) was a Portuguese football midfielder Mário Esteves Coluna ( pron 'maɾiu ku'lunɐ (born August 6, 1935 at Inhaca, Portuguese East Africa) is a former Portuguese Mario João (born Barreiro, 6 June 1935) was a Portuguese footballer. José Augusto da Costa Séneca Torres ( pron ʒu'zɛ 'toʁɨʃ (born Torres Novas, 8 September 1938) is a former Portuguese Álvaro Monteiro de Magalhães born in Lamego on 3 January1961 better known as Álvaro, is a former football association player who played for Académica Artur Jorge Braga Melo Teixeira, better known as Artur Jorge (born February 13, 1946, in Porto) is a Portuguese football Carlos Manuel Correia dos Santos (born Moita, 15 January 1958 commonly known by Carlos Manuel, was a Portuguese football player and is a current Fernando Albino de Sousa Chalana ( pron fɨɾ'nɐ̃ðu ʃɐ'lɐ Diamantino Manuel Fernandes Miranda (born 3 August 1959 in Moita) known just by Diamantino in his playing days is a former Portuguese Humberto Manuel de Jesus Coelho (born 20 April, 1950, Cedofeita, Portugal) is a Portuguese former professional footballer José Henrique Rodrigues Marques (born 18 May 1943, Arrentela, Portugal) is a Portuguese former professional footballer José Luis Lopes da Costa e Silva (born Lisbon, 17 May 1958) was a forward on the Benfica side that dominated Portuguese Manuel Garlinho Bento (born 25 June, 1948, Golegã, Portugal - died 1 March 2007, Barreiro, Portugal Tamagnini Manuel Gomes Baptista, used nickname Nené ( pron nɛ Rui José Lopes Águas (born 28 April, 1960, Lisbon, Portugal) was a Portuguese former professional footballer and Rui Manuel Trindade Jordão ( pron ʁuj ʒuɾ'ðɐ̃w̃ (born 9 August 1952 in Benguela, Angola) is a former Portuguese Shéu Han (born August 3, 1953 in Inhassoro, Mozambique) is a former Portuguese footballer, who played for Sport Lisboa Silvino de Almeida Louro (born Setúbal, 5 March 1959) known as Silvino, is a former Portuguese Goalkeeper, and now a António José Conceição Oliveira (born October 14 1946) known as Toni, is a coach, and a former Portuguese football Veloso is a portuguese surname that means "hairy" Diego Veloso, a Portuguese explorer Caetano Veloso, a Brazilian composer and singer Vítor Manuel Ferreira Baptista ( Setúbal, 18 October 1948 - 1 January 1999) was a Portuguese football player Michael Manniche "Manne" (born July 17, 1959) is a former Danish professional Football (soccer player who represented the Zoran Filipović (Зоран Филиповић (born February 6, 1953 in Titograd, Montenegro, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia Mats Ture Magnusson (born 10 July 1963 in Helsingborg) is a former Swedish footballer, who played as a Striker. for another Portuguese footballer see José Paulo Sousa da Silva. João Manuel Vieira Pinto (born 19 August 1971 in Porto) is a former Portuguese footballer, who made his name mostly at a domestic António Augusto Silva Veloso (born January 31, 1957 in São João da Madeira) is a retired Portuguese footballer who played in various Vítor Manuel da Costa Araújo (born February 16, 1966 in Calendário Vila Nova de Famalicão) known as Vítor Paneira, is a former Portuguese Paulo Jorge dos Santos Futre ( pron 'paulu 'futɾɨ born 28 February 1966 in Montijo) is a former Portuguese professional footballer Maniche ( pron ma'niʃɨ or less usually; real name Nuno Ricardo de Oliveira Ribeiro, OIH, born 11 November[[ 977]] in Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH, usually referred to simply as Rui Costa ( pron Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento (born June 20, 1969 in Lisbon) ( pron. Abel Luís da Silva Costa Xavier, pron ɐ'bɛɫ ʃɐvi'ɛɾ (born 30 November 1972 in Nampula, Mozambique) is a professional Claudio Paul Caniggia (born January 9, 1967 in Henderson Buenos Aires) is a former Argentine football forward, who played Michel Preud'homme (born January 24, 1959 in Ougree) is a former Belgian football Goalkeeper, currently a head coach Erwin "Platiní" Sánchez Freking (born October 19, 1969 in Santa Cruz) is a former Bolivian footballer and current team manager for Valdo Cândido de Oliveira Filho ("Filho" is "Son" in portuguese language better known simply as Valdo, was a Brazilian footballer born on 12 January José Carlos Nepomuceno Mozer, usually known as Carlos Mozer or simply Mozer (born on 19 September, 1960 in Rio de Janeiro) is Ricardo Gomes Raimundo, usually known as Ricardo Gomes or simply Ricardo (born on December 13, 1964 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Isaías Marques Soares (born 17 November 1963 in Rio de Janeiro) usually called Isaías, is a former Brazilian footballer Aldair, full name Aldair Nascimento dos Santos (born November 30, 1965 in Ilhéus) is a Brazilian football defender Ilian Iliev (Илиян Илиев (born July 2, 1968 in Varna) is a retired Bulgarian football midfielder Jorge Hernán Bermúdez Morales (born 18 June, 1971 in Armenia Colombia) is a retired Colombian football defender who Mario Stanić (born April 10, 1972 in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia) is a former Croatian football Jean-Jacques Eydelie (born 3 February 1966) is a French former footballer most noted for his role in the Marseille match-fixing scandal of 1993 Abdelkrim El Hadrioui (عبد الكريم الحضريوي (born March 6, 1972 in Taza) is a former Moroccan football defender Carlos Alberto Gamarra Pavon (born February 17, 1971 in Ypacarai, Paraguay) is a football player Basarab Nică Panduru, (born July 11, 1970 in Mârzăneşti, Teleorman) is a former Romanian Football player and current Sergei Nikolayevich Yuran (Сергей Николаевич Юран (born June 11, 1969 in Luhansk) is a former football Striker Aleksandr Vladimirovich Mostovoi (Александр Владимирович Мостовой (born August 22, 1968 in St Jonas Thern (born March 20, 1967 in Falköping) is a former Swedish Football (soccer player Stefan Schwarz (born 18 April, 1969 in Malmö, Sweden) is a Swedish former footballer Born to a German father Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro, born on 5th July 1976 in Amarante. Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH, usually referred to simply as Rui Costa ( pron For other people of this name see Ricardo Rocha (disambiguation. Miguel ( pron mi'ɣɛɫ full name Luís Miguel Brito Garcia Monteiro, OIH, (born January 4, 1980 in Lisbon Tiago Cardoso Mendes (ti'agu born May 2, 1981, in Viana do Castelo, Portugal) or more commonly referred to as Tiago, is a Portuguese Fernando José da Silva Freitas Meira, known as Fernando Meira, (born 5 June 1978 in Guimarães) pron. Simão Pedro Fonseca Sabrosa, OIH, commonly known as Simão Sabrosa ( pron. Manuel Henrique Tavares Fernandes (pronounced mɐnu'ɛɫ fɨɾ'nɐ̃ðɨʃ (born February 5, 1986) commonly known as Manuel Fernandes, is a Portuguese Carlos Gustavo Bossio (born 1 December 1973 in Córdoba) is an Argentine football goalkeeper who currently plays for Ángel Fabián Di María (born February (born March 30, 1972 in Třeboň) is a former Czech footballer. Abdel Sattar Sabry (born June 19, 1974 in Cairo) is an Egyptian footballer currently with El Geish, as an Attacking Robert Enke (born August 24, 1977 in Jena) is a German football goalkeeper, who plays for Hannover 96 in the Hans-Jörg Butt (born May 28, 1974 in Oldenburg) is a German goalkeeper who plays for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga Giorgos Karagounis ( Greek: Γιώργος Καραγκούνης; born March 6, 1977, in Pirgos, Greece) is a Panagiotis "Takis" Fyssas (born 12 June 1973, in Athens) is a former Greek international footballer. Konstantinos (Kostas Katsouranis (Κωνσταντίνος „Κώστας“ Κατσουράνης born June 21, 1979 in Patras) is a Greek Miklós "Miki" Fehér ( Tatabánya, July 20, 1979 &ndash Guimarães, January 25, 2004) was an Hungarian Fabrizio Miccoli (born on June 27 1979) is an Italian football Striker who currently is playing for Serie A team Petrus ("Pierre" Ferdinandus Johannes Stevenson van Hooijdonk (born on November 29, 1969 in Steenbergen, Noord-Brabant) is a Ljubinko Drulović (Љубинко Друловић (born April 11, 1968 in Nova Varoš, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a retired Zlatko Zahovič (; born February 1, 1971) is a former Slovenian football player and current sport director of NK Maribor. Carlos Marchena López, known as Marchena (born 31 July 1979 in Seville) is a Spanish footballer who currently plays Cosme Damião ( Lisbon, Portugal 2 November 1885 - Sintra, 11 June 1947) was a football player as Alberto Maximo Zozaya (born April 13 1908 in Gualeguaychú Entre Ríos) is a former Argentine football striker he played most of Otto Martins Glória (* 9 January 1917 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - † 4 September 1986) was a Brazilian Football Béla Guttmann (born Budapest, Hungary, March 13 1900; died Vienna, Austria, August 28 1981) also Fernando Riera Bauza (born 27 June 1920 at Santiago Chile) is a former Chilean football player and manager Lajos Czeizler ( 5 October 1893 &ndash 6 May 1969) was a Hungarian Football (soccer coach born in Heres. Alexander "Elek" Schwartz ( 23 October 1908 &ndash 2 October 2000) was coach of the Dutch national football team. Béla Guttmann (born Budapest, Hungary, March 13 1900; died Vienna, Austria, August 28 1981) also Fernando Riera Bauza (born 27 June 1920 at Santiago Chile) is a former Chilean football player and manager Fernando da Silva Cabrita (born Lagoa Algarve 1 May 1923) is a former Portuguese footballer and football manager Otto Martins Glória (* 9 January 1917 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - † 4 September 1986) was a Brazilian Football James (Jimmy Hagan ( 21 January 1918 &ndash 26 February 1998) was an English football player and manager born in Fernando da Silva Cabrita (born Lagoa Algarve 1 May 1923) is a former Portuguese footballer and football manager Milorad "Miša" Pavić ( November 11, 1921 in Valjevo - August 16, 2005 in Valjevo) was a Yugoslavian Mário Wilson (born October 17, 1929 in Lourenço Marques, today's Maputo, Mozambique) is a retired football player and John Mortimore (born 23 September 1934) is a retired English footballer who played in midfield for Chelsea between 1956 Mário Wilson (born October 17, 1929 in Lourenço Marques, today's Maputo, Mozambique) is a retired football player and Lajos Baróti (born 19 August 1914 at Szeged, died 23 December 2005 aged 91 was most famous for being the coach of the Hungary Sven-Göran Eriksson ( born February 5 1948 is a Swedish football manager, who is currently the manager of the Mexico national football team. Pál Csernai (born 21 October 1932) was a Hungarian Football (soccer player and coach John Mortimore (born 23 September 1934) is a retired English footballer who played in midfield for Chelsea between 1956 António José Conceição Oliveira (born October 14 1946) known as Toni, is a coach, and a former Portuguese football Sven-Göran Eriksson ( born February 5 1948 is a Swedish football manager, who is currently the manager of the Mexico national football team. Tomislav Ivić (born June 30, 1933, in Split, Yugoslavia) is a former Croatian football manager. António José Conceição Oliveira (born October 14 1946) known as Toni, is a coach, and a former Portuguese football Artur Jorge Braga Melo Teixeira, better known as Artur Jorge (born February 13, 1946, in Porto) is a Portuguese football Mário Wilson (born October 17, 1929 in Lourenço Marques, today's Maputo, Mozambique) is a retired football player and Paulo Autuori de Mello (born in August 25, 1956 in Rio de Janeiro, RJ) is a Brazilian football manager Manuel José (born 1946 is a Portuguese football manager who has coached Sporting Portugal, Boavista FC, Belenenses, and SL Benfica Mário Wilson (born October 17, 1929 in Lourenço Marques, today's Maputo, Mozambique) is a retired football player and Graeme James Souness (ˈsuːnɨs (born 6 May, 1953 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager Josef "Jupp" Heynckes (b 9 May 1945 in Mönchengladbach, Germany) is a former German football player and coach José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho, GOIH (ʒuˈzɛ moˈɾiɲu (born 26 January 1963 in Setúbal) is a Portuguese António José Conceição Oliveira (born October 14 1946) known as Toni, is a coach, and a former Portuguese football Manuel Jesualdo Ferreira (born May 24 1946) is a Portuguese Football (soccer manager José Antonio Camacho Alfaro (born June 8, 1955 in the village of Cieza, Murcia) is a former Spanish Football (soccer Giovanni Trapattoni (born March 17, 1939 in Cusano Milanino, Province of Milan) is an Italian football coach considered Ronald Koeman (born 21 March 1963 in Zaandam) is a former Dutch football defender and current manager José Antonio Camacho Alfaro (born June 8, 1955 in the village of Cieza, Murcia) is a former Spanish Football (soccer Fernando Albino de Sousa Chalana ( pron fɨɾ'nɐ̃ðu ʃɐ'lɐ Quique Flores, full name Enrique Sánchez Flores (born 2 February 1965 in Madrid) is a Spanish football coach and former Nowadays, Carlos Calado specialised in the long jump and Nelson Évora with a national record in triple jump, are among Benfica's athletics biggest names. Carlos Nuno Tavares Calado (born October 5, 1975 in Alcanena, Médio Tejo) is an athlete from Portugal and SL The long jump is an Athletics (track and field event in which athletes combine speed strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far from the take-off point as possible Nelson Évora (born April 20 1984 is a Portuguese athlete who specializes in the Triple jump and Long jump. The triple jump (sometimes referred to as the hop step and jump or the hop skip and jump) is a Track and field sport similar to By the number of regional, national and international titles, it is the most successful sport of the club.

Basketball

Main article: SL Benfica (basketball)

S. Benfica Basket is the professional Basketball team of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, based in Lisbon, Portugal. L. Benfica are a top club in Portugal. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. One of its most memorable moments was when Benfica's basketball team won a European Cup clash against Italian giants Buckler Bologna, beating the Italians 102-90, in 4 December 1993 at Pavilhão da Luz in Lisbon. Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna is a prominent Italian League professional Basketball club that is based in Bologna. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) However, due to Portugal's popularity in football, basketball is not nearly as popular with the population as football. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Just as in football, Benfica has a major rivalry with F.C. Porto's basketball team and it usually leads to arguments between the fans and players. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known S. L. Benfica have won in his basketball history 20 Portuguese championships, 18 Portuguese cups, 5 League Cups and 7 Portuguese Supercups and are currently one of the best teams in the league.

Billiards

Benfica has a long and rich tradition on Billiards. The new board of the section was elected in April 2007.

Cycling

Main article: SL Benfica (cycling team)

Cycling was the second modality established within the club, and along with football, is one of only two sports referenced in the club logo. Sport Lisboa e Benfica ( Cycling team) is the Cycling team of the Multisports club Sport Lisboa e Benfica, from Lisbon, Portugal Cycling is the use of Bicycles or - less commonly - Unicycles Tricycles Quadricycles and other similar wheeled Human powered vehicles The sport was in activity from 1906 to 1941, 1947 to 1978, and once again for two seasons in 1999 and 2000. Benfica last won the Volta a Portugal in 1999, with Spanish cyclist David Plaza capturing the leader's yellow jersey. History The competition started in 1927 however it second edition only occurred in 1931 David Plaza Romero (born July 3, 1970 in Madrid) is a Spanish former professional Road bicycle racer. Historically, the club has had great national successes in cycling, and after some interruptions and delays, approved in 2006 the re-introduction of a cycling department to start in 2007. The team will join the UCI Professional Continental Division. The Head of this department is the former cyclist Orlando Rodrigues.

Futsal

Main article: SL Benfica (futsal)

Benfica have a professional futsal team since 2002. Achievements Portuguese Futsal First Division: 4 2002/2003 2004/2005 2006/2007 2007/2008 The club has won, in 5 years, 3 Portuguese championships, 3 Portuguese cups and 3 Portuguese Supercups. Benfica also reached the final of the UEFA Cup in the 2003/04 season. In 2007 season, Benfica was national champion and also won the Portuguese cup. In the Women's section, Benfica was also national champion.

Women's Futsal National trophies:

• Taça Nacional winner: 2004/2005, 2005/2006, 2006/2007
• Taça Distrital AFL winner: 2004/2005, 2005/2006, 2006/2007
• Campeão Distrital (District of Lisbon Champion): 2004/2005, 2005/2006, 2006/2007
• Taça Ibérica winner: 2007

Handball

Main article: SL Benfica (handball)

The Men's national Handball honours of Benfica include 7 championships, 3 cups, 3 supercups and 1 league cup. Achievements (Men's section Champion of Liga Portuguesa de Andebol - 7 Winner of Portuguese Handball The club gave up of the sport between 1997 and 2004. Until the 1992/93 season, the club's variant of seven achieved the 100th trophy mark. 30 of them were conquered by seniors teams. In the 2007 season, Benfica ended a period of sixteen seasons without any national title won on men's seniors, after the conquest of the league cup, on 28th January 2007. Benfica won the national championship in the 2008 season, after 18 years without achieving that status.

Gymnastics

The club has a gymnastics department, with the following activities: Aerobics, Acrobatic, Aerominis, Ballet, Ballroom dance, Dance, Gymnastics of maintenance, Hapkido, Haidong Gumdo, Hip Hop, "Os Madrugadores", PlayGym, Rhythmic gymnastics, Silhouettes, Taekwondo, Trampoline, Yoga, Youth Gymnastics. Gymnastics is a Sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength agility and coordination Aerobics is a form of Physical exercise that combines rhythmic Aerobic exercise with Stretching and Strength training routines with the Acrobatics (from Greek Akros, high and bat, walking is one of the Performing arts, and is also practiced as a Sport. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Ballroom dance refers collectively to a set of Partner dances which originated in Germany and are now enjoyed both socially and competitively around the Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic Hapkido (also spelled hap ki do or hapki-do) is a dynamic and eclectic Korean martial art. Haedong Kumdo, also spelled Haidong Gumdo, is a name coined around 1982 and used for several Korean martial arts organizations that use swords Spelling Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which single competitors or pairs trios or even more (generally five manipulate one or two apparatus rope, hoop, ball Taekwondo (Korean태권도thɛʔkwʌndo Englishˈteɪˈkwɒnˈdoʊ is a Korean Martial art and the National sport of South Korea A trampoline is a Gymnastic and Recreational device consisting of a piece of taut strong Fabric stretched over a Steel frame using many coiled Yoga ( Sanskrit: योग, IAST: yóga, joːgə refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, to the

Every year, the club organises the sarau Gimnáguia, known as one of the biggest and most important gymnastics event in Portugal, with the participation of several clubs. A sarau is a Cultural, Musical or Sporting event in which people reunite to express themselves artistically Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The event celebrates in 2007 the twenty-fifth anniversary.

Judo

European champion in the women's under-52 kg category, Telma Monteiro, has joined Benfica. Telma Monteiro (b 27 December, 1985) is a Portuguese Judoka from the city of Almada. ^[10]. The section is fully established on January, 21, 2008, when the club will inaugurate their first ever Tatami mat. (originally meaning "folded and piled" Mats are a traditional type of Japanese flooring A mat is a generic term for a piece of fabric or flat material generally placed on a Floor or other flat surface and serving a range of purposes including ^[11] Ana Monteiro, Sandra Borges, Teresa Mirrado and André Januário are among other athletes of the section.

Rink hockey

Main article: SL Benfica (rink hockey)

Benfica has practiced this sport without interruption for longer than any other club in the world. Achievements Portuguese Rink Hockey Championship: 21 1950/51 1951/52 1955/56 1956/57 1959/60 1960/61 1965/66 The team are currently playing in the Primeira Divisão (First Division). The club has won many domestic competitions (20 Portuguese championships, 11 Portuguese Cups and 6 Portuguese Supercups), and European competitions (1 CERS Cup). The club's rink hockey team is considered one of the best in Portugal and rivalizes at national level with F.C. Porto and Óquei Clube de Barcelos rink hockey teams, in Europe they are also a title disputing team although they have only won the second most important cup once, CERS Cup. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Futebol Clube do Porto ( pron futɨ'bɔɫ 'klub(ɨ du 'poɾtu - short FC Porto or FCP - is a Portuguese Sports club best known Óquei Clube de Barcelos is a Rink hockey team from Barcelos, Portugal.

Rugby

Benfica have won many Portuguese championships in rugby, with Académica de Coimbra, C.D.U.P., Direito and Belenenses being other powerful competitors. Centro Desportivo Universitário do Porto or CDUP (Sports Center of University of Porto) is a Portuguese amateur sports club for students at the University Grupo Desportivo Direito is a Portuguese rugby union team in Lisbon. Belenenses is a Portuguese Rugby union team Apart from winning several titles as a team they have also provided four players to the National Team that played at Benfica have also won the Iberian Cup. Benfica is the oldest Portuguese club with a rugby section. In the 2008 season, the men's senior team ended in the 4th position in the national championship, while the women's section was the national champion for the second consecutive year.

Swimming

S. L. Benfica's swimming department is among the best in Portugal. Benfica's swimmer Alexandre Yokochi is considered the best Portuguese swimmer of all-time, achieving remarkable results at international level. In the eighties, Benfica achieved relevant results, both in national and international levels. In 2007, the club won several medals in different competitions, at youth and seniors levels. Benfica has a men's and women's department.

Triathlon

World champion Vanessa Fernandes in women's triathlon is currently the most notable athlete of this department. Vanessa de Sousa Fernandes (vɐˈnɛsɐ fɨɾˈnɐ̃dɨʃ born September 14, 1985) is a Portuguese athlete from Perosinho, Vila Nova A triathlon is an endurance sports event consisting of Swimming, cycling and Running over various distances

Table tennis

The club has a table tennis department, with a men's and women's section. Benfica dominated this sport at national level for a long period of time, with several titles won.

Volleyball

Main article: SL Benfica (volleyball)

Benfica has gain a certain importance in the Portuguese volleyball in the last years when the club invested amounts to hire a winning team. Achievements Portuguese Volleyball League A1: 3 1980/81 1990/91 e 2004/2005 Portuguese Volleyball The club won 3 Portuguese championships (the last one in 2004/05) and 10 Portuguese cups.

References

See also

• Deloitte Football Money League

External links

• Official website:
  • SL Benfica Official Website (Portuguese)

• Other important websites:
  • Nuno Gomes's official website
  • Benfica SLB Blog
  • SerBenfiquista.com - Unofficial Website
  • Freddy Adu's Official Website
  • Planet Benfica (in English)
• Official supporters websites:
  • Diabos Vermelhos / SL Benfica Supporters
  • Blog Vedeta ou Marreta? Tributo aos jogadores que passearam o perfume do seu futebol (ou a falta dele) pelos relvados encarnados.

• Portuguese football links:
  • Portuguesefutebol.comYour source for Portuguese football in English. Telma Monteiro (b 27 December, 1985) is a Portuguese Judoka from the city of Almada. The Deloitte Football Money League is a ranking of football clubs by income
  • www.PortuGOAL.net|The definitive Portuguese football site (in English)
  • Soccerpulse - SL Benfica Information and Discussion Forum (in English)

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