S.L. Benfica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 06/2015
Full name
Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Nicknames
Benfiquistas (supporters)
As Águias (The Eagles)
Os Encarnados (The Reds)
O Glorioso (The Glorious One)
Short name
SLB
Founded
28 February 1904
as Sport Lisboa
Ground
Estádio da Luz
Capacity
65,647
President
Luís Filipe Vieira
Manager
Rui Vitória
League
Primeira Liga
2014-15
Primeira Liga, 1st
Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica, or simply as SLB, is a Portuguese sports club based in Lisbon.
The club is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Primeira Liga, the top tier of the Portuguese football league system, where they are back-to-back champions.
Founded in 1904 as Sport Lisboa by a group of people led by Cosme Damião, Benfica is one of the Big Three clubs in Portugal (Os Três Grandes), along with its long-standing rivals Sporting CP and FC Porto, which have never been relegated from the Portuguese league since its establishment in 1934.
Benfica is the most supported Portuguese club, the European club with the biggest percentage of supporters in its own country, and the biggest club in the world in membership terms, with 270,000 members.
The club's motto is "E pluribus unum" (Out of many, one) and the official anthem is "Ser Benfiquista".
The club colours are red and white, the team is nicknamed Águias (Eagles) or Encarnados (Reds), and their supporters are called Benfiquistas. Benfica have played their home games at the Estádio da Luz since 2003, which replaced the previous 49-year-old ground with the same name.
Benfica is the most successful Portuguese club in terms of domestic titles (73) and overall titles (75), or 76 including the Latin Cup), being the only club to have won all Portuguese competitions.
Benfica have won a record 34 Primeira Liga titles, a record 25 Taça de Portugal (and 4 consecutively) - achieving a record 10 doubles - a record 6 Taça da Liga (and 4 consecutively), 5 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira and 3 Campeonato de Portugal (a record 2 consecutive).
In 2014, they achieved an unprecedented treble of Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, and Taça da Liga.
They also won the Supertaça, becoming the only club to have won all four domestic titles in a year.
It is also the only club to have won the Primeira Liga and Taça da Liga, moreover, three times. Benfica became the first team in Portuguese league history to complete two 30-game seasons without defeat, namely the 1972-73 and 1977-78 seasons.
In the former, they achieved the largest difference of points ever between champions and runners-up (18 points) in a two-points-per-win system.
Benfica also holds the European record for the most consecutive wins in domestic league (29), between 1971-72 and 1972-73, as well the record for the longest unbeaten run in Portuguese league (56), between 1976-77 and 1978-79.
Internationally, Benfica won two consecutive European Cups in 1961 and 1962, a unique feat in Portuguese football.
In addition, they were runners-up at the Intercontinental Cup in 1961 and 1962, at the European Cup in 1963, 1965, 1968, 1988 and 1990 (the Portuguese club with the most finals and a record three consecutive), and at the UEFA Cup/Europa League in 1983, 2013 and 2014 (the Portuguese club with the most finals and a record two consecutive).
Benfica have reached 10 European finals, which ranks seventh all-time among UEFA clubs and is also a Portuguese record.
In 2000, Benfica was ranked twelfth in FIFA Club of the Century award.
In 2009, it was ranked ninth in "Europe's Club of the Century" by IFFHS.[
Benfica is ranked sixth in the UEFA club coefficient rankings and twelfth in the IFFHS World Club Ranking, which are the best positions of a Portuguese club.
HISTORY
EARLY YEARS (1904-1950)
On 28 February 1904, a group of former students from the Real Casa Pia de Lisboa and members of Associação do Bem met at the back of Farmácia Franco on Rua de Belém with the goal of forming a social and cultural football club which would be called Sport Lisboa.
There were a total of 24 people who attended the meeting, including the eighteen-year-old co-founder and future soul of the club: Cosme Damião.
During the meeting, José Rosa Rodrigues was appointed as the club's (first) president, along with Daniel Brito as secretary and Manuel Gourlade as treasurer.
In this historic meeting it was defined that the colours of the club would be red (for bravery) and white (for peace), and that the crest would be composed of an eagle (symbolising high aspirations), the motto "E pluribus unum" (defining union between all club members), and a football ball.
On 1 January 1905, Benfica played their first match ever, winning 1:0 against Campo de Ourique.
Despite important victories in the first few years, the club suffered due to poor operating conditions, namely the football dirt field Terras do Desembargador.
As a result, in 1907, eight players joined Sporting CP, located across the city. This event started the major rivalry between the two clubs.
On 13 September 1908, Sport Lisboa acquired Grupo Sport Benfica (founded on 26 July 1906 and renamed Sport Clube de Benfica in March 1908) by mutual agreement and changed its name to Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
Despite the merger of the two clubs, they continued their respective club operations.
For Sport Lisboa they maintained the football team, the red and white shirt colours, the eagle as the symbol, and "E pluribus unum" as the motto.
For Grupo Sport Benfica they maintained the field Campo da Feiteira, the main directors and the club's house.
Under mutual agreement, both clubs determined that the foundation date of the newly formed club - Sport Lisboa e Benfica - should coincide with the foundation date of Sport Lisboa given that it was the most recognised club in the merger and it was already quite popular in Lisbon due to its football merits.
In regard to the new club's logo, a cycling wheel was added to the crest of Sport Lisboa to represent the most important sport of Grupo Sport Benfica.
As for the new club's name, "Benfica" from "Grupo Sport Benfica" was merged with "Sport Lisboa" to form "Sport Lisboa e Benfica", which remains the formal full name.
Furthermore, the two entities of the new club had simultaneous members who helped to stabilise operations and later increased the success of the merger.
However, problems with the club's rented field remained.
In 1913, Benfica moved to their first football grass field Campo de Sete Rios.
Four years later they moved to Campo de Benfica due to a high rent.
In 1925, Benfica moved to their own stadium, Estádio das Amoreiras, and this was the place where Benfica won their first national titles.
The Portuguese league began in 1934, and after finishing third in the first edition, Benfica won the next three championships in a row (1935-36, 1936-37, 1937-38).
In 1940, Benfica won their first Taça de Portugal.
In 1941, Benfica moved to Estádio do Campo Grande.
Throughout the 1940s, Benfica won three Primeira Liga (1941-42, 1942-43, 1944-45) and four Taça de Portugal (1940, 1943, 1944, 1949).
János Biri achieved the first double for the club in 1943.
RISE TO DOMINANCE (1950-1960)
Benfica's first major international success happened in 1950 when they won the Latin Cup (the only Portuguese club to do so) - the predecessor of the European Champion Clubs' Cup – defeating Bordeaux at the Estádio Nacional, in Lisbon, with Ted Smith as manager.
They reached another final of this competition in 1957 but lost to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
With Joaquim Ferreira Bogalho elected as president in 1952 and the arrival of manager Otto Glória in 1954, Benfica became more modernised and professional, and moved into the original Estádio da Luz with an initial capacity of 40,000 spectators; later expanded to 70,000 in 1960.
During the 1950s, Benfica won three Primeira Liga (1949-50, 1954-55, 1956-57 - they were champions in 1955 but Sporting CP played the 1955-56 European Cup instead) and six Taça de Portugal (1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959), achieving the second double in 1955 and the third one in 1957.
In addition to these successes, Benfica was able to end the decade with the basic foundations in place, enabling the club to enter the 1960s as one of the best in European football.
GOLDEN YEARS (1960-1970)
Eusébio won the Ballon d'Or winner in 1965
Led by manager Béla Guttmann, Benfica was one of the two teams, along with Barcelona, to break Real Madrid's dominance in European Champion Clubs' Cup by winning two consecutive European Cup, the first against Barcelona in 1961 (3:2) at the Wankdorf Stadium and the second one against Real Madrid in 1962 (5:3) at the Olympic Stadium.
Later on, Benfica reached another three European Cup finals but lost them to Milan in 1963 (2:1) at the Wembley Stadium, to Internazionale in 1965 (1:0) at the San Siro, and to Manchester United in 1968 (4:1) again at the Wembley Stadium.
Many of Benfica's successes in this decade were achieved with Eusébio - the only player to have won a Ballon d'Or for a Portuguese club - Coluna, José Águas, José Augusto, Simões, Torres, and other notable players, who formed the team of 1963-64, which set a club record of 103 goals in 26 league matches.
The 1960s were the best period of the club's history, in which Benfica won eight Primeira Liga (1959-60, 1960-61, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69), three Taça de Portugal (1962, 1964, 1969) and two European Cup (1960-61, 1961-62).
Their fourth domestic double was achieved in 1964 with Lajos Czeizler and the fifth one in 1969 with Otto Glória.
In 1968, Benfica was elected the European Team of the Year by France Football.
During this decade, Benfica was ranked first in European football three times.
DOMINANCE AND DECLINE (1970-1994)
Sven-Göran Eriksson won two consecutive league titles and reached two European finals
Shéu spent his entire player career with Benfica, winning 17 major titles
During the 1970s, they faded slightly from the European scene, but remained as the main force of Portuguese football, winning six Primeira Liga (1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77) and two Taça de Portugal (1970, 1972).
Jimmy Hagan led the club to three Primeira Liga and one Taça de Portugal between 1970 and 1973, achieving the club's sixth double in 1972.
Benfica also attracted Europe-wide attention when they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, where they were eliminated on aggregate (1:0) by Ajax of Johan Cruyff.
In 1972-73, Benfica became the first club in Portugal to last a whole season without defeat, winning 28 matches - 23 consecutively - out of 30, and drawing 2.
In that year, Eusébio also became Europe's top scorer with 40 goals, in what was his penultimate season as a Benfica player.
They scored 101 goals, breaking the 100 goals mark for the second time in the club's history, and conceded 13 goals.
In the late 1970s, early 1980s, the club had some corporate management problems but the team managed to keep up to their high standards.
In 1981, Lajos Baróti secured the seventh double for Benfica by winning the Primeira Liga and the Taça de Portugal.
Later, under the guidance of Sven-Göran Eriksson, the club won two consecutive Primeira Liga (1982-83, 1983-84) and one Taça de Portugal (1983), achieving their eighth double, and reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1983 but lost on aggregate score to Anderlecht.
In the same year, Benfica also won the Iberian Cup II, beating Athletic Bilbao on aggregate.
Eight years later, they were runners-up against Atlético de Madrid in Iberian Cup III.
Following the completion of improvements to the stadium, the board of Benfica decided to open the third tier of the Estádio da Luz, which transformed it into the biggest football stadium in Europe and third largest in the world, with a seating capacity of 120,000 spectators (up to 135,000 in the days of 'standing behind the goals').
In 1986-87, John Moltimore won the Primeira Liga and Taça de Portugal, obtaining the ninth double for Benfica.
From 1988 to 1994, Benfica made a huge financial investment in an effort to win another European Cup, reaching two European Cup finals in 1988 and 1990 but lost them to PSV (on penalties) and Milan (1:0), respectively.
During the same period of time, Benfica won three Primeira Liga (1988-89, 1990-91, 1993-94) and one Taça de Portugal (1993).
In 1988-89, led by manager Toni, they only conceded 15 goals in 38 league matches, a club record.
CISIS AND RECOVERY (1994-2009)
Financial trouble dating back to the 1980s when Benfica completed the third tier (Terceiro Anel) of the Estádio da Luz, along with the dream of becoming European Champion again, started to deteriorate the club finances.
The rampant spending and a questionable signing policy, which allowed for squads composed of well over 30 players, further aggravated the problem.
Consequently, the period from 1994 through 2003 was arguably the darkest in the history of Benfica.
During this time, Benfica only won the Taça de Portugal in 1996, suffered their biggest defeat in European competitions (7:0 against Celta de Vigo) in 1999, and had their lowest Primeira Liga finishing positions, such as sixth in 2000–01 and fourth in 2001–02.
The club entered in default during João Vale e Azevedo's three-year presidency, which further damaged the club finances and credibility, and nearly every year hired two or more managers.
Eleven managers shared the seat from 1994 to 2003, including Mário Wilson, thrice.
It was during this period that Benfica signed Simão Sabrosa for €12 million, smashing the Portuguese transfer record, and decided to build the new Estádio da Luz on 28 September 2001, which would eventually cost €162 million.
In the 2003-04 season, with a new president, Luís Filipe Vieira, and new manager, José Antonio Camacho, who had joined in 2002, Benfica won their 24th Taça de Portugal defeating José Mourinho's Porto in the final (2:1).
They dedicated the trophy to the Hungarian player Miklós Fehér who had died in January 2004.
In 2004-05, Benfica won their 31st Portuguese League (the first in ten seasons) with Giovanni Trapattoni as manager.
Later on, the club president, manager, and the first-team squad travelled to Hungary to deliver the Portuguese championship gold medal to Fehér's parents.
In 2005-06, Benfica won their fourth Supertaça against Vitória de Setúbal (1:0).
In Europe, Benfica managed to reach the quarter-finals of UEFA Champions League beating Manchester United 2:1 in the decisive group stage encounter, and then overcoming the European champions Liverpool 3:0 on aggregate.
However, Benfica lost in the quarter-finals to the eventual Champions League winners Barcelona by an aggregate of 2:0, both goals coming during the second leg at Camp Nou.
In 2006-07, Benfica found themselves again facing Manchester United in a decisive Champions League group match in which the winner would advance.
However, this time Manchester United prevailed, gaining revenge in a 3:1 win.
On 20 August 2007, manager Camacho returned to Benfica on a two-year contract, following the sacking of Fernando Santos after one match in the Primeira Liga (a tie against promoted Leixões), at a time when Benfica was facing a vital Champions League qualifying match against Copenhagen.
A successful move since Benfica guaranteed a place in the Champions League after beating Copenhagen 1:0, but exited the competition at the group stage and were put into UEFA Cup, where they lost to Getafe.
Camacho resigned on 9 March 2008.
Afterwards, with Fernando Chalana as an interim manager, they failed to gain a top three finish in the league, and were placed in the UEFA Cup.
On 22 May 2008, Quique Flores was appointed as Benfica's new manager where he won the club's first Taça da Liga defeating Sporting CP.
In the Primeira Liga they finished third and got a place in the UEFA Europa League.
On 8 June 2009, Quique Flores resigned as manager after agreeing to a friendly contractual termination.
JESUS YEARS AND AFTER (2009-present)
(On 17 June 2009, Benfica signed Jorge Jesus as manager.)
In that time they won their 32nd league title.
In the 2009-10 season, Benfica had the highest average attendance in the league and their highest home attendance was 58,659 against Porto, a match won by Benfica 1:0.
On 21 March 2010, Benfica beat Porto 3:0 in the Taça da Liga final and won their second consecutive league cup trophy.
In Europe, Benfica was drawn against Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
At the Estádio da Luz, Benfica defeated Liverpool 2:1 but were eliminated after a 4:1 loss at Anfield.
On 9 May 2010, Benfica won their final league match against Rio Ave and became champion of the 2009-10 Primeira Liga, conquering their 32nd Primeira Liga title and securing a direct entry into the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League.
Óscar Cardozo finished as top scorer of Primeira Liga with 26 goals.
In 2010-11, after participating in the Champions League, Benfica moved to Europa League and progressed to their first European semi-final in eighteen years.
They lost on the away goals rule after a 2:2 result against Braga.
On 23 April 2011, Benfica won the Taça da Liga final against Paços de Ferreira, clinching their third consecutive title in this competition.
They finished second in Primeira Liga.
In 2011-12, Benfica reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, being eliminated by eventual winners Chelsea; won their fourth consecutive Taça da Liga, and was second in Primeira Liga qualifying directly to the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League.
Óscar Cardozo was the top scorer of Primeira Liga for the second time, with 20 goals.
In January 2012, Benfica was ranked eight in World Club Ranking by IFFHS.
In 2012-13, Benfica returned to a European final, after coming third in their Champions League group, they reached the Europa League final eliminating Fenerbahçe, but lost 2:1 to the 2012 European champions Chelsea.
It was the ninth European final overall for Benfica and the first since the 1990 European Cup final.
Domestically, Benfica was second in Primeira Liga by one point, despite leading before the penultimate day.
They reached the semi-finals of the Taça da Liga but lost in penalty shootout against the eventual winners Braga.
They reached the final of the Taça de Portugal but lost (1:2) against Vitória de Guimarães.
Benfica had the highest average attendance (42,366) of Primeira Liga.
The 2013-14 season was one of the best in the club's history as Benfica won their 33rd champions title, their fifth Taça da Liga, without conceding a single goal (record), reached the Europa League final for a second consecutive time, without defeat (record) (lost on penalties to Sevilla), and won their 25th Taça de Portugal, achieving their tenth Portuguese double.
On 18 May 2014, Benfica achieved an historic treble, their first, and a unique one in Portuguese football.
They completed the season unbeaten at home in all five competitions, and had the best defence of all European leagues with 18 goals conceded.
Lima was the top goalscorer with 21 goals (14 in the league).
In terms of average home attendance, the club improved the previous number to 43,613.
In January 2014, Benfica was ranked tenth in World Club Ranking by IFFHS.
The year of 2014 was also marked by the deaths of club legends Eusébio and Coluna.
Benfica started the 2014-15 season by winning the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, thus establishing a new Portuguese record of all four domestic titles won in a year.
In August 2014, RSSSF ranked Benfica as the best team in UEFA competitions over the last five years, fourth in the last ten years, and seventh in the all-time ranking.
On 17 May 2015, Benfica won their 34th league title and clinched their first back-to-back titles since 1984.
On 29 May 2015, Benfica won their sixth Taça da Liga (record), defeating Marítimo 2:1, and became the Portuguese club with most titles won .
On 4 June 2015, Benfica announced they had concluded negotiations on a possible renewal of contract with Jesus.
On 11 June 2015, Benfica announced Rui Vitória as the new manager.
SUPPORT
The supporters of Benfica are known as Benfiquistas.
They call the club o Glorioso (the Glorious One) hence the popular chant "Glorioso SLB".
Due to the success and popularity of its football team and other sports, Benfica has built the biggest fanbase in Portugal with an estimated 5,8 million fans (historically 6 million), and one of the biggest in the world with an estimated 14 million fans spread across different countries such as Andorra, Angola, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, France, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Mozambique, Netherlands, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, United Kingdom, and the United States.
In some of these countries, Benfica has supporters' clubs - Casas do Benfica (Benfica Houses) - which are places where Benfiquistas can meet and watch Benfica games.
Benfica is the European club with the biggest percentage of supporters in its own country (47%) and has the twenty-fourth highest average attendance of European football clubs, which is the highest in Portugal.
MEMBERS
The members of Benfica, who are called sócios, democratically elect the club president for a four-year term by voting in each candidate list, forming the highest governing body of the club.
They also participate in the general assemblies (if they are shareholders), submit proposals, take part in discussions, and so forth.
They can be elected for the governing bodies, to be designated for positions or functions at the club, etc.
Benfica was the first Portuguese club to have elections and the first club in the world to use electronic voting, since 2003.
On 9 November 2006, Benfica set the Guinness World Record for "the most widely supported football club", with 160,398 paid-up members.
As of 2014, Benfica is the biggest club in the world in membership terms, with 270,000 members.
RIVALRIES
The Derby da Capital is the most important football derby in Portugal.
It is played between the Lisbon teams of Benfica and Sporting, and is followed worldwide, especially in the former Portuguese colonies.
The rivalry between Benfica and FC Porto comes about as Lisbon and Porto are the two largest Portuguese cities, respectively.
They are the most successful teams in Portugal.