S.L. Benfica
| Logo | |||
| Full name | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Águias (Eagles) O Glorioso (Glorious One) | ||
| Founded | 1904 | ||
| Ground | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal (Stadium of Light) | ||
| Capacity | 65,647 | ||
| Chairman | Luís Filipe Vieira | ||
| Manager |  Ronald Koeman | ||
| League | SuperLiga | ||
| 2004-05 | SuperLiga, 1st | ||
|
| |||
Sport Lisboa e Benfica (commonly referred to as simply Benfica, SL Benfica or Benfica Lisbon; pron. IPA /spɔɾ liʒ.'βo.ɐ i bɐ̃j̃.'fi.kɐ/) is a sports club based in Lisbon, Portugal. It is renowned for its football branch, which is its most popular department. The club is result of a merger in 1908 between Sport Lisboa, founded in 1904, with Grupo Sport Benfica. It is also known to its fans by the nickname "Glorioso" (Glorious).
As a club oriented to multiple sports, Benfica fields teams in basketball, roller hockey, indoor football (futsal), volleyball, handball, water polo, rugby and athletics. In total, Benfica have won 10 international titles in these sports: the roller hockey-CERS Cup in 1991, 3 Iberian Cups and 1 Torneio Ibérico in rugby, and 5 in the Athletics European Cup. Historically, the club has also had great national successes in cycling, and the club is evaluating the re-introduction of a cycling department.
Symbols
The emblem is composed of an eagle (the club's main symbol), a shield in the club colours of red and white, and the acronym SLB for "Sport Lisboa e Benfica" over a football, all superimposed over a bicycle wheel, which was taken from the Grupo Sport Benfica emblem.
The club motto is E Pluribus Unum, "From many, one."
Football
Benfica have been a dominant force in Portuguese football since the 1930s and are record holders of the national championship and cup titles. Major rivals are FC Porto and Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Benfica was the first team to break Real Madrid's dominance in the early European Champions Cup. Having won two European Cups in a row 1961 and 1962, the Lisbon club never managed to win a European trophy again, despite reaching a number of finals. In the Champions Cup deciders against A.C. Milan (1963 and 1990), Internazionale (1965), Manchester United (1968) and PSV (1988), as well as the UEFA Cup in 1982 Anderlecht were lost. This constitutes also a record of sorts.
In 1968, Benfica was considered the best European Team by France Football despite its defeat in the Champions Cup. Many of its successes in the 1960s were achieved with all-time football great Eusébio in the side.
During the 1970s, the team faded slightly from the European scene, but remained the main force inside the Portuguese football scene. However, financial problems began undermining the club. In the 1980s the board decided to close the third level in the Estádio da Luz, and a questionable signing policy, which included squads composed of well over 30 players, signing players for hefty sums without any sporting or financial return, such as fading Portuguese star Futre in the early 1990s, resulted in several problems.
Recently, the club has regained some of its sporting and financial prowess and won in 2004/05 the first national championship after eleven years.
Benfica play their home games in the Estádio do Benfica, also known unofficially as Estádio da Luz. It is one of Europe's largest sporting stadiums and hosted the Euro 2004 final. For that purpose it had been completely rebuilt.
It is said to be the only Club in the world whose official anthem is sung by a tenor, Luis Piçarra, and the classic musician Antonio Vitorino d'Almeida has written a symphony to commemorate the club's first 100 years.
Fans
The fans of SL Benfica, Benfiquistas, are also often referred by other teams' supporters as Lampiões (red lamps). In Portugal, 60% of the population are said to be Benfica sympathizers. Benfica also has large support abroad, especially in the former Portuguese colonies of Angola and Moçambique and even in Brazil ,and the Portuguese living in Canada and the United States. Since their 2004-2005 championship, club membership figures have seen a significant increase.
Team Honours
From 1922-1938 the Portuguese Championship was carried out in a cup modus as a knock-out competition. In 1934 an experimental and unofficial League Championship (Campeonato da Ia Liga) was introduced. This tournament was the precursor of the Portuguese league which started with the season 1938/39. The previous format continued in renamed form as the cup competition.
Benfica thrived in the new environment and not only soon became the most successful club in the history of the game in Portugal, but also one of the world's leading teams in the 1960s.
- European Cup of Champions: 2
- 1962, 1961.
- Portuguese Championship (I Divisão, I Liga, Superliga): 28
- 2005, 1994, 1991, 1989, 1987, 1984, 1983, 1981, 1977, 1976, 1975, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1969, 1968, 1967, 1965, 1964, 1963, 1961, 1960, 1957, 1955, 1950, 1945, 1943, 1942.
- Portuguese Championship (between 1921/22 and 1937/38): 3
- 1935, 1931, 1930
- League Championship (1934-1938, unofficial)
- 1938, 1937, 1936
- Portuguese Cup: 24
- 2004, 1996, 1993, 1987, 1986, 1985, 1983, 1981, 1980, 1972, 1970, 1969, 1964, 1962, 1959, 1957, 1955, 1953, 1952, 1951, 1949, 1944, 1943, 1940.
Noted players
Coaches
Former Benfica coaches include:
The 2005/06 Team
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
26* 
MF Kaz Patafta
External links
- Unofficial - SL Benfica Website in Portuguese
- Unofficial - SL Benfica Website in English
- Unofficial - SL Benfica Website in German
Template:Champions League 2005/06
| Men's |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's |
| ||||||
| District Associations | |||||||
| Defunct competitions | |||||||
Clubs • Club honours • Silver ball • Venues • Derbies • Ultras • Foreign players • Footballers • Managers | |||||||