Club Name: Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Nickname:As Águias (The Eagles), O Glorioso (The Glorious One) ,Encarnados (The Reds), Lampiões (Lamps)
Estádio da Luz (Stadium of Light), Lisbon, Portugal
Capacity: 65,647
1904
Coach: José Antonio Camacho
President: Luís Filipe Vieira
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, 1935, 1931, 1930
2004, 1996, 1993, 1987, 1986, 1985, 1983, 1981, 1980, 1972, 1970, 1969, 1964, 1962, 1959, 1957, 1955, 1953, 1952, 1951, 1949, 1944, 1943, 1940
1961, 1962
Founded in 1904 as Grupo Sport Lisboa, Benfica were one of the original founding members of the Portuguese League in 1934 and are widely renowned for being one of the most successful clubs in Portugal. Benfica boast a proud and illustrious history having lifted over 30 La Liga titles and in addition to this the club hold the accolade of having never been relegated from the top division from the League’s inception.
Although originally founded as Grupo Sport Lisboa the club merged with Grupo Sport Benfica in 1908 and thereby the club came to be more commonly known as simply Benfica. During the early years of competitive football in Portugal during the 1930’s Benfica excelled stamping their authority as serious contenders lifting the League on 3 occasions throughout the decade. The 1940’s saw Benfica struggle to achieve the success they had enjoyed in the previous decade as Sporting Lisbon took control in the League.
The 1950’s saw success return to the club as Benfica put together an impressive squad bulging with talented players that would form the basis for their famous “Super team” of the 1960’s. The 1960’s saw Benfica emerge as a dominant force in both domestic and european football lifting the European Champion’s Cup in 1961 beating Barcelona in the final. Benfica further solidified their stranglehold in Europe by retaining the European Champion’s Cup for a second consecutive year in 1962 this time beating Real Madrid in the final. Benfica extended their dominance during these years by reaching another three European Cup Finals only to be beaten at the final hurdle by AC Milan, Inter Milan and Manchester United respectively.
After the Golden era of the 1960’s Benfica’s success in Europe stalled although the club remained a force to be reckoned in domestic competitions during the 1970’s lifting six La Liga titles. This form continued into the 1980’s but the late 1990’s saw a period of decline begin at the club as Benfica struggled to achieve the level of success they had become accustomed to. Recently Benfica have returned to form and have retained their status as one of the top clubs in Europe. Along with Sporting and Porto, Benifca form one third of the top three clubs currently playing in Portugal.
