Sport Lisabona e Benfica commonly known as Benfica is a Portuguese multi-sport club best known for its professional football team that plays in the Primera Liga.

In 1904, February 28, a group of former students of Real Casa Pia de Lisabona asociacao de Bem met with the goal of creating a social and cultural football club that will be called Sport Lisboa. Among the 24 people that were attending the meeting were Cosme Damiao, future soul of the club, Jose Rosa Rodrigues, the club’s first president, along with Daniel Brito as secretary and Manuel Gourlade as treasurer. They decided that the club’s colours would be red for bravery, white for peace, an eagle on the crest symbolizing high aspiration and the motto “E pluribus unum” – “out of many, one”

The 1960’s were the best period in the club’s history in which Benfica won eight Primera Liga, three Taca de Portugal and led by manager Bela Guttmann were the first team to break Real Madrid’s dominance in the European Champions Club Cup by winning two consecutive European Cups, the first one against Barcelona in 1961 and the second one against Real Madrid in 1962. During this decade Benfica has been ranked first in European football.

Benfica, football club in the '60s

Benfica is the most supported Protuguese club and it is the European club with the most percentage of supporters in its own country with a majority of 47%.

With Jorge Jesus as manager Benfica had the highest home attendance with an average of over 50.000 spectators per match. The past two season showed us a revival of Benfica, the club reaching the final of Europa League in two years consecutively.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *