O Grande Benfica

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Lore & Background

With 88 major trophies won, Benfica is the most decorated club in Portugal. They have won 85 domestic trophies: a record 38 Primeira Liga titles, a record 26 Taça de Portugal, a record 8 Taça da Liga, 10 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira and 3 Campeonato de Portugal. Internationally, they won the Latin Cup in 1950 and back-to-back European Cups in 1961 and 1962 – both unique feats in Portuguese football – and were runners-up at the Intercontinental Cup in 1961 and '62, at the European Cup in 1963, '65, '68, '88 and '90, and at the UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) in 1983, 2013 and '14. Benfica's ten European finals are a domestic record and ranked seventh all-time among UEFA clubs in 2014. Noncompetitively, Benfica is honoured with the Portuguese Orders of Christ (Commander), of Merit (Officer), and of Prince Henry. Benfica was voted 12th in FIFA Club of the Century and ranked 9th in the IFFHS Top 200 European clubs of the 20th century. In UEFA, Benfica is 8th in the all-time club ranking and was 20th in the club coefficient rankings at the end of the 2023–24 season. In the UEFA Champions League (formerly the European Cup), Benfica have the second most participations (42) and are the Portuguese club with the most wins (130). In this tournament, they hold the overall record for the biggest aggregate win, achieved in 1965–66. Moreover, Benfica hold the Portuguese record for the most consecutive wins in domestic league (29), where they became the first undefeated champions, in 1972–73.

In Their Own Story

On 28 February 1904, twenty-four people met at Farmácia Franco on Rua Direita de Belém to form Sport Lisboa with red and white colours and an eagle symbol. In May 1907, eight players moved to Sporting CP, starting a major rivalry. By 1950, Benfica won the Latin Cup, the first international trophy for a Portuguese club. The original Estádio da Luz opened in 1954 with 40,000 seats and expanded to 70,000 by 1960.

Reader's Guide

Benfica's history began on 28 February 1904, when the Catataus Group and members of Associação do Bem met at Farmácia Franco to form Sport Lisboa. The club's colours were red and white, and the crest featured an eagle, the motto "E pluribus unum" and a football. On 13 September 1908, Sport Lisboa merged with Grupo Sport Benfica, changing its name to Sport Lisboa e Benfica. The club moved to several grounds before settling at the original Estádio da Luz in 1954. Benfica won their first Primeira Liga titles in the 1930s and achieved their first international success in 1950 by winning the Latin Cup. Under coach Béla Guttmann, Benfica won back-to-back European Cups in 1961 and 1962. The club dominated Portuguese football in the 1960s and 1970s, winning multiple league titles and cups. In 1972–73, under manager Jimmy Hagan, Benfica became the first undefeated champions in Portugal, winning 28 matches (23 consecutively) out of 30, scoring 101 goals. From October 1976 to September 1978, Benfica were unbeaten in the league for 56 matches. The club admitted foreign players for the first time in 1979.

Did You Know?

• Benfica is the only Portuguese club to have won the Latin Cup, doing so in 1950.
• Eusébio is the only player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing for a Portuguese club.
• Benfica's 1963–64 team set a club record of 103 goals in 26 league matches.
• Benfica hold the overall record for the biggest aggregate win in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, achieved in 1965–66.