ALLAN D’CRUZ
allan@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: With record 36 Primeira Liga, 26 Taca de Portugal, 7 Taca da Liga, 7 Supertaca Candido de Oliveira — Sport Lisboa Benfica are one of the most successful club in the history of Portuguese!
However, having a 115-year-old rich footballing history, Sport Lisboa e Benfica are known to the world for producing finest talent than their success in Portugal.
“Everyone likes to be remembered for their success but we have great success in Portugal but even more in producing some finest players,” said the head of Youth Development Sport Lisboa e Benfica Davide Gomes.
Benfica are now far from the European powerhouse they once used to be but considering the talent development, they are simply the best!
Manchester City’s first team stars like Bernando Silva and Ederson while also their archrivals Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof were also products of the Lisbon giants once upon a time.
“Big teams from big countries won most European titles. We are specialized in forming players. We are among the best academies in the world forming players and now we are getting ready to try and win the European championship,” explained Davide Gomes.
Selling talent has reaped big riches, with Benfica receiving great profit from developing and selling their precious talents to foreign clubs their latest being Joao Felix, who was sold to Athletico Madrid.
“We feel satisfied and content when we see one of the academy players graduates and go on to play first-team football. That’s when we can say our efforts paid off. It’s nice to see them carry on their values and ethics, tactics and techniques off course, they learnt in the academy on a daily basis,” expressed Gomes.
Felix joined Benfica at age of 15. Speaking about the Portuguese international, Gomes said, “he joined us as a raw product but now he is intelligent, quick and technically sound and his ability to read the game is brilliant,” explained Gomes.
When asked whom the world can expect next after Joao Felix, Miguel Reis Benfica Soccer Schools Network Manager instant interrupted and said, “we have many players up the ranks and some of them have already in the first team at the moment with the likes of Ruben, Florentino Luis and some more in the B team who will climb soon.”
“Our main criteria is to develop and improvise individual technique in a collective approach. We want to develop individual cause that is what makes the game beautiful and focus on understanding the game,” added Gomes.
“We have our way, the Benfica way. It’s not similar to other clubs and we have our own strategies and we keep on working with it developing on some aspects,” explained Gomes.
“For a small country like us it’s a big moment. We are dominating futsal and football.”
Speaking about a player’s development, Gomes explained that a player’s development is required not only in a professional manner but also in amateur.
“We have to begin early and we start at the age of 3. We take it seriously all the time. When the kids have the ball, they have fun but also learn. We work individually but integrated. It’s like developing love for the game among the children. The kids are made to feel and love the game and once they reach at the age of eight they start playing competitive games,” stressed Reis.
“We will continue producing talent forever and it won’t be long we will win the European Championship,” concluded Reis.
