“Made In Benfica”

Ivan & Bernardo

-          Benfica President Luis Filipe Viera recently has come out to the media and stated that by 2020 more then half of the Benfica main squad will not only be homegrown Portuguese players but will be players who have been developed through the Benfica youth systems. LFV has come out to the media and said many things in the past. Who can forget his plan of Benfica strategic plan of guaranteeing an ample amount of trophies coming into Benfica within the next few years? And at the end of 2012 there was a big surprise or a big name arriving to Benfica in 2013. (Funes Mori?) Regardless of what was promised and delivered from LFV to the Benfica Nation in the past, this current promise of a “Made In Benfica” home grown squad is acheievable considering most of Benfica Junior squad and B squad are “Made In Benfica.”

Benfica Kids Beating FC Porto

- It was just a few days ago in which Benfica offered extended contracts to four of their youth/ B Team players valid until 2019. The players João Teixeira, Alexandre Alfaiate, Pedro Rebocho and Raphael Guzzo all accepted these contracts and have already enjoyed minutes on the pitch. Teixeira at age 19 is an 8 type of player who has played 13 games this season under Hélder Cristóvão’s B Team. LFV also promoted youth players Gilson Costa, André Ferreira, Hildeberto Pereira, João Lima and Kevin Oliveira to professional contracts. Most of these players are 17 years of age and play in the Juniors team.

Pedro Rebocho

For those of you who are ongoing listeners to the “Talking To The Doll” Benfica podcast should know that we enjoy discussing the youth and B team players at Benfica. It gives me a sense of pride in being a Benfica fan to see players like Ivan Cavaleiro, ANDRÉ GOMES ANDRÉ Almeida emerge from the youth system. Although they were not always in Benfica youth teams, they were brought in at a young age to be Benfica youth players before integrating into the main squad. It also makes me believe that more players will continue to emerge in the future. I still remember when Benfica played Celtic in Toronto on September 3, 2009 at BMO field and Nelson Oliveira and Ruben Pinto contributed to goals. At the time who would of thought that Pinto would be end up being the captain of the B Team and Nelson would become one of the most talked about Benfica strikers representing Portugal in the Euro 2012.?

Bruno Varela

- With my annual Benfica membership, I receive a few times per year “Mistica: The official magazine of Benfica.” I recently received issue 23 – Year 5 in the mail just yesterday and on the cover are 14 B and youth players with the caption “O Benfica Tem Futuro!” (Benfica has a future) This statement is especially evident if you look at the Portugal U16 through to the U19, teams. Just last week the Portugal U15 coach selected 8 players to begin training in Rio Maior to prepare for upcoming international fixtures. Perhaps a few of these players (One named Fernandes coincidently) may end up being a part of the future homegrown Benfica team of 2020? According to an interview conducted by Benfica TV on August 23, 2013 Benfica President LFV has stated that for the 2014/15 season Benfica’s strategic plan of integrating more “Made In Benfica” players into the main squad.

- Being a Portuguese player on a Portuguese club is always appealing from the outside looking in. Especially during a time in which the Portuguese league is gaining credibility as a whole by the success in Europe with FC Porto winning a few UEFA titles, SC Braga’s UEFA stints and Benfica almost every year reaching Quarter – Finals or last year’s Europa Cup final. Portugal will soon surpass Italy and possibly France within the next few years with the coefficient. Although there are still many “foreign” players in the league, “foreign” players will always be needed in any league. Especially in a country like Portugal which has a population of 10 million and hundreds of football clubs in many different league’s.

Goncalo Guedes

- It’s building a strong league with homegrown players that will turn head’s on the European stage. The Bundesliga in Germany may have a few foreign players, most of it’s players are made in Germany. According to Wiki, a team like Bayern Munich who has been one of the most dominant teams over the last few years has a main squad of half homegrown players and half foreign players. However, if you look at their B team and Junior teams they are primarily 90% German. In Spain , Barcelona main squad has approximately one third of their players are foreign. Teams in France, and even the MLS in North America (which will eventually become more then just a retirement league for Euopean players)

- Unfortunately, the biggest league in the world the EPL is compromised of mostly foreign players. Big teams in England with deep pockets who can buy almost anyone. The problem with that is, although the EPL is exciting and arguably the most watched league in the world, the English National team and youth teams are finding it hard to produce successful homegrown players because the likes of Arsenal, Manchester’s, Liverpool tend to sign foreign players leaving little room for local English players. Again, some of the best soccer is played in the EPL however, it’s admirable to see a league or a few teams within a league who have built a competitive winning squad from their own country and youth teams within their club.

JJ With Joao Cancelo

- If you look at modern society from all over the world there is a strong emphasis on “Being Local.” You’re often told to buy local or support local as it is important to build the community or area in which you live. More consumer good spent within your area, better chances of more money being invested in your community. I should buy my clothes down the street instead of giving it to the evil big Walmart a few minutes away. This HIPSTER way of thinking in which we often poke fun at (some are in denial’s of being so called HIPSTERS) should be applied to the teams in which we support.

- It surely would be a wonderful thing to see Benfica (or better yet the Portuguese league) have 60-70-80% come from Portugal but more specifically their own youth teams. What would be even better would be to see Benfica blow out the competition in UEFA competitions. But wait, that is currently on going as we speak! The Benfica Juniors team (U19) have just advanced out of the group stages in the UEFA Youth League. They defeated the likes of PSG, Olimpiakos, and Anderlecht winning the group with 14 points 4 wins, 2 draws, 15 goals scored and only allowing in 5 goals. They will now face Austria Wien in the round of 16. For this U-19 team to win the first even U19 UEFA Champions League would be a huge motivation for Benfica’s youth of today and for tomorrow. It would also send a message for future Benfica players that winning is possible.

Romrio Balde

- There are multiple names that come to mind when we discuss Benfica’s future. Bernardo Silva has been named the future number 10 in which Benfica has not seen since the likes of Pablo Aimar or even Rui Costa. Andre Gomes has been the topic of much discussion as a definitive replacement for Nemanja Matic. When Helder Costa is not rapping with his house mate Ivan Cavaleiro or scoring goals for the B Team there is much potential for him to be a future striker for our main team especially at a time in which Rodrigo, Oliveira, and possibly Cardozo may be transferred within the next year or so.

- The future looks promising for Benfica. Perhaps by 2020 Benfica will have a near perfect vision of their future. Regardless of how many trophies this team wins over the next few years while these players continue to develop we will look to the future with much pride as most of our players will be “Made In Benfica.”