It is evident that after winning the "Portuguese Treble" that Benfica were going to have to sell players. The CMVM reported on June 25, 2014 that Argentine CB Ezequiel Garay of Benfica was sold to Zenit St. Petersburg for € 6.000.000. Ezequiel Garay age 27 arrived at Benfica on July 5, 2011 as he signed a four - year contract for € 5.5.000.000 as part of the Fábio Coentrão transfer to Real Madrid.
Over the last three seasons one of Benfica's all time best CB combo without question was Ezequiel Garay and Benfica captain Luisão. During the 2013/14 Garay played 27 league games, scored 6 goals and only suffered 3 yellow cards. These stats demonstrate that not only is he a clever defender but he can also contribute to the score sheet. (This is an extra added bonus to being a world class defender)
Ezequiel Garay definetly enjoyed his time at Benfica especially alongside fellow countrymen Nico Gaitán, Eduardo Salvio, Enzo Pérez, and Benfica B wonder kid Funes Mori. Garay capped over 100 games with a Benfica jersey was often praised in the Liga Zon Sagres as one of the best if not the best CB in the league and besides Zenit he was linked to other big clubs such as Manchester United, and Valencia.
At Benfica Garay has won the following trophies:
2013/14 Liga Zon Sagres Winner
2013/14 Portuguese Cup Winner
2013/14 Portuguese League Cup Winner
2011/12 Portuguese League Cup Winner
Other accomplishments include:
2013/14 UEFA Europa Cup Runner Ups
2012/13 UEFA Europa Cup Runner Ups
2012/13 Liga Zon Sagres Runner Ups
2011/12 Liga Zon Sagres Runner Ups
Benfica CB Situation
Although Garay is considered a world class CB who lets face it may have been too good for the Portuguese League, Benfica have a deep enough bench as alternate options for Garay.
Lisandro Ezequiel López will be returning to Benfica after a season long loan to Spanish side Getafe in which he played 27 games and scored 4 league goals. 24 year old Lisandro Ezequiel López arrived at Benfica on July 10, 2013 in which he signed to a five year contract with a €35M buy-out clause. Although López shares similarities to Garay (He's a CB, he's an Argentine, his middle name, etc.) with limited experience in Europe, how will López adapt filling in for one of the best CB out there and playing alongside Benfica's experienced captain? Also, can he handle playing in the UEFA Champions League by representing the most popular club in Portugal. Limited experience in Europe will definitely be a factor
César Henrique Martins recently joined Benfica in June from Ponte Preta, Brazil. The 21 year old has never played outside of Brazil and may have a hard time adapting to Benfica's main squad. He has shown a lot of promise in his Brazilian club as he played 24 matches for Ponte Preta in 2014 while they played in both the Serie B and Paulista A1 league's in Brazil. César is determined to "Conquer Titles"and is thrilled to play on the former team as his countrymen David Luiz. Perhaps César may get time in the B team before the initial main Benfica squad.
Jardel the 28 year old defender has had a limited role on the Benfica squad upon his arrival in 2010 from SC Olhanese. With that being said, he has played in UEFA competitions and has filled in for captain Luisão on several occasions. Jardel may not be the most talented of Benfica's CB, he has height and when given an opportunity gets the job done. If he continues to wear his "Batman" mask then he will most definitely be a lethal CB for Benfica in 2014/15.
Steven Vitória is Benfica's tallest CB at 195CM. The 27 year old Canadian born has not done much upon his arrival to Benfica one year ago but he has also not has the opportunity to gain minutes on the main squad. There is much potential in Steven Vitória as he was a part of the 2012/13 Estoril Praia team that tied Benfica in May 2013 which resulted in Benfica losing the Liga Zon Sagres for a third consecutive season. Steven Vitória scored 11 goals for Estoril Praia in 27 league appearances during the 2012/13 season which is quite impressive for a CB. He is also looking to grab more minutes at Benfica in hopes to catch the eyes of Paulo Bento for a possible call up to the Portuguese National Team.
Stefan Mitrović is another Benfica CB who has potential but lacks minutes. The 24 year old Serbian arrived at Benfica in 2013 at a time in which Benfica had 7 other Serbians (including 2 sets of brothers). He spent most of the 2013/14 on loan with Real Valladoid in Spain in which he capped 16 league games. Determination and motivation are just two words to describe this player's ability.I know I couldn't do any of those workouts.
Personally, out of all of the names mentioned I feel Lisandro López is the best possible solution for Garay at the moment. Lisandro can learn a lot from Luisão and will continue to develop. There are a few names on the B team and Junior's who are still Green but can very well in a season or two become top prospects as Benfica's main CB.
