Why are high-profile players suddenly flocking to Benfica?

It has been a transfer window to remember for the Benfica faithful. Never before have fans seen such high-profile players making the move to the famous Lisbon club.

It is not in Benfica’s DNA. It is not, usually, within their financial means. Benfica are a club with a history of shrewd spending, buying low with minimal financial risk, developing players into accomplished footballers - others into near superstars - and selling them on for a healthy profit. This summer, that has all changed.

A message has been sent. Benfica are suddenly prepared to compete on the European stage. They’ve got a long way to go for that to become a reality, having failed to even make it past the Europa League round of 32 this season, but they are making huge strides towards achieving that.

But what has changed? And why are so many top players, such as Edinson Cavani, Everton Cebolinha and Jan Vertonghen making the switch to humble Portugal? Here, we take a look at it all.

This is an election year

Perhaps the leading reason for Benfica’s considerable swivel in strategy is that this year marks yet another presidential election at SL Benfica. With club members set to take to the ballots this November, current club president Luis Filipe Vieira is feeling the pressure after a really disappointing campaign for Benfica.

Indeed, you could say that this season was the step backwards that triggered several steps forwards; had Benfica cruised to the league title, Vieira’s place as Benfica president would have been almost certain, and there certainly wouldn’t have been the immense pressure to appease the supporters.

However, after Benfica ended the season without a trophy, other than the Portuguese Super Cup, and were dumped out of Europe at a very early stage, Vieira quickly realised that something significant had to happen at the club to make completely sure that he would come out on top in the upcoming elections. Cue some of the most stellar signings the club have ever seen.

But while he and Benfica have targeted such impressive acquisitions, that doesn’t exactly explain why the players are attracted to the club; it’s one thing approaching world class players, and another convincing them to join. So what is it about Benfica, and Portuguese football, that is sufficient in convincing the Cavani’s and Vetonghen’s of this world to make the switch to Lisbon?

1. The Benfica Project

The leading factor must surely be the project that was sold to the players upon signing - and it is a good one. Benfica have been saying the right things over the years, but have rarely been able to show anything for it. This talk of wanting to win the UEFA Champions League with a core of graduates from their acclaimed academy has seemed like a pipedream, with Benfica so far off the pace when it comes to competing with the top clubs in Europe.

However, with a solid foundation at the club, some spectacular young players coming through, the ambition to sign top players to supplement their growth, and the guarantee to try and keep hold of their best players in all circumstances this summer, suddenly Benfica have lost the tag of a selling club, and become one with a realistic shot of competing not only for the Primeira Liga, but competing on the continental stage too.

Remember, there is a chance for each and every player that joins Benfica to build a legacy. Benfica may win a huge amount of silverware domestically, but in Europe, it’s a very different matter. They have not won a European trophy since their back-to-back European Cup triumph in 1961 and 1962. Since then, they’ve reached eight continental finals, including in each of 2013 and 2014 in the Europa League, and lost them all.

With the knowledge that Benfica are looking to sign other key players to try and fulfil their ambition of winning a European trophy, the top players have been willing to sign, believing that the Benfica project isn’t just a dream, but a reasonable ambition.

2. The Jorge Jesus factor

One of the other major reasons behind Benfica’s ability to secure the signatures of such reputable players is that they have an incredibly reputable manager on their hands in Jorge Jesus. He’s always been seen as an outstanding manager in Portugal, but what he did with Flamengo in just a year, lifting the Brazilian Serie A and the Copa Libertadores, in addition to three other trophies, and reaching the final of the Club World Cup when they went toe-to-toe with Liverpool, has put him on the map on the continental stage.

And it is therefore no wonder that South American stars such as Edinson Cavani and Everton Cebolinha are so willing to make the move to Benfica. When you have a manager that has proven capable of rejuvinating a club such as Flamengo in such a small space of time, making them one of the greatest clubs in world football and putting South American football back on the map in Europe, you believe that he can do something similar with a sleeping giant in Europe.

Indeed, Jorge Jesus earned so much credit and surprised so many people in Brazil that anyone who follows South American football will know that Benfica can become something very special just because of his presence on the touchline.

The Jorge Jesus effect really cannot be overstated.

3. Benfica can compete financially

Contrary to what many may believe, Benfica are actually in a pretty strong position financially. Of course the coronavirus hit them hard, as it did every club, but the sale of Joao Felix for 120 million euros last summer alone was an astronomical financial windfall, added to the fact that they qualified for the Champions League last season.

They reinvested some of that money, but by no means all of it, and have made a string of huge sales over the years too. Having not broken the bank - their highest incoming transfer remains the 22 million euro signing of Raul Jimenez back in 2016 - Benfica maintain enough money to offer players significant wages.

Of course, they are still well behind the likes of the top clubs in the Premier League, Bundesliga and other prestigious domestic leagues in terms of their financial muscle and reputation, but shrewd use of the free transfer market means they have been able to fork out significant wages to sign some world-class players and still remain financially viable.

4. The virtual guarantee of silverware

Of course, another major factor, in addition to seriously competitive wages, is the fact that Benfica offers the chance of winning silverware on a regular basis - something which every footballer relishes, and some have been starved of.

Jan Vertonghen, for example, failed to win a trophy during his eight years at Tottenham Hotspur, his last trophy coming with Ajax back in 2012. The 118-time Belgian international will therefore be particularly keen to play for a club like Benfica, with genuine ambitions to win domestic titles, and the dream of winning European trophies too.

5. Ajax’s exploits on the European stage

Another factor that may have had some weight in the decision-making process of some players still in doubt as to whether a move to Benfica is a good career move is what other clubs have managed to do on the continental stage. Lyon’s exploits this season are a good example of an underdog being able to overachieve on the biggest stage in the world despite being disadvantaged financially compared to most of the other clubs in the competition.

The best example, though, is Ajax. Their performances in the 2018-19 Champions League were extraordinary. Unbeaten in the group stage, which contained Bayern Munich and Benfica, they went on to beat Real Madrid and Juventus to reach the semi-final, and were just seconds away from reaching the final but for a scarcely believable Tottenham Hotspur comeback.

If Ajax, from the unheralded and generally underappreciated Dutch Eredivisie, can go so far in the biggest club competition on the continent, why can’t Benfica who, officially, play in an even bigger domestic league, and have a similarly spectacular youth setup and just as much financial power?

Ajax set the bar for all the other clubs outside the top 5 leagues - and Benfica are perhaps the best placed club, alongside the likes of Ajax, Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto, to cause a major upset in European competition in the coming years.

6. The country, the food, the culture

Away from the football pitch, there are also several reasons why a prestigious footballer might want to come and ply their trade at Benfica, particularly those coming towards the end of their careers. The country and the people are one; generally very welcoming, boasting great weather, and a safe and peaceful place to live, Lisbon is a great city to bring your family to, which is a huge plus for any footballer in their thirties.

Portugal is an incredibly popular holiday destination - and for many, it’s the ideal place to come and live. It may seem like a trivial point, but the security of the city and its culture is surely an important factor for many footballers that have plenty of offers on the table, even if it is a secondary thought.