Benfica XI of former stars would fight for Champions League after selling £500m worth of talent in the last decade
BENFICA’S business model of buy low, sell high has delivered domestic success but the £500million worth of talent leaving the club could have deprived them of greater glory.
A stunning array of star players have passed through the Lisbon club’s doors over the past decade, showcasing their eye for a gem.
An impressive XI can be constructed from former Benfica men – with plenty left spare.
The 2019 summer deal for Joao Felix, with Atletico Madrid paying Benfica £115m, remains their biggest sale but a mega 15 players left for between £20m and £35m in the past 10 years.
The loss of Darwin Nunez back in June comes in as the next most expensive exit, as Liverpool could end up forking out up to £85million for the striker.
Jurgen Klopp’s side paid £64million up front for his services, but they could be required to stump up the extra £21million in future to meet projected value.
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Manchester City’s defensive stalwart Ruben Dias is next after arriving in a £64m deal to shatter David Luiz’s £22m effort.
His team-mate goalkeeper Ederson follows with a defence of Nelson Semedo, Victor Lindelof and Fabio Coentrao banking Benfica £87m combined.
A pairing of Axel Witsel and Renato Sanches represents two central midfielders sold early on in their careers for huge profits.
And with Angel Di Maria and Goncalo Guedes joining them in a £121m midfield, there isn’t even space for Nemanja Matic.
The Serb bruiser left for Chelsea in 2014 for a ‘measly’ £21m, meaning he misses the cut for this line-up along with £13m playmaker Bernardo Silva.
The exit fees for Lazar Markovic, Nico Gaitan and Enzo Perez also exceeded £20m – and yet aren’t enough for our XI.
Nuno Tavares swapped Benfica for Arsenal in the summer of 2021 but fails to make our XI as his bargain £7m fee is no match for the £27m banked when Coentrao joined Real Madrid back in 2011.
Up front, Felix partners Nunez to oust Wolves’ £30million buy Raul Jimenez.
Had all these players stayed, it isn’t hard to imagine Benfica reaching the latter stages of the Champions League and even threatening to win the competition.
Add in the likes of Jan Oblak, Joao Cancelo and Luka Jovic and suddenly the team looks nigh-on imperious.
Sure enough, the Portuguese giants do have two European Cups to their name but a decade that saw them reach just two Champions League quarter-finals and lose a pair of Europa League finals could have been very different.