Overcoming the draw against Club Brugge this Tuesday and reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League gives Benfica the biggest turnover in its history in terms of prizes paid by UEFA. If Roger Schmidt’s team stamps its passport to the next stage, it will collect another 10.5 million euros and reach 71.6 million this season, breaking the record set last year, when it reached the same stage of the competition and brought in 69.4 million. Accounts drawn up and confirmation of passage, the total of the premiums of the two seasons is enough to pay all the reinforcements hired since the summer of 2021.
Let’s go to this season’s bills. Just for entering the group stage of the Champions League, Benfica’s SAD received 38.38 million euros. The group stage brought in 13.06 million more, qualifying for the round of 16 9.6 million and now the quarters are worth 10.6 million more. And so we reach 71.6 million euros, the highest turnover ever for Clube da Luz in the millionaires competition.
Last season, the Eagles pocketed £69.4 million to reach the quarter-finals, where they eventually fell to Liverpool. However, in this case, the earnings were lower because they didn’t add as much money to the results achieved during the group stage.
If we add up the earnings from the Champions League of the two seasons, and assuming that the 0-2 achieved in Belgium 15 days ago is enough to reach the quarter-finals, we arrive at a value of 136, 5 million euros. More than the Benfica SAD spent on acquiring reinforcements for the football team in the previous season and in the current one.
This season, the Reds spent 87.8 million euros on purchases, including Draxler’s loan (2.5 million) and the guaranteed reinforcements during the January market. In the 2021-2022 season, the signing fee was 25.5 million. If we add the spending on reinforcements of both seasons together, we arrive at a value of 113.3 million.
Now, if we do the math, and assuming Benfica cross the draw with Bruges, the amount of Champions League revenue received last season and in the current season is higher than that spent on signings – there is still a positive balance of 23.2 million euros.
Even reaching 71.6 million this season, Benfica is still a long way from the national record for the amount a Portuguese team earned in the Champions League. That brand belongs to FC Porto, which raised €78.4 million in 2018/19 when it reached the quarter-finals of the millionaires’ league – it was eventually knocked out by Liverpool. Sporting’s best record was last year, when it reached eighth place and won 45 million euros.
favorable service
Clube da Luz has reason to be optimistic about this draw, because in addition to the guaranteed advantage of two goals in Belgium, the direct confrontation with Belgian teams is favorable, with 13 wins in 22 games and four qualifications in six draws, despite losing the most important duel – the 1982-83 UEFA Cup final against Anderlecht.
Benfica also historically has a favorable record in knockout rounds giving entry to the quarter-finals in the Champions era (since 2003/04), as it managed to qualify in four of five appearances in the round of 16 , after beating Liverpool, Ajax and Zenit twice. The complete fails as they fell against Borussia Dortmund in 2016/17. In total there are four qualifications and one elimination, with eight wins, one draw and two defeats, in eleven meetings, with sixteen goals and ten conceded.
Tonight’s game in Luz could be a new record. 15 days ago, the Eagles in Belgium broke their record of consecutive games without losing in Europe’s premier club competition (12) and equaled the best record by a Portuguese team – FC Porto played in the same number of games without losing between 2003 and 2004, in a story that coincided with the title of European champion with Mourinho.
The invincibility streak began in 2021/22, in the second leg of the quarter-finals, with a three-goal draw for the team then coached by Nélson Veríssimo at Liverpool. If they don’t lose in Club Brugge’s reception today, they will leave FC Porto and become the Portuguese side with the most games in the Champions League, out of a total of 13 games without losing.
Source: DN
