1998-99 | S.L. Benfica - Glorious (O Glorioso)

The state of… Benfica
Sport Lisboa e Benfica is Portugal’s most successful club. Founded in February 28th 1904 in the nation’s capital, Lisbon, they count up to 30 League Championships, 23 Portuguese Cups, 2 European Champions Cup, now knows as the UEFA Champions League, as well as 1 Latin Cup, the predecessor of Europe’s big one.
But in the 1990s, despite the shirts maintaining their bright red color, the clouds above the skies of the Estádio da Luz (Stadium of Light) are ones of a dark tone. The last time Benfica won a Championship was in 1994, four years ago, which ties up with the club’s biggest periods of drought, from the 1940s and 1950s. But the word “danger” is written in a large lettering. In 1997, João Vale e Azevedo became the President of the club amidst promises to bring back the glory days of the 1960s and 1970s. Instead, he devastated Benfica financially and leaving it with a small, weakened squad, and a very small chance of stopping Futebol Clube do Porto to become the first-ever Champion of Portugal to win the League 5 times in a row.

The state of… Portuguese football
Since 1982, Portugal has been a country divided in two. The year coincides with Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa’s ascension to the presidency of F.C. Porto [IRL, as of today (2023), he is still the President] and with the skyrocketing of the club, winning 10 League titles in 16 years, and now holding 17. Benfica conquered the other 6. Sporting Clube de Portugal has 16 titles, the last of them won… in 1982.
About F.C. Porto: their rise has been controversial. Specially in the 1990s. A lot of dirty playing, ridiculous refereeing decisions and even assault have been occasional ingredients of the North’s biggest club recent history.
In March 1997, the F.C. Porto team even ran for minutes behind the referee in the pitch, questioning his refereeing. In May of the same season, F.C. Porto (already the League Champions at that point) hosted Benfica in one of the most disgraceful games of Portugal’s football history, with several horror tackles from the hosts being met with a blind eye. And in the first game of the new year (1998), João Vieira Pinto, Benfica’s star player got a broken jaw after an elbow strike by Paulinho Santos while the game was stopped.
Benfica must fight for Benfica. Also to bring Portuguese football some honor again.

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1998-99 | The starting roster
Benfica’s roster can be described in two words: short; lackluster. Only 20 non-youth players are in the squad. Most of them are Portuguese, but there are three british players brought by Graeme Souness, who left the club warning the press of how dangerous and how much of a liar and a thief Vale e Azevedo can be. There are also some other nationalities represented in the squad.
Star players: Michel Preud’Homme, José Calado, Karel Poborský, João Vieira Pinto, Nuno Gomes.

Goalkeepers:
- Michel Preud’Homme (GK – 39) [Belgium]
- Sergei Ovchinnikov (GK – 27) [Russia]

Defenders:
- José Carlos Sousa (RB – 20)
- Paulo Madeira (CB - 27)
- Ronaldo Guiaro (CB - 24) [Brazil]
- Bruno Basto (LB - 20)

Midfielders:
- Luís Andrade (RB/DM/CM – 24)
- Tahar El Khalej (CD/DM - 29) [Morocco]
- José Calado (CM – 24)
- Hugo Leal (CM – 18)
- Michael Thomas (CM – 30) [England]
- Serhiy Kandaurov (CM – 25) [Ukraine]
- Karel Poborský (RM/RW – 26) [Czech Republic]
- Hugo Porfírio (LM/LW – 24)
- Luís Carlos (CM/LM/AM/LW – 25)
- Mark Pembridge (CM/LM/AM/LW – 27) [Wales]
- João Vieira Pinto (AM/ST – 26)

Strikers:
- Dean Saunders (ST – 33) [Wales]
- Martin Pringle (ST – 27) [Sweden]
- Nuno Gomes (ST – 21)