Benfica's transfer market mastery

In the 1960s Benfica were a match for anyone, reaching six European Cup finals in the decade and winning two of them.

- Tom Kundert

Nowadays the Lisbon giants struggle to consistently compete in the Champions League. But in one aspect of modern football, the Portuguese club can still claim to be in the absolute elite. When it comes to working the transfer market, Benfica have an enviable record. Since the turn of the century, an astonishing €1.39bn in transfer fees have flowed into the coffers of the Estadio da Luz, a sum only surpassed by Juventus.

While Benfica supporters would much rather they could boast about a team that did justice to their glorious past, it is precisely the modest position the club occupies in today's football food chain that has created the perfect conditions for what has become a phenomenal moneymaking operation.

Several factors make Portugal an ideal incubator for supremely talented young players. The Portuguese league is extremely competitive at the top, especially when it comes to the ferocious head-to-heads between perennial title rivals Benfica and Porto, and an often-fiery Lisbon derby pitting Benfica against Sporting. But it is also a highly asymmetrical league, in which the best are miles ahead of the rest.

In the majority of matches Benfica will eventually overcome their opponents with a greater or lesser degree of difficulty. Academy products and talented young imports can be given plenty of playing time to smooth out the rough edges without compromising the quest for silverware. Mistakes can be made without proving disastrous.

"He showed himself to be a player who was not committed to Benfica. It is not by banging your chest and pointing to the badge that you show your commitment. Anybody can do that" Benfica president Rui Costa on Enzo Fernandez