Benfica's Little Maradona

Benfica has announced that the Club and Leo have reached an agreement to rescind the player's contract. As you may know, Leo has been away from the team in Brazil, rightfully authorized, to follow his parent's deteriorating health conditions.
There had been rumors of Leo wanting to stay in Brazil to remain close to his parents, and today those rumors were confirmed with this announcement.
The player was in Lisbon today, and publicly thanked Rui Costa and Luis Felipe Vieira for allowing him to continue his career close to his ailing parents.
Leo was perhaps one of Benfica's best left backs of the past decade. His attitude, professionalism, and contributions to the team, will be dearly missed.

Good Luck Little Maradona.

-END-

Continue Reading..

Rocking the Boat

The assault has began. With Benfica in first place for the first time since the 04/05 season, and their premature exit from the Portuguese Cup, Rircord felt that this was a great time to spark up controversy and project a fictitious atmosphere in the Benfica camp to their fans.

On Tuesday it was Cardozo who made the cover, as Rircord decided to take an answer to an obvious baited question and launch a controversy of their own about Cardozo and his playing time.
While leaving the club's Christmas luncheon, Oscar was asked about his playing time, and he responded by saying that he did not know why he wasn't getting more playing time, and that the proper person to answer that question was Quique. A perfectly normal answer to a question that is always a bait to a gaffe in wording by any player, or an out of context statement by a borderline "pink" reporter. In this instance Cardozo had a perfect answer, but the paper decided to context it in a resentful manner.
As a player like any other on the squad Cardozo works hard daily to be ready to start, if he is not part of Quique's starting 11 it's because Quique has his reasons. Why would this be the reason for controversy?
As a professional you need to be ready to accept you manager's choices, and this is what Cardozo has done. But Rircord has launched the story in the way that leads you to believe that the player resents the coach's choices. Something very far from the truth. Rircord even goes as far as to state that according to a Benfica source the player will be fined for this comment.

Making today's cover is Leo, who has been in Brazil following his parent's medical condition. "Leo possibly out on a free" is today's headline. According to Rircord, Fluminense might be the player's destination, stating that Benfica would unilaterally rescind Leo's contract, avoiding paying the player an indemnity and saving 1 million in future salaries. That is all fine and dandy, and it all sounds great, but I very much doubt that Benfica would take part in a deal that would let Leo go on a free. After all, if(and that's a big IF) the player wants to stay in Brazil, why would Benfica bend over backwards for the player, just to avoid indemnity, isn't he the one who wants to stay in Brazil? Whose desire would be to breach the contract? Not Benfica's, that's for sure, regardless of the salaries Benfica would be saving, which most likely would be put towards acquiring another left back, and not in the Reyes or Suazo acquiring fund.
Sounds to me like another plot to undervalue the importance and the competency of Rui Costa.
Today's "A bola" also reports that Brazilian champs Santos have also entered the race to acquire Leo. The player's agent confirms informal talks with interested clubs, while the player's lawyer denies any type of negotiations, while stating that Leo intends to fulfill his obligations towards Benfica.

After being in a period of uncertainty about his Benfica future towards the end of last season, Leo was offered a 1+1 by Rui Costa who stated that Leo was a key member of the squad, and part of the team's project. Humbled with the club's actions, Leo embarked into the new season with a sense of belonging but lost his job to Jorge Ribeiro in the middle of September. Quique justified the player's inability to execute what he wanted from a left back in his playing system, as the reason why Leo had lost his job.
I'm not totally aware of the condition in which Leo's parent's are, but one thing is certain, last year the club was much less tolerant and unmovable in regards to Leo's wishes to be with his parents. It seems odd to me that Leo would turn his back on the club, regardless of whether he feels he is at the end of his career, and impressing a coach is the last thing he wants to do.
Leo has always been a consummate professional, and I'm sure he will do what is right by Benfica.

In the meantime, expect more destabilizing news about Benfica. Let's not forget that the mini silly season is sneaking up, as the papers will fill Santa's sled with so many names, that not even Rudolph and company will be able to pull it.

Continue Reading..

Leo for 2 more years

Although Benfica has yet to officially confirm Leo's contract renewal, all 3 major Futebol Dailies are reporting that Leo and Benfica have reached an agreement for the left back to remain at Estadio da Luz for another 2 years.
Good News from Lisbon, in what was most likely Rui Costa's first action under his new functions.
Next up...... Cristian Rodriguez.

***EDIT***
In the press conference that served as the introduction of Rui Costa as Sporting Director, Rui Costa confirmed Leo's renewal and has also put the Eriksson option to bed, claiming that Benfica could not wait for the Swede's situation to develop.
In the meantime, Jose Peseiro has left Panathinaikos.
Rui Costa has also confirmed Benfica's signing of Ruben Amorim, but has claimed that Jorge Ribeiro has not signed with Benfica, but is part of a group of players that are of interest to Benfica.


-END-



Type rest of the post here

Continue Reading..

Benfica and Leo back to the table.

Today's "A Bola" reports that Leo is going back to the table with Benfica in hopes of reaching some kind of an agreement to stay with Benfica. The lenght of the extension is a reported 1 year with an optional second year.
After Rui Costa telling the press that Benfica hadn't decided on Leo's future, a comment he made right after the Sporting game, and then again following the Getafe game in which he told the media that Benfica would do everything possible to keep Leo, these reports surface.

Leo's extension should be one of the priorities for the upcoming season. Unquestionable starter, consummate professional, and the spirit and fight that are at the club's image, makes Leo an indispensable player for next season. I think the optional second year is the right move, off course that option will mean more money for the first year, and this is where Benfica and Leo will have to reach an agreement.


END

Continue Reading..

On the Guilherme Track

With Miguelito's sale to Braga in it's closing phases, Benfica sees themselves with 1 left defender in the squad. Gilberto's deal seems to have fallen through the cracks, at least for this January, Benfica is left in a delicate situation. Certainly 1 left back is not enough, especially, when the left back you have, and a mighty good one, is 32. I'm pretty sure Maxi can play left back, last resort Luis Felipe, but Benfica will have to buy a left back as soon as the window opens.

The Left Back seems like a rare breed, the national team has recently had problems adding depth to the position. Benfica has had their own problems over the years finding the right man for the job. They seem to have found the right man in Leo, but between failed contract renewals and family problems, Leo seems to be headed down the unsettled path. The fans are starting to criticize Benfica's directive for not resolving the situation, expressing support for Leo, but the truth is - If you are not on the inside, you really don't know what is going on. Unfortunately some of the public knowledge comes from what the media feeds you, which sometimes can be very far from the truth.

I've been following Guilherme, a left back from Brazil, i first posted about him here . Just a quick background, Guilherme is a 19 year left back that broke into Vasco da Gama's first squad this season, even winning the starting left back job towards the end of the campaign. In the middle of November Guilherme's pass was bought by MDF, a sports investment group and Guilherme's future seemed to pass through Portugal.

Just this past week the player was signed by Tombense (Brazilian II Division), the player will not play for Tombense this season, however, one of Tombense's biggest supporters is the agent Eduardo Uram, who currently represents Porto's Ibson(currently on loan with Fluminense) and Espanhol's Jonatas. According to the news article the player's agent is currently studying several offers from undisclosed clubs, but his destiny will most likely be Portugal.
By signing with Tombense, the player associates himself with a club and loses his sole affiliation with just the investment group(at least on paper), Investment groups are often frowned upon by FIFA and they are even unlawful in England(Tevez case).

I'm sure this is not the last we've heard from Guilherme. As i've said before, it wouldn't surprise me if this player ended up at Benfica, especially with Benfica's current situation.

Continue Reading..

Benfica News 12/26/07

After the Christmas holiday, all of the Benfica players will report to training on Thursday 12/27. Few news happening over the the holiday

- Real Madrid's Soccer "strongman", Pedrag Mijatovic, has announced that Soldado will not be going anywhere, especially on loan. Soldado had been personally contacted by Camacho and hoped that he could get the playing time he needs to impress National Team coach at Benfica. Soldado has played very little at Real and would be open to an opportunity which could offer him valuable playing time.

- Rodriguez's representatives will be looking for Benfica to activate their priority clause and acquire the Uruguayan winger from PSG. Rodriguez is currently valued at 5mm Euros, but his representatives are confident that this value can be brought down during negotiation talks.

- Leo has manifested his desire to stay at Benfica, before leaving to Brazil, claiming that if it was up to him, that's where he would be playing next year. In the meantime, Leo also requested that he be excused until the end of this weekend, in order to follow his father's surgery, a request that Benfica denied.

- Gremio has put together a 3mm counter offer for Diego Souza, Benfica is currently asking for 4mm. Gremio is also including 2 players to be chosen by Benfica from their development program

- Benfica is closely following 2 Vasco da Gama youngsters, Phillipe Coutinho and Alex Teixeira.
Coutinho(forward)15, is being hailed as the next Messi, and already has both Manchester United and Real Madrid offers. Benfica currently has an agreement protocol with Vasco da Gama, which would give Benfica first "crack" at these youngsters, but because Coutinho is only 15, he is unable to sign a profesional contract.
Unless Vasco can convince Coutinho to sign in February when he turns 16, Benfica will have very little chance to get this player as Real Madrid will most likely snatch the youngster by negotiating directly with the boy's father and agent.
Alex Teixeira(attacking mid), 17, is currently under contract at Vasco and has been hailed as one of the best youngsters at his age level. A deal for Alex could include Diego Souza, who Vasco has shown interest in, but await Gremio's decision.

- Metz, from the French premiere, has shown interest in Marc Zoro. Metz is currently in the relegation zone and hope to strenghten their squad in order to avoid relegation.

- Fellipe Bastos, will be training with the senior squad this week. Fellipe Bastos signed with Benfica last week, and is destined for the Junior team, but due to Petit's injury and Binya's suspension, Camacho wants to have a close look at the Brazilian U-17 international, who plays in the defensive midfield sector.


- There was a nice article on Freddy Adu in Yesterdays Washington Post. click on "read full post" to see a full transcription.



Here's a trancription of the article

"By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 25, 2007

"On his own, Adu has grown"
Freddy Adu's bedroom is a mess. Like any other 18-year-old coming home for the Christmas break, the teenager has stacks of video games next to the television and clothes strewn across the floor, eliciting a stern glare from his mother, Emelia.

But this is no ordinary scene, as haphazardly clustered amid the tower of boxes is a golf game autographed by Tiger Woods ("Keep kicking butt," reads the inscription) and the garments on the floor all bear the crest of famed European soccer club Benfica, with Adu's name and No. 30 on the back.

Christmas came a little early for the Adus this year, as the teenager came back to Rockville for the first time since leaving Major League Soccer for Benfica in late July, returning bearing gifts for family and friends. Adu proved a quick study in one of the world's premier leagues, earning playing time from the outset and becoming an important substitute for Benfica by chipping in goals and assists. Perhaps more importantly, he says he is at ease with the Portuguese language and lifestyle, and his love of the game has never been greater.

"It's just been amazing the way things are going right now," Adu said while reclining in the office of the house he built for his mother after turning pro with MLS. "Hard work and believing in yourself, I think it can take you a long way.

"I know there are some people out there who already wrote me off before my 18th birthday, and there were some hard times and reading those articles and things like that. But I've been able to survive that -- for now -- and I know there'll be some times when I'm not playing great and there will be some articles that won't be pleasant.

"But I think I got a lot of the hard part of my development out of the way and I'm working hard and I've found something that works for me. I'm in a place where I'm really wanted and where I'm treated well and my teammates have accepted me and I've found coaches that bring out the best in me. It's been a blessing."
The last six months have been a whirlwind for the Ghana native, whose family immigrated to the Washington area in 1997 after winning a green card lottery. Burdened with the expectations to be the "savior of American soccer" from roughly age 12, Adu endured what some considered to be a less-than-scintillating four years in MLS -- including his first three seasons with D.C. United -- before his strong outing in the Under-20 World Cup last summer cemented European interest in him.

He entered MLS at 14 and struggled for a regular starting spot during his time with United, clashing at times with authoritarian coach Peter Nowak, who now coaches the U.S. Olympic team and assists the men's national team. In hindsight, Adu considers the experience in MLS to have been ideal conditioning for Europe. He says he learned valuable lessons about professionalism and maturity, with his missteps and growing pains lacking the overwhelming media glare that comes when playing the world's game in Europe.

"Sometimes me and Peter didn't always see eye-to-eye," said Adu, who had a long heart-to-heart with Nowak in October before playing for the national team in Switzerland. "But that made me grow up, some of the mistakes I made and especially when I went to media and said some things, it's something I should have taken care of in the locker room.

"Some mistakes I feel like I made as a 15, 16-year-old obviously I wouldn't repeat now, because I learned a lot from it and it helped make me a better person and player and I'm benefiting from it right now to be honest with you."

Indeed, Adu has made no waves in Portugal since moving to Benfica on a $2 million transfer fee and signing a five-year deal worth about $1.25 million annually. He embraced his nescient status and prepared to earn his roster spot, even though a frenzied throng of fans awaited his initial arrival at the Lisbon airport.

Benfica is a consistently strong club within Portugal's top division; the team is a distant second place in the standings behind FC Porto at the winter break. Benfica was vying for qualification into the Champions League -- the most prestigious club tournament on the planet -- when Adu began training, but just two weeks later he entered a qualifier against FC Copenhagen in the 37th minute and earned praise for his play and composure in that victory.

The club's coach, who played a role in Adu's procurement, was fired in August after just two games, however, and Adu steeled for another period of adjustment. He gradually won over new coach Jos¿ Antonio Camacho, a dictatorial taskmaster who has coached Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. After a few weeks out of the lineup, Adu scored his first goal during a Portuguese tournament on Sept. 26, tying the game in injury time with a penalty kick.

"I went in and, wow, played 45 minutes in that game," said Adu, who is averaging one goal for every 60 minutes played. "And it was my first minutes since that Champions League qualifier and I went in and played well. I played very well. I was really surprised and I ended up topping it off by getting the game-tying goal and us winning on penalty kicks and after that I was like, 'This is it.' That was the turning point for me. It was like, 'I can play, I've got the talent to do this.' It's all about working hard and having confidence."

Three days later Adu, whose younger brother, Fro, just completed his first season for the George Mason soccer team, appeared in his first Portuguese League game. He has made regular late-game appearances since, often with the game on the line.

Troy Fitrell, a Washington native and assistant to the U.S. ambassador to Portugal, attends most matches, and said the applause and standing ovations for Adu are matched only by the salute to midfielder Rui Costa, one of Portugal's all-time legends, and American flags are waved in earnest at home matches, a rarity in Europe these days.

"Average fans start shouting 'O Americano' shortly after halftime at most games, when, sadly, Benfica is usually scoreless," Fitrell wrote in an e-mail. "When he starts to warm up they start cheering in a way they never do for Angel DiMaria, Nuno Gomes, or the other strikers."

In October, Adu scored two goals in an eight-game span and also became the youngest American to appear in a Champions League game as Benfica defeated Scotland's famed Celtic at home. Adu is also the youngest to play for the U.S. national team.

"It's hard for American players to earn any kind of respect in Europe," Adu said. "So I had to prove that I belonged to be there and I can make a difference."

Fitrell wrote that after Adu's third game-winning goal for the club the papers were filled with headlines like "The American Hero" and "Freddy Saves Us Again." The next day Fitrell had 40 e-mails congratulating him on Adu's success, "as if I had anything to do with it," Fitrell wrote. Fitrell's favorite post-game message came from a Communist Party member of parliament there, which read simply: "I love America."

Adu said he spends as much time as possible hanging around Benfica's stars; sublime playmaker Rui Costa, rumored to be a candidate for team presidency in coming years, has become a cherished mentor. Adu said his teammates have embraced him wholeheartedly, taking time to give him pointers and suggestions. He spends as much time as possible at the training facility and found an apartment in a ritzy part of Lisbon tucked between a resort and the U.S. Embassy, of great comfort to his mother.

Emelia visits every six weeks or so and stacks his freezer with home-cooked food, including his Ghanaian favorites, and for a few days this week both her boys are back under her roof. Adu, who earned his first start for the U.S. national team in a defeat of South Africa last month, leaves Thursday to return to training with Benfica, where he is navigating the responsibilities of independence with the rigors of elite soccer.

"In the United States there were so many people around Freddy that it was just convenient to let people do things for him -- friends, relatives, coaches, parents, agents, publicists," said Arnold Tarzy, his close family friend and former coach. "Over there he's on his own and it's made him do more regular stuff -- learn how to handle money and pay bills and things like that.

"It makes you grow up and be a lot more responsible -- not that he was ever irresponsible -- but he just has to pay attention to things everyone else normally has to. He's had to act completely like a self-sufficient adult, and I think it's made him a better person and it's made him more focused and businesslike about what he does."

Keeping a tidy room back in Rockville, it seems, will have to wait.

Continue Reading..

Benfica News 12/21/07

Few brief news:

Leo and Benfica were unable to reach an agreement, with the wages being the the issue, not contract lenght. The player's representatives returned to Brazil, but not before they voiced their displeasure with Benfica's directive and their lack of respect for the player. If Benfica want Leo, they will have to travel to Brazil to negotiate. Benfica claims negotiations are not closed and will negotiate with the player in due time.

Today's "A Bola" reports that Fred from Lyon might be on the way to Benfica. The forward is not currently happy at Lyon, where he seems to have fallen out of favor with Lyon's coach.
Lyon, however, has rulled out any type of loan for the player, claiming that they will only listen to buyout offers. Lyon bought Fred in 05 by the sum of 15mm Euros, at the time where the Brazilian was the hottest thing in Brazil.

It would be a great buy for Benfica, but i very much doubt they will have the cash to buy this player. Remember that Lyon is the possible destination for Cesar Delgado, a player that Benfica chased but could not make a convincing enough offer for Cruz Azul to take them seriously.

Continue Reading..

Benfica News for 12/12/07

Taking a look through the major Portuguese Sport online Dailies:

Portuguese Cup drawing - Benfica drew Feirense at home for the 5 round of the portuguese cup. Feirense is currently 12th in the Vitalis League ( Portugal's second flight). Porto drew Desportivo das Aves, which will have Romeu Ribeiro, Miguel Victor and Dabao in their squad by the time the game takes place, January 20th.

Quim's back in practice. Benfica's #1 trained without limitations this morning and will be ready for this weekend's clash against Belenenses.

Miguel Victor will play with the Juniors for a couple more games before joining Desportivo das Aves in January. Benfica's junior coach, Joao Alves, requested that Victor give his contribution to the junior squad after losing a few of his defensive players to injuries. Victor played this last weekend, and will play another 2 games for the junior squad before going on his loan.

Binya has been called by the Cameroonian national team to play a friendly against a Galiza select squad. This is another game where Otto Pfister will have a chance to look at players before making his CAN 08 roster official. Binya might very well be on this roster list, which would mean that Benfica wouldn't be able to count on Binya for at least the month of January and some of February.

Benfica is trying to acquire the rest of Cardozo's pass from Newell's (20% = 2.2mm). Bergessio is most likely going to be included in the deal for the buyout in the form of a loan or even a sale. Benfica is also trying to acquire the other 20% of DiMaria's pass from Rosario Central.. just a quick explanation of these percentages that are usually left on the table. Buying clubs do this to cut the price, agreeing to leave a percentage of the players pass with the team they bought the player from, what this means is that any future deals involving the player would guarantee the first seller a percentage of the sale, in this case 20%. This is clear move by Benfica to secure future talent, while anticipating to make money with these two players, buying the 20% would naturally maximize Benfica's return.

Cesar Delgado, remains quiet as far as his move to Benfica goes. The player told the Mexican media he would not talk about the move until it's official. The player also denied having any kind of agreement with Benfica. Also in the race are Lyon, Palermo, Olympiacos and Espanhol.

here's a clip of Delgado

Leo's representatives are in Lisbon this week to discuss contract renovations with Benfica. Brazil's Fluminense is following the meetings very carefully as they would be Leo's next home if Leo and Benfica fail to reach an agreement.

Continue Reading..

What Are We Waiting On?

There's something that's been bugging me as of late, and that is Leo's contract renewal. For some reason Benfica has been stalling to renew Leo's contract. Apparently the dispute is that Leo wants a 3 year deal and Benfica is only willing to sign him for 2. I don't think this should even be an issue. Benfica hasn't had a left back like Leo in ages. The left back position always seemed to be one of the weakest positions on the squad, but Benfica hit the jackpot when they signed Leo. He is a tremendous player, with modern left back characteristics. Leo is one of Benfica's most regular players and despite his age, 32, he hasn't missed a step ever since Benfica signed him. Let's look at his numbers for the past 2 seasons,
05/06- 36 games, 3164 minutes played
06/07 - 42 games, 3780 minutes played
He is currently the Benfica player that has played the most minutes in the Bwin with 967, and has played every minute of the Champions League. He has been an undisputed starter ever since he grabbed the spot. He embodies what every fan expects from a Benfica player- fighting spirit, never give up attitude and a leave everything on the field type of player. In the beggining of the season, Leo had personal issues with the illness of his mother, yet, he remained a professional and continued to be committed to the club.
What is Benfica waiting for to sign this player? Leo brings so much to the squad, with his experience, personality and his leadership. Even if he is 35 by the time he starts his 3rd year, wouldn't it be worth having this player in the locker room mentoring the young players Benfica currently has on their squad? It seems like a no brainer to me. To add insult to injury there were media reports that surfaced this week that Benfica might be interested in Hertha's left back, Gilberto who is 31 !!!
Benfica needs to do the right thing and sign this player as quickly as possible!

Continue Reading..