Successful partnership in Brazil

The international project celebrated a year ago between Sport Lisboa e Benfica and Coimbra SC is a success story. At the end of the first season as partners, the U15 and U17 teams were promoted to the 1st Division of the Campeonato Mineiro.

The Benfica Soccer Schools keep delivering and being a story of success in sports results, in the symbol’s promotion and in the club’s training methodology. The technical collaboration in Brazil is exemplary.

On Brazilian soil, within the scope of the agreement celebrated between Benfica and Coimbra SC, the U15s and U17s had very positive displays in the very first year.

The official competition started on June 2022 with a 1^st stage composed by nine games and a Hexagonal Tournament with five clashes. There were also held several friendlies to deal with the few official games in the competition, against historic clubs of the “canarinho” football, like Atlético Mineiro, Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Fluminense or Vasco da Gama.

In the 1^st stage, the U15s and the U17s reached the 1^st place of the table, and had the best attack, the best defense and recorded the most victories.

In the Hexagonal Tournament, the U15s became champions, with five wins, 17 goals scored and only seven conceded; The U17s finished 3rd, despite having the best attack (nine goals).

"I’m extremely proud of my team’s path during the season, giving real meaning to the process word, enabling us to make a final stage of high-level and become champions, especially, giving our contribution to accessing Module 1 of the Campeonato Mineiro", stressed Danilo Melo, U15 coach.

"The process word take us to a journey between the starting point (team based mostly on players without competitive experience) and the destination point (champion team in a tough Championship and with all our players developed). Between both points stands out the quality of the daily work, the development, and the learning of the game aspects, construction of a team spirit based on humbleness, conquest, union, and ambition. A special word to the working group, players, and coaching staff, for their aim to win, humbleness, professionalism and for embracing the idea", concluded the coach.

"It was, for me, a great privilege and a fantastic experience to participate in another extremely important international project of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, this time in Brazil, in a partnership with Coimbra SC", mentioned Joaquim Mota, coach of the Under-17s.

"Since the end of March 2022, as head coach of the Under-17 team, I could soon see the excellent work done in terms of selection, attraction, and quality of the young players at both U-15 and U-17 levels. Always in tune and in close sharing with our technical coordinator, the construction of the U17 squad allowed us to be optimistic about the possibilities of achieving the proposed goals (achieving sporting results and enhancing/valuing athletes), which have been fully achieved in a competitive scenario that is much tougher and more difficult than you can imagine ", said Joaquim Mota.

"The professionalism of our technical structure, headed by technical coordinator Alfredo Almeida, the systematic application of the unique and winning SLB methodology, and the constant support and supply of all the conditions by our managers at Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Portugal and those responsible for Coimbra SC here in Brazil were the guarantee of the undeniable success achieved. A partnership that started almost from scratch, turned Coimbra SC, in less than a year, into an organized and structured club, able to answer any and all technical scope requests concerning the teams under the guidance of SL Benfica ", added the coach.

"With specific reference to the Under-17 team, of which I am in charge, I am pleased to note the extraordinary evolution of all athletes, at all levels. We have played toe to toe against Brazil’s best team in this category, and some of our young players deserved to continue to be followed closely and with attention, doing justice to the excellence of a project in which Sport Lisboa e Benfica has once again left its mark", finished Joaquim Mota.

"After a year on Brazilian soil, I want to highlight three points that seem fundamental. First, the proposed objectives for this first year of the project were all achieved: empower athletes, clinch promotion in both categories, and, if possible, win titles. The three objectives we set ourselves were achieved. Second, to thank the structure of SL Benfica in Portugal that participated directly or indirectly in the process so that we could achieve such a feat. Finally, I would like to thank the whole structure of Coimbra Sports for the way they received us and how they always did everything so that we lacked nothing to reach our goals", claimed Alfredo Almeida, the technical coordinator in Brazil.

"In the end, I want to leave a word of appreciation to the Portuguese coaches that accompanied me in this process, and that had a fundamental role in this achievement, and thank my family that is in Portugal and is the pillar of strength we need to overcome the difficulties we face on a daily", he said.

"Our feeling is of pride for having raised the name of SL Benfica in Brazil and for having made history with the name of our Club, above all," concluded the technical coordinator in Brazil, Alfredo Almeida.

"It represents the culmination of a very demanding season where the entire Benfica structure played a fundamental role to achieve promotion. When we said, last year, that our first goal would be the promotion, we were trusting on the quality of all the involved and we were positive that the outcome would be a natural reward for the daily effort of so many professionals. We are proud of the first year of this pioneer project and now it’s time for reflection and to analyze a whole season, in order to be even better, as next year’s challenges will be even bigger ", declared Davide Gomes, Benfica coach, responsible for the connection of the technical collaboration between Benfica and Clube Coimbra from Minas Gerais.

"We will compete with teams such as Atlético Mineiro, Grémio and América Mineiro, among others, increasing competitiveness. We are all mindful of the mission of the Club’s Youth Football and that’s how we are going to prepare another season. We leave a special thank you message to our coaches and coordinator, who lift the name of Benfica on a daily basis, leaving family and friends behind", concluded.

"On our last visit to Brazil, we were impressed with the evolution of the project, especially the new athlete support departments. We were always confident of a positive outcome to this season. All the parties involved are to be congratulated for the victories achieved, and we are already planning the work for next season. This partnership is the first among several that we will announce and that expand Benfica's presence worldwide as a youth development club ", highlighted Miguel Reis, the coordinator of global expansion.

Hissa Elias Moyses, director of Coimbra, welcomed the first year of partnership with Benfica. "Our main goal was to get promotion to First Division of the Campeonato Mineiro U17/U15. Our athletes and our Luso Brazilian coaching staff should be congratulated for the results and excellent work. Now it’s time to celebrate and start thinking on 2023 season and on the new challenges", he said.

"We were very happy for the sports results and that’s the reflection of all work done by our staff composed by Portuguese and Brazilian, who worked harmoniously for the athletes to have all the necessary conditions. The adaptation to the winning philosophy of Benfica happened in a natural way and the results stand out in and off the pitch", finished Diego Amaral, director of the Training Center of Coimbra.