Thank you, João Mário!

João Mário has ended a four-year spell at Benfica by moving to Turkish club Besiktas. A national champion in the 2022/23 season and winner of the Super cup in 2023, the midfielder played 149 games with his eagle on his chest.

Presented as a new signing of the Glorioso in the middle of the Estádio da Luz pitch, João Mário wore the Sacred Mantle for the first time on July 15, 2021.

The midfielder made his official debut on August 4, 2021, in a 0-2 win over Spartak Moscow in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round. On that occasion, João Mário provided the assist for the 0-1. A week later, on August 10, in another 2-0 win over the team from the Russian capital, in the second leg, he topped off his first match in the Cathedral as a Benfica player with a goal (1-0).

In the 2021/22 season, the No.20 scored four goals in 45 games, divided between the League (28), the Portuguese Cup (2), the League Cup (3), the Champions League and its qualifying rounds and play-offs (12).

During the 2022/23 season, João Mário, one of the team's captains, played in 51 matches in all competitions and scored 23 goals and 13 assists, achieving his best career records in a single season in both parameters. On the way to winning the 38th National Championship, the midfielder scored 17 goals in 33 games, while in the Champions League he helped the Eagles reach the quarter-finals with six goals, becoming the team's top scorer in the competition. He also played four more games in the Portuguese Cup and was not used in the League Cup.

In 2023/24, the Reds' No.20 once again played 51 games with his eagle on his chest: 31 in the league, 6 in the Portuguese Cup, 5 in the Champions League, 5 in the Europa League, 3 in the League Cup and 1 in the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, a competition in which he celebrated winning his second trophy for Benfica. In total, he scored nine goals, three in the League, another three in the Champions League, two in the Portuguese Cup and one in the League Cup.

In the current 2024/25 season, João Mário started against Famalicão and Casa Pia in the first two rounds of the Liga Betclic.

As a player, the midfielder ends his Benfica career with 149 appearances, 36 goals and 23 assists, in over 11,000 minutes of playing time.

Thank you, João Mário!