Otamendi and Di María's 200 games in the Manto Sagrado

Captain Otamendi, in the game from matchday 17 of the Liga Betclic, against SC Braga, and forward Di María, in the match against Farense, in the Portuguese Cup round of 16, have reached 200 games for Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

During the month of January, the two World Cup winners who played for Argentina reached the two hundred matches mark. The first was central defender Otamendi, on the 4th, at the Estádio da Luz, against SC Braga.

Otamendi made his debut with the Manto Sagrado, curiously enough, also on October 4, 2020. The match was for the 2020/21 National Championship (matchday 3), it was played in an Estádio da Luz without a crowd due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the opponent was Farense and the central defender started.

A few days later, he played his first European match for Benfica (October 22, 2020). In a Europa League clash, the eagles traveled to Poland to face Lech Poznan on matchday 1 of Group D. In the 2nd half of the match, Otamendi wore the Sport Lisboa e Benfica captain's armband for the first time.

During the 2020/21 season, the Argentine international also made his scoring debut. Also at Estádio da Luz, he scored the first of his eight goals to date, against Famalicão, in round 18 of the League.

The following season (2021/22), he made his Champions League debut in a match against Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 1 of Group E.

Time went by and Otamendi continued to write his history at the club. The half-century mark was also reached in 2021/22, against Portimonense ( matchday 8 of the Championship); the hundred was reached in 2022/23, against Chaves (matchday 11 of the League); and the hundred and fifty was played in Braga, on matchday 14 of the 2023/24 League.

SC Braga, but at Estádio da Luz, were also the opponents who marked another round number for Otamendi, this time the 200th match, on matchday 17 of the 2024/25 Championship. Since then, the Argentinian central defender has played in three more, two of which in the final four of the League Cup. The captain lifted the trophy alluding to the eagles' 8th victory in that competition, his 3rd title for Benfica, joining the National Championship won in 2022/23 and the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup celebrated in 2023/24. More recently, last Tuesday, he helped the team qualify for the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup.

All told, Otamendi has played 131 games in the National Championship, 38 in the Champions League, 14 in the Portuguese Cup, 12 in the Europa League, 6 in the League Cup and 2 in the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup.

Almost 18 years separate Di María's first and 200th games with an eagle on his chest - the World Cup winner represented the club from 2007 to 2010, and returned to Glorioso in 2023.

His debut (and as a starter) occurred on August 29, 2007, against Copenhagen. In Denmark, Benfica played the 2nd leg of the 3rd qualifying round that earned them qualification for the group stage of the 2007/08 Champions League, and this was, of course, Di María's first European match, at the age of 19.

He was also in the starting eleven for his debut in Portuguese competitions, which took place in Madeira, against Nacional, on matchday 3 of the Championship (September 2, 2007). It was also as a starter that he made his debut in the Champions League group stage, in Italy, against AC Milan, on Matchday 1 of Group D (September 18, 2007).

His debut at the Estádio da Luz was against Naval (matchday 4 of the 2007/08 league season), a game in which he also recorded his first assist for a goal with the Manto Sagrado (September 15, 2007). 

He also scored his first goal in 2007/08. In Germany, against Nuremberg, in the second leg of the UEFA Cup round of 16, Di María scored Benfica's second goal, helping the team qualify for the next stage.

Match 50 took place in 2008/09. At the Estadio da Luz, against Napoli, the forward started the second leg of the UEFA Cup first qualifying round. That season, he would also win his first trophy: the League Cup.

The 2009/10 season was full of milestones for Di María: the 100th game, in Olhanense-Benfica, on matchday 13 of the League; his first hat-trick, in Leixões-Benfica (matchday 21 of the League); his 2nd League Cup; and his 1st national title.

In the summer of 2010 he moved to Real Madrid, and for the next 13 years he shone on pitches all over Europe. He returned to Benfica in 2023.

Once again wearing the Sacred Mantle, and after winning the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup in 2023/24, he played his 150th game with an eagle on his chest, at home to Boavista (matchday 18 of the League) - he scored and assisted!

In the current 2024/25 season, Di María has already recorded more moments in his Glorioso history: another hat-trick, in the 4th qualifying round of the Portuguese Cup against Estrela da Amadora; another League Cup win (the 3rd); and the 200th game with an eagle on his chest, in a Portuguese Cup match against Farense, on Tuesday, January 14.

All told, Di María has played in 120 league matches, 29 in the Europa League, 18 in the Champions League, 18 in the League Cup, 14 in the Portuguese Cup and 1 in the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup; he has scored 45 goals; and he has won five titles: 1 league title (2009/10), 3 League Cups (2008/09, 2009/10 and 2024/25) and 1 Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup (2023/24).