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How Benfica have dominated the transfer market
Blogs

How Benfica have dominated the transfer market

25/07/24 09:16

Benfica most expensive sales

Benfica have proven to be experts in the transfer market, racking up well over €1 billion in the 21st century in cash from selling their players. They’ve been home to superstars such as Angel Di Maria, Eusébio and David Luiz.

More recently, the Portuguese side have been on the receiving end of some of the most expensive transfers in the history of football. Let’s take a look at the top 10 most expensive sales from the club.

10 - Victor Lindelöf €35 million to Manchester United

The Swedish centre-back signed for Benfica in 2012 from Västerås SK at just 17 years old, and began playing for the B team. After four years playing for Benfica B, Lindelöf played in the first team for two seasons. Throughout the 2016/17 season, he made a total of 47 appearances in all competitions, catching the eye of Jose Mourinho, who signed him to the Red Devils.

9 - Nélson Semedo €35.7 million to Barcelona

The man who now plays his football at Wolverhampton Wanderers also joined the Eagles in 2012, and experienced the same breakthrough season playing alongside Lindelöf in 2016-17. Scoring two goals and getting eight assists from the right back position clearly proved to impress onlookers, as the player would go on to be swooped up by club giants Barcelona and play for three seasons under Ernesto Valverde.

8 - Raúl Jiménez €38 million to Wolves

Another familiar name to any Premier League fan, Raúl Jiménez began his journey at Benfica after joining from Atletico Madrid off the back of a disappointing season which saw the striker only score one goal in 28 matches. He played for the side for three seasons, scoring 31 goals in his time there, before he was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Mexican now plays his football with Fulham.

7 - Axel Witsel €40 million to Zenit St. Petersburg

Despite only playing for Benfica for one full season, Axel Witsel showed his class and potential throughout the 2011/12 season, racking up a whopping 48 appearances in all competitions. It didn’t take long for the Belgian to shine, and Zenit snapped him up straight away, paying the €40 million release clause to get him out of his contract in Portugal. The midfielder went on to have a strange career path, moving from Russia to China, then back to Europe with Borussia Dortmund. He now plays for Atletico Madrid.

6 - Ederson €40 million to Manchester City

The only goalkeeper on this list, Man City star keeper Ederson made 57 appearances for the Eagles’ first team, keeping 23 clean sheets. He didn’t spend long at the club before earning his move to the Premier League, where he has stayed now for seven seasons, although there is noise now that he could be set for a potential move to the Saudi Pro League.

5 - Gonçalo Ramos €65 million to PSG

Into the top five and some of the more recent transfers are cropping up now. A move that happened in the Summer of 2023 saw striker Gonçalo Ramos move to PSG after a fantastic showing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he scored a hat trick against Switzerland as Portugal beat them 6-1 in the round of 16. Ramos had come through the Benfica academy, so the money made from this move was 100% profit. After a stay of four seasons in the first team, he had secured his big money move.

4 - Rúben Dias €71.6 million to Manchester City

A player who has stood out in recent years as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, Rúben Dias was another product of the Benfica academy. He made his debut for the first team in 2017, before going onto become a stronghold in their backline for the next three seasons. He made 135 appearances for the club, winning two trophies in the process. His mentality and composure shone through and was noticed by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, who brought him in and straight into their starting lineup in 2020. The centre-back would go on to win Premier League Player of the Season in his debut season in the League.

3 - Darwin Núñez €85 million to Liverpool

Darwin Núñez has been through many ups and downs since his departure from Benfica, but with a figure as high as this, it is clear that his performances for the Eagles were second to none, catching the eyes of clubs as big as Liverpool and Manchester United. The Uruguayan signed from Spanish side Almeria in 2020, and spent two seasons at Benfica before his move to Merseyside. During his time in Lisbon he racked up 48 goals in 85 appearances, and was the star of the show in the Primeira Liga and Champions League.

2 - Enzo Fernández €121 million to Chelsea

Another player whose transfer hasn’t necessarily worked out smoothly is Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández. The Argentinian midfielder only spent six months at the club after signing from River Plate in June 2022. He won the Young Player of the Tournament at the 2022 World Cup, as his country went on to win the whole thing. This put him in the spotlight for a potential move, being talked about by everyone, and in the end it was the London club that forked out the huge sum to secure the player by triggering his release clause.

1 - João Félix €127.2 million to Atletico Madrid

The fourth highest transfer in the history of football belongs to João Félix, when he signed for Atletico Madrid from Benfica at the age of just 19. Another player to come through the academy, Félix’s rise to the top came thick and fast, spending only one season in the first team before the big move. He managed to tally 20 goals and eight assists in his debut season, and people were starting to see him as the next football world superstar. With so much interest being shown for the teenager, his market value sky-rocketed. Since his move to Atletico, his career has hit a bit of a plateau, and after a failed loan spell with Chelsea, he spent the most recent season on loan at Barcelona, where he scored 10 goals. Interestingly, it is being reported that Aston Villa are in talks to sign the man who was once considered one of the best young talents in the world.

It is easy to see that Benfica have a clear game plan when it comes to the transfer market. They are very good at capitalising on the potential of their academy players, and putting them in the shop window to sell on for big money. The plan is definitely working and the list of their ex-academy players is outstanding, creating some of the best players in the world. While not every transfer has gone on to prove themselves at bigger clubs, Benfica are doing their part to keep their business going, and they are doing it very well.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Lily Perrill

Writer

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