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Despite consistently selling out their best young players, Benfica reached the Europa League final in 2013 and 2014 Europa League: Benfica v RangersVenue of events: Stadium of Light, Lisbon Date: November 5th Time: 17:55 GMTCoverage: Listen to updates on BBC Radio Scotland and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app
“I have a personal dream for Benfica to win the Champions League with four or five boys from the academy playing for the team,” explains Rodrigo Magalhaes.
Benfica’s academy technical coordinator has seen dozens of his positions rise through the ranks to the first team in his 15 years at the club. His dream is getting closer and closer to coming true but sadly for Magalhaes, graduates may not achieve it in the red of the Portuguese giants.
A conveyor belt of talent has emerged from the Benfica Campus, with Manchester City spending almost £ 200 million on players who have spent their formative years with As Aguias, not to mention Joao Félix, who was sold for £ 113 million to Atlético. from Madrid last summer. .
Ruben Dias is the last to leave for big money, joining Pep Guardiola City’s side for £ 62 million. The center-back arrived at the academy at the age of 11 after being seen playing against Benfica by Magalhaes.
Its recruitment focuses on the “golden age” of children between the ages of six and 13, and the club has 470 players within the academy setting.
“I don’t think there are many players, it is an investment,” says Magalhaes. “When we compare the enormous cost of buying a top 22-year-old player with what we spend on youngsters, we could do it 20 times more and it would still be cheaper than buying a 22-year-old.
“We recruit, we put them in the Benfica methodology and we give them a long-term development with the aim of putting the players in our first team. This is our mission.”
Once a talented youth is identified and signed, they will be given a personal program to work with along with team training. There are numerous parameters for the exploration network, and Dias is an example of someone who was selected for having key attributes in addition to technical ability.
“Ruben Dias came to Benfica as an average player. His technique was good, but not of the highest level,” explains Magalhaes. “It was his ability to work that allowed him to reach his level.
“He had different things that distinguish him from the others: leadership and communication. He is like a general on the field. When I saw Rubén play U-11 against Benfica, he spoke with everyone and organized the team, then the characteristics that allowed him to Rubén coming to Benfica was communication and leadership “.
Ruben Dias started a sixth straight game for Manchester City at the weekend, which equaled the longest sequence managed by any of the club’s center-backs last season.
In addition to technical improvement, individual programs consist of medical, physical and psychological elements.
“We create a plan together with the player, asking for his opinion, the next development steps, what he needs to work on, if he is more technical (heading or passing) or if he needs to work on the physical or game understanding, that is built into the program “, says technical director Pedro Marques.
“Each team has a program but it is complemented by some individual development sessions, which is an allotment of time that can be filled with whatever they need.
“Some may need to work on technical things and will do it on the field, others in the gym. They are very connected to the needs and priorities that we need to develop in this phase of the journey.”
Raising a player considered average upon arrival to become a 62 million pound defender is a sign of the success of the established system at Benfica.
There is also patience in planning. Bernardo Silva, now also at Manchester City, stood out in the younger age groups but struggled in his teens when others had accelerated growth spurts, leaving him unable to cope with the physicality of the game.
The club, however, knew that his technical capabilities would eventually allow him to be an international player, while others may have released him based solely on his performances in matches.
“In younger age groups, the emphasis is on playing and enjoying, playing freely and developing passion and overcoming problems,” says Marques.
“In the end, there will be a winner and a loser, but that is not where we put the greatest focus. We see the games as part of development, it is where you put into practice what you have been developing and it is a good valuation for them.”
How Benfica established itself as a European production line Player Sold at Tariff Ruben Dias Manchester City 2020 £ 65mJoao FelixAtletico Madrid 2019 £ 113mJoao CarvalhoNottingham Forest 2018 £ 13.2mNelson SemedoBarcelona 2017 £ 30.8mEderson Manchester City2017 £ 35mVictor Lindel of Manchester United 2017 £ 31.5Goncal Goncal 2017 Sanches Bayern Munich2016 £ 31.5m * Joao Cancelo Valencia2015 £ 13.5m * Bernardo Silva Monaco2015 £ 14.2m * Andre Gomes Valencia2015 £ 18m * Ivan Cavaleiro Monaco2015 £ 13.5m ** reported rate
These games also allow players to try new things, which could explain why Guardiola has given the Benfica graduates a shine, thanks to his adaptability during matches.
“The modern player needs to be able to play different roles and positions in the same game,” says Magalhaes. “Bernardo plays as a midfielder, then as a winger. Joao Cancelo plays as a winger, then as an offensive right back. It makes them athletic, improves their knowledge and gives them a different vision of the game.”
In addition to football education, there is a commitment to preparing players for the outside world. Only a fraction of the young people who go through the academic system do so as professionals, much less at Benfica. Ten employees handle the educational side of things within the club, where manners are almost as important as performances on the field.
“It is very important for us, we have a holistic approach. We do not just want to develop the player, we want to develop the human being, that is why we have social and educational support at the Benfica Campus with teachers and a team that control the process in civil life “says Magalhaes.
“We need to help not only the player, but the human being. They need to develop their personality and be prepared to face the problems of life. Only a small percentage of players go to a professional level.”
The academy is always trying to improve. Benfica has basketball, handball and hockey teams, allowing easy access to innovative training ideas. And they also seek inspiration from soccer clubs around the world; Marques worked for Manchester City for eight years, so he knows how other elite teams work.
“We like to think that talent can be born anywhere and good ideas can also come from anywhere,” he says. “We always challenge ourselves, as we not only want to maintain this success, we want to go further and improve every day.
“You can learn from other areas that are intimately connected to talent development, such as music, arts, theater. There are a number of ways we can get marginal gains and little nudges to our system on top of that.”
For every Felix or Dias, there will be many who do not make it. Their coaches treat each player equally, working to maximize their potential to ensure soccer success and the financial sustainability of Benfica.
But as Marques says: “Our greatest purpose is to help them achieve their dreams.”
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Source: bbc.com
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