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Eusébio Cup
Eusébio Cup logo
Organising bodyBenfica
Founded2008
Number of teams2
Current championsPortugal Benfica
(4th title)
Most successful club(s)Portugal Benfica
(4 titles)
Television broadcastersBTV
Poster for the ninth edition of the Eusébio Cup (2016)

The Eusébio Cup is a pre-season friendly football match hosted by Portuguese club S.L. Benfica since 2008. It has been played mostly at their home stadium, Estádio da Luz, with the two exceptions being the 2015 and 2018 editions (played at Estadio BBVA and Estádio Algarve, respectively).

The two-team competition is named after Portuguese international and former Benfica player Eusébio,[1][2] who presented the trophy to the winning team until 2013, before his death in January 2014. There were plans to extend the number of participants to four,[3] a move that Eusébio himself was in favor of,[4] but no changes were ever made in that regard.

The cup's first edition was won by Inter Milan, with the other winners being Benfica (2009, 2011, 2012, 2022), Tottenham (2010), São Paulo (2013), Ajax (2014), Monterrey (2015), Torino (2016) – in a match that also served to honour the memory of the Grande Torino team who died in the Superga air disaster[5] – and Lyon (2018). No invited team, also including runners-up AC Milan, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Newcastle United, has participated in more than one edition.

The invitational match has been played in late July and early August, and it was played annually and without interruption until 2016.[6] Despite two tries,[7][8] there was no edition in 2017. A year later, the Eusébio Cup returned as part of the 2018 International Champions Cup,[6] only to be revived four years later in Lisbon.[9] There will be no edition in the 2023–24 pre-season.[10][11]

Trophy

The Eusébio Cup trophy is made out of glass and bears the name of the match and its winners. Moreover, it features a figure of Eusébio, on the top, performing his trademark shooting technique. The figure is similar to Eusébio's statue outside Estádio da Luz. The trophy is symbolic because it is dedicated to Eusébio, who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, and Benfica's greatest.

Broadcasters

The following is a list of television channels who broadcast the matches for Portugal.

Year Broadcaster Ref.
2008–2009 SIC
2010 Benfica TV
2011 TVI [12]
2012 RTP [13]
2013–2016 Benfica TV
2018 Sport TV
2022 Benfica TV

Matches

2008

Benfica Portugal0–0Italy Inter Milan
Report
Penalties
 4–5
Attendance: 54,001
Referee: Bruno Paixão

2009

Benfica Portugal1–1Italy Milan
  • Cardozo 58'
 Report
Penalties
 5–4
Attendance: 62,342
Referee: João Ferreira

2010

Benfica Portugal0–1England Tottenham Hotspur
Report
Attendance: 30,215

2011

Benfica Portugal2–1England Arsenal
 Report
Attendance: 40,833
Referee: Duarte Gomes

2012

Benfica Portugal5–2Spain Real Madrid
 Report
Attendance: 35,476
Referee: Bruno Paixão

2013

Benfica Portugal0–2Brazil São Paulo
Report
Attendance: 30,638
Referee: Duarte Gomes

2014

Benfica Portugal0–1Netherlands Ajax
Report
Attendance: 25,240
Referee: Hugo Miguel

2015

Monterrey Mexico3–0Portugal Benfica
 Report
Attendance: 51,000

2016

Benfica Portugal1–1Italy Torino
 Report
Penalties
 5–6
Attendance: 45,818
Referee: Fábio Veríssimo

2017

22 July 2017 Benfica Portugal Cancelled Brazil Chapecoense Estádio da Luz, Lisbon
19:45 WEST
Note: The Brazilian Football Confederation did not authorize Chapecoense's participation due to the overlapping dates with Brazilian competitions.[14]
6 October 2017 Benfica Portugal Cancelled Scotland Rangers Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton
19:00 EST
Note: The match was cancelled due to Elite Soccer Entertainment not being able to meet the contractual obligations and the commitments established with both clubs.[15]

2018

International Champions Cup
Benfica Portugal2–3France Lyon
 Report
Attendance: 17,510
Referee: Hélder Malheiro

2022

Benfica Portugal3–2England Newcastle United
 Report
Attendance: 49,081[16]
Referee: Nuno Almeida

Performance by team

Eusébio with the trophy of the fourth edition (2011)
Team Winners Runners-up Year(s) won Year(s) runners-up
Portugal Benfica 4 7 2009, 2011, 2012, 2022 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
Italy Inter Milan 1 — 2008 —
England Tottenham Hotspur 1 — 2010 —
Brazil São Paulo 1 — 2013 —
Netherlands Ajax 1 — 2014 —
Mexico Monterrey 1 — 2015 —
Italy Torino 1 — 2016 —
France Lyon 1 — 2018 —
Italy Milan — 1 — 2009
England Arsenal — 1 — 2011
Spain Real Madrid — 1 — 2012
England Newcastle United — 1 — 2022

References

  1. ↑ "Planet Benfica: Eusébio Cup 2008". Planet Benfica. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Mira, Luís (7 August 2008). "Eusébio Cup Preview: SL Benfica – AC Milan". Goal. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Neves, Pedro (30 June 2008). "Inter Milão joga no Estádio da Luz" [Inter Milan plays at the Estádio da Luz]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "Eusébio gostava de ver quadrangular na Luz" [Eusébio would like to see a four-way at Luz]. Record (in Portuguese). 3 August 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Benfica e Torino recordam tragédia de 1949: «Dignos destes campeões»" [Benfica and Torino remember 1949 tragedy: "Worthy of these champions"]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 27 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  6. 1 2 Silva, Flávio (13 June 2021). "Eusébio Cup será realizada "sempre que for possível"" [Eusébio Cup will be held "whenever possible"]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "CBF "inviabiliza" Chapecoense" [CBF make Chapecoense "infeasible"]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 14 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "ESE assumes responsibility in the Eusébio Cup". S.L. Benfica. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Gomes, Rui Miguel (25 July 2022). "Eusébio Cup: regresso à Luz para homenagear o Rei" [Eusébio Cup: return to Da Luz to honour the King]. S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Não há Eusébio Cup!" [No Eusébio Cup!]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Benfica não vai disputar a Eusébio Cup na pré-época: as três razões que motivaram esta decisão" [Benfica will not contest the Eusébio Cup during pre-season: the three reasons that caused this decision]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  12. ↑ Lourenço, Tiago (4 August 2011). "TVI transmite Eusébio Cup" [TVI broadcasts Eusébio Cup]. Propagandista Social (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "Eusébio Cup: SL Benfica x Real Madrid". RTP Desporto (in Portuguese). July 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "CBF inviabiliza Chapecoense na Eusébio Cup". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 14 June 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  15. ↑ "ESE assumes responsibility in the Eusébio Cup". S.L. Benfica. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  16. ↑ "SL Benfica vs Newcastle".
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