Juniores do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈnjɔɾɨʒ ðu sɨˈpɔɾ liʒˈβoɐ i βɐ̃jˈfikɐ]) are the under-19 team of Portuguese football club S.L. Benfica. They hold home matches at Benfica Campus, the club's training ground and youth academy in Seixal.
Benfica's under-19s have won a record 25 Campeonato Nacional de Juniores, one Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup (1996), one UEFA Youth League (2021–22) and one Under-20 Intercontinental Cup (2022). Benfica hold UEFA Youth League records for the biggest win in a final, 6–0 against Red Bull Salzburg, most final appearances (4, joint-record with Chelsea) and most games played (70). They were distinguished for "Best implementation of the UEFA Youth League values" in 2013–14.
There are other development teams below under-19, completing Benfica's youth system: Juvenis "A" and "B"; Iniciados "A" and "B"; Infantis "A", "B", "C" and "D"; Benjamins "A" and "B"; and Traquinas "A". In 2015, Benfica received the Globe Soccer award for Best Academy of the year.
Players
Current players
- As of 3 September 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
- Key
B = current Benfica B player; U23 = player for Benfica's under-23 team
Notable players
Over 1,000 players have come through Benfica's youth ranks, but only a small part of them played for the club's first-team. The list below includes former youth players who represented the main team in a minimum of 25 matches, or those that reached 25 caps at full international level. In some occasions, graduates debuted for the first-team but left Benfica before reaching 25 matches and went on representing their national team at full international level. Those players are also listed. (Time periods below correspond to when players joined Benfica youth.)
Coaching staff
Competitive record
UEFA Youth League
- As of match played 2 November 2022
Note: Benfica score is always listed first.
Honours
- Portuguese Championship
- Winners (25) – record: 1943–44, 1944–45, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1999–00, 2003–04, 2012–13, 2017–18, 2021–22
- Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup
- Winners: 1996
- UEFA Youth League
- Winners: 2021–22
- Under-20 Intercontinental Cup
- Winners – shared record: 2022
Other youth honours
Juvenis (under-17)
- Portuguese Championship
- Winners (21) – record: 1963–64, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1982–83, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23, 2023–24
Iniciados (under-15)
- Portuguese Championship
- Winners (12): 1978–79, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1988–89, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2022–23, 2023–24
Infantis (under-13)
- Portuguese Championship
- Winners (3) – shared record: 1988–89, 1989–90, 1995–96
References
External links
- Departamento de Formação (in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and French)
- How Benfica became a global figurehead in player development – These Football Times (2017)
