Benfica Residential Academy Official Opening

INAUGURATION

The Benfica Residential Academy in Florida was officially inaugurated on Friday, June 13. The ceremony, which took place at Saint Leo University, was attended by the President of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Rui Costa, and three players from the professional football team trained at the Club: Florentino, Renato Sanches, and Joshua Wynder.

"First, I would like to thank Saint Leo University for all its collaboration, for welcoming us with open arms and accepting this project, for the way they welcomed us, and for the way they developed this entire project together with us. It is a great honor for us, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, to be here today, in person, to inaugurate this academy," said President Rui Costa in his speech at the end of the ceremony.

"Today, in addition to the club's management, we brought three players nurtured at Benfica's academy to give a little example of what our work is like in terms of the academy. We are known beyond borders for the excellent work we do in youth development, and being able to form this partnership with Saint Leo University, here in the United States, which is our first project in the United States, fills us with pride and honor, especially because it is a model we advocate, in which we can have our players involved in both sports and academics," he emphasized.

"I would also like to thank all the teams, both from the university and Benfica, who made this project possible. It took some time because it was carefully thought out, structured, and designed so that the Benfica brand would be well established here, and our athletes could do what they came here to do," explained the President of Benfica.

"To give you a more concrete idea, our goal is to start on August 15, when the school year begins, with 100 athletes, but I can tell you that we have had 3,000 inquiries for this project, which fills us with pride and honor, not only us at Benfica, but I believe also everyone who conceived this project, such as Saint Leo University," he emphasized.

"It's a fantastic project, a huge project, on a grand scale, but on a scale befitting Benfica. It's the first, it won't be the last, but above all, it's an important pillar for the expansion of the Benfica brand and for what is one of our top priorities, as I said earlier, which is to develop the Benfica way, to nurture players the Benfica way. But we are not just a sports club, and we have other responsibilities, which is why I said earlier that we are also excited about this project because we are certain that we will be able to reconcile the growth of our athletes, both in sports and academics. And that was perhaps the part that made us believe in this project and move forward with it," emphasized Rui Costa.

"Finally, and since I have already thanked the university, I would naturally like to thank all the families who believed in this project, who believed in Benfica, and today, for us, it is a great pleasure to see so many boys and girls wearing our jersey, which they had probably never done before, and today we are represented in this way by several nationalities here in this room. I wish all athletes an excellent academic and sporting year, and may the eagle you wear on your chest fly high in your dreams and realities. Thank you all, have a good academic year," concluded the President.

STATEMENTS BY PRESIDENT RUI COSTA TO THE PRESS