Antonio Simões Reflects on Benfica Glory, Eusébio, and the Rise of Soccer in the U.S. | OneFootball

From winning countless titles during Benfica’s golden era to making a major move to the original NASL to help kickstart soccer in the United States, Antonio Simões has a unique perspective on the game both Stateside and overseas. He shares his thoughts on playing with Eusébio, why he made the move to the U.S., and how the game has grown in the country since.  

Antonio Simões is a legend of Portuguese soccer. Making over 300 appearances for Benfica, he’s one of the most prolific players of his time. Winning 10 league titles with the club as part of its golden era, Simões played alongside legends including Eusébio, who he became close friends with.

Simões won many titles with Benfica in Portugal, but most importantly achieved a record by being the youngest player, at 18 years old, to win the European Cup in a final against Real Madrid, who featured players like Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás. The Portuguese winger was also an important member of the national team, and was part of the squad that finished third in the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England.

After making history in Portugal, Simões made the bold decision to take his talents to the United States in 1975, immersing himself in a soccer scene that was still finding its identity. He played for the Boston Minutemen, San Jose Earthquakes, New Jersey Americans, and Dallas Tornado, before joining indoor sides including the Chicago Horizon and Kansas City Comets. He was part of a large contingent of stars that played in the U.S. in the ’70s, including Eusébio, Pelé, and George Best.

In an exclusive interview for Urban Pitch, the Portuguese icon discusses his time at the team he grew up a fan of, Benfica; facing, at such a young age, important players like Puskás and Di Stéfano; and changing his life by going to play in the U.S.

The Benfica Golden Era

Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

As a child, Simões was a fan of Benfica, and joined the club at just 15 years of age. He’d quickly become an important part of the first team and helped it win a bevy of trophies, including 10 Primeira Divisão titles, four Taças de Portugal, and the 1961-62 European Cup.

At 18 years and 139 days, Simões is still the youngest player to ever hoist a European Cup/UEFA Champions League trophy. The team that Benfica defeated to earn Simões that honor was just as impressive as his young age.

The 1961-62 Real Madrid squad was a juggernaut, just one year removed from a European Cup five-peat. Headlined by the aforementioned Di Stéfano and Puskás, you couldn’t blame a young player like Simões, who was in his first full season with the Benfica first team, for being a little starstruck.

“It was a very special moment for me,” Simões said. “I remember when we went onto the field to start the game, and I looked to my left and saw Di Stéfano, Puskás, they were incredible players. They had already been European Champions five times, and I don’t remember what I did, but I remember saying to myself, ‘What the heck am I doing here?’

“Then the game started, and at that moment, as a player, you just want to enjoy the game because at that young age, you just want to play. It was an incredible moment to play against people whose talent you grew up admiring.”

Portuguese footballer Fernando Cruz, Portuguese footballer Jose Aguas (1930-2000), Portuguese footballer Mario Coluna (1935-2014), Portuguese footballer Eusebio (1942-2014), Portuguese footballer Antonio Simoes, and Portuguese footballer Santana (1936-1989) walk through an park in London, England, 5th April 1962. The Portuguese champions are in London to play the second leg of their European Cup semi final against Tottenham Hotspur; Spurs won the second leg 2-1 but Benfica won the tie 4-3 on aggregate. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

During those years at Benfica, Simões had the chance to play with one of the greatest players in the history of football, Eusébio. They became close not only on the field but also off it.

“Fourteen years, more than 700 games together with him,” Simões said. “It was very special to play with him, and we became such good friends. Not just us, but also our families, my daughters and his daughters became very close.

“Football is more than a game and can create very strong relationships with your teammates. I was very pleased and honored to have a friend like Eusébio and to play with him. We all know what an unbelievable player he was.”

Leaving European Football for American Soccer

In the 1970s, Simões made a huge decision by leaving Benfica and European football to take on a completely new challenge and experience in U.S. soccer. He had spent 13 seasons with his childhood club, and extenuating circumstances in Portugal spurred the significant move.

“At that moment, there was a revolution in Portugal, and I wasn’t comfortable with that situation,” Simões said. “I decided that before they kicked me out, I would leave. So I called a friend in the U.S. and informed him about my decision. He invited me to play in the U.S. and helped me find a very good contract there.

“I decided to change my life, and it was a very important decision. I realized 20 years later that I wasn’t the same man anymore, thanks to this choice. It was also very important for my family. Today I look back and say that I made a very good decision.”

Soccer changes from country to country, and there will be some sort of culture shock no matter where one moves. But in the U.S., where the game was unfamiliar to many of its citizens, this was even more apparent.

The NASL was the first major professional league in the U.S. that had staying power in decades, and it would re-establish the country’s soccer foundation that was initially set at the turn of the 20th century.

“At that time, they lacked the culture of the game,” Simões said. “You cannot compete well if you don’t understand that culture. That was the most important part, along with the environment, because there were other sports more important than soccer then.

“Soccer was quite new at that time, and people didn’t have much idea about the game compared to other sports…today, they talk, they play, and they know this sport very well.”

Today of course, things are quite different. MLS has grown to become a profitable league with 30 teams, and stars like David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Lionel Messi followed in the footsteps of Pelé and Eusébio to take their talents Stateside.

“It’s an incredible evolution,” Simões said. “Today, U.S. soccer doesn’t lack anything. They have good fields, good stadiums, good academies, and very good youth national teams. They have everything that this sport requires to develop good players and to compete at the highest levels.

“When you decide to go to the U.S. to play, you have to look not only at the soccer contract but also at the quality of life, and you are in the right place. You play for good clubs, in good environments, and with a great quality of life. If you are married and have kids, go to the U.S.”

Next year will be a very important year for soccer in America, as it will be one of three co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup.

Simões, who was in the country the last time it hosted a tournament in 1994, is optimistic about the U.S.’s hosting capabilities.

“I think it will be a huge success again,” he said. “For me this time even better because people are more connected with the game. Americans do these kinds of events better than anyone I think. They combine show business and the game. I anticipate that the next World Cup will be a huge success.”