Ahead of trip to Estoril, Benfica regular set for historic record | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi is preparing to reach a historic milestone in Portuguese football. If Benfica manage to get at least a point this Saturday against Estoril, at Amoreira, the Eagles’ captain will become the only player in Portugal to finish three league campaigns without a single defeat.

The experienced Argentine centre-back had already achieved that feat while playing for Porto, in the 2010/11 and 2012/13 seasons. Now, at 38, he could repeat the achievement in a Benfica shirt, in a season in which José Mourinho’s side goes into the final matchday still unbeaten in the league.

To date, only four teams have managed to complete a Portuguese league season without defeat: Benfica in 1972/73 and 1977/78, and Porto in 2010/11 and 2012/13. Across those historic campaigns, 78 different players took part, but only a few managed the feat more than once.

With another unbeaten league title, Otamendi will move ahead of historic Benfica names in Portuguese football, such as Bento, Humberto Coelho, Shéu and Toni, all of whom finished two league campaigns without defeat. The Argentine will stand alone at the top of that list, further strengthening the status he has built throughout his career.

The match against Estoril could also take on added symbolism for the Argentine international. , , bringing a historic chapter to a close with a record never before achieved in Portugal.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.