Álvaro Magalhães to Marco Silva: “I had shameful Benfica captains” | OneFootball

He was Benfica’s most high-profile signing of 2026/27. The defensive midfielder arrived, started playing, and quickly earned his place in the team and the dressing room. Álvaro Magalhães, who captained the Eagles on two occasions during his career, against Belenenses and Académica, sees the holding midfielder wearing the captain’s armband with the eagle on his chest, making a bombshell revelation.

"Without criticizing anyone directly, many times the person wearing the armband doesn’t have the ability for it. I had captains at Benfica who were a disgrace and were picked by the toss of a coin. Palhinha has a very strong personality, he is a leader on and off the pitch, and he is very polite. In fact, I know the family well and I know what I’m talking about," he said in an interview with the newspaper O Jogo.

The former left-back added that Palhinha can be seen as a "captain without the armband" at Benfica. "Many times, captains are chosen just because they have been at the club longer, and that is not always the best decision. João is a natural leader, he has a good career in football, with experience in leagues such as the German and English ones, and all of that makes him a good option to be captain in the future," he stressed.

Álvaro Magalhães also said that his own teammates are the ones who give him that label. "It’s not just about what he does on the pitch, as we have seen in the way he has been leading the team in the matches he has played. He is also highly respected by his teammates, and that comes from the good atmosphere he creates. He is selfless, always thinks about the group first and only then about himself", he concluded.

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