Benfica salaries: from humble beginnings to million-pound deals | OneFootball

Founded in 1904, Sport Lisboa e Benfica has established itself as one of the most prestigious and successful sports emblems in Portugal and worldwide.

The club holds the title of the most successful in Portugal, holding the record for titles in both the Primeira Liga and the Taça de Portugal. Its international prestige is marked by winning two European Cup titles, and it is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the club with the largest number of active members in the world. A symbol of passion and history.

The history of SL Benfica players' salaries reflects the massive evolution of football, transitioning from a semi-professional reality to the era of global millionaire contracts.

The increase in football players' salaries in recent decades has been widely discussed not only by the sports press but also by analytical platforms in related segments of the entertainment industry.

For example, in some studies dedicated to online casino reviews — specialized analyses of platforms in Portugal — parallels are often drawn with how income is distributed and payments are formed in major sports clubs.

This allows for a better understanding of the general economic dynamics of industries, where popularity and results directly influence the level of income.

From Humble Beginnings to Professionalization

In the early days of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, extending until the mid-20th century, football lacked full professionalism.

In the vibrant 1960s — the era of European conquests — world-renowned stars like Eusébio received a base salary of about 3,000 escudos per month. However, this amount could be quadrupled, reaching 12,000 to 14,000 escudos per month, thanks to robust match-winning bonuses.

It is crucial to contextualize that, for the time, these were substantial amounts, as the average monthly salary in Portugal was approximately 1,000 escudos.

In the words of Béla Guttmann: “Win an important trophy once, and critics will say it was pure luck. Win the second, and they will be forced to eat their words.”

The 1961/62 season allowed the Hungarian coach to inscribe his name in the pantheon of great SL Benfica coaches.

The victory in the European Cup in 1961 earned the players a bonus of 50,000 escudos, an enormous amount for the time. Many players also had jobs or positions in companies of managers and fans, a common practice in semi-professional football.

The Explosion of Millionaire Contracts

The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st brought exponential growth in revenues, with television rights, the Champions League, sponsorships, among other incomes, transforming salaries.

In summary, Benfica's salary journey is a microcosm of the evolution of global football: from a player who needed another job to supplement income, to an elite athlete with millions of euros in annual remuneration.

Top 5 Annual Salaries at Benfica (Estimate 2025/2026)

It is important to note that football players' salaries are often confidential, and lists published by different sources are estimates based on reports and market information.

Based on available estimates for the 2025/2026 season, the Top 5 highest-paid players at SL Benfica are generally presented as follows:

Other Notable Players in the Top Salary

Many other key players in the squad appear immediately after this top, reflecting the salary structure of a club that regularly competes in the Champions League.

Nicolás Otamendi (Central Defender) and Leandro Barreiro (Central Midfielder) are also among the highest-paid, with estimated annual salaries around €2,500,000 and €2,520,000, respectively.

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