1956–57 S.L. Benfica season

The 1956–57 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 53th season in existence and the club's 23th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 September 1956 to 30 August 1957. Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão, the Taça de Portugal and in the Latin Cup.

In the third under manager Otto Glória. Benfica won the Primeira Divisão for the ninth time, overcoming mid-season setbacks to finish ahead of Porto, with José Águas claiming the league's top-scorer title with 30 goals. The team also won the Taça de Portugal, completing a domestic double with a 3–1 victory over S.C. Covilhã in the final. Benfica finished the season in the Latin Cup, reaching the final in Madrid, where they were defeated 1–0 by Real Madrid.

Benfica entered the season seeking to reclaim the league title after failing to retain it in the previous campaign. Manager Otto Glória remained in charge for a third consecutive season. The off-season featured several departures, but only one player joined the squad, Palmeiro Antunes.

Benfica began the season in Évora against Lusitano de Évora, winning 2–1.^[1] In the next match, Benfica hosted Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa, drawing 1–1.^[2] Next, the team visited S.C. Covilhã, winning 3–1, with José Águas scoring twice.

On 7 October, Benfica hosted Porto in O Clássico, winning 3–2.^[3] The team won its next two matches but ended October with a 2–2 draw against Belenenses at the Estádio do Restelo, closing the month in first place with a two-point lead.^[4] The team responded with a win over Atlético, but in the following matchday dropped points in an away draw with Oriental. Two subsequent victories over Barreirense and Vitória de Setúbal allowed Benfica to extend its lead at the top to three points.^[5]

Benfica opened December with a 3–0 win over Torreense, but this was followed by a run of negative results, drawing with Académica and Lusitano de Évora, and losing 1–0 to Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa at the Estádio José Alvalade.^[6] The team ended the year with a 6–0 win over S.C. Covilhã, closing 1956 level on points with Porto.

The new year began with a decisive clash against Porto at the Estádio das Antas, where Benfica lost 3–0 and dropped to third place, level on points with Belenenses.^[7] In their next two matches, the team scored ten goals and won both, but in a home match against Belenenses, Benfica drew 2–2 after leading with a two-goal advantage at half-time, remaining one point behind leaders Porto.^[8] In February, Benfica won all three of its league fixtures, climbing to first place after a victory over Vitória de Setúbal combined with Porto's defeat to Belenenses.^[9]

Benfica began March by hosting Barreirense and winning 10–1, extending its lead to two points with two matches remaining after Porto were held to a draw by Atlético.^[10] A surprising draw in the following visit to Torreense reopened the title race, reducing Benfica's advantage to a single point. On 31 March, Benfica beat Académica 2–0, securing the league title.^[11] José Águas finished as the league's top scorer with 30 goals.

After securing the league championship, Benfica turned its attention to the Taça de Portugal. The team defeated Caldas S.C. in the round of 16 and then met Torreense in the quarter-finals. After two draws, a replay was held on 9 May, with Benfica winning 4–0,^[12] advancing to the semi-finals, where they beat Barreirense 5–0 on aggregate. On 2 July, Benfica faced S.C. Covilhã in the final, winning 3–1 and completing the domestic double.^[13]

Having claimed both national trophies, Benfica travelled to Madrid to compete in the Latin Cup, seeking a historic treble. In the semi-finals, the Portuguese champions faced French league winners Saint-Étienne, winning 1–0 with a goal from Fernando Caiado before a crowd of 100,000.^[14] In the other semi-final, hosts Real Madrid defeated title holders AC Milan 5–1. On 23 July, Benfica faced Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in the final, taking on the Spanish and back-to-back European champions. Benfica lost 1–0 to a goal by Alfredo Di Stéfano in the 50th minute, shortly before Zézinho was sent off for pulling an opponent's shirt.^[15]

The season concluded with an extended tour of Brazil and two fixtures in the United States, at a time when international friendlies held considerable prestige. Benfica played nine matches in total, recording three wins, four draws and two defeats against Brazilian opposition. The most notable encounter was a 3–2 loss to Santos, featuring a young Pelé, with all matches drewing significant attention in the Portuguese press.^[16]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Otto Glória (manager).

Note 1: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Note 2: Players with squad numbers marked ‡ joined the club during the 1956-57 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.