Sport Lisboa e Benfica — universally known as Benfica — was founded on 28 February 1904 in the Belém district of Lisbon. The club's red-and-white colours, the eagle (águia) emblem, and the motto "E pluribus unum" (out of many, one) all date from its earliest decades. Benfica is one of Portugal's "Three Big" clubs alongside Porto and Sporting CP, and its membership of over 200,000 socios makes it one of the most-supported clubs in world football.
Benfica's golden era arrived in the early 1960s under legendary Hungarian coach Béla Guttmann, when the club won back-to-back UEFA European Cups in 1960-61 and 1961-62 — defeating Barcelona and then Real Madrid in the finals. The 1962 final, where Benfica beat Real Madrid 5-3 with the iconic Eusébio scoring twice, is considered one of the greatest ever. Guttmann famously cursed the club after a contract dispute, vowing Benfica would never win another European trophy for 100 years — a "curse" that has so far held: Benfica have lost eight European finals since 1962. Eusébio, the Black Pearl of Portugal, scored 473 goals for the club and remains its all-time record scorer.
Benfica have won the Portuguese Primeira Liga 38 times — more than any other Portuguese club — and have never been relegated from the top flight. In modern football, Benfica's youth academy is among Europe's most prolific: João Félix, Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias, Renato Sanches, Gonçalo Ramos, João Neves, António Silva and Rafael Leão all trace their roots to the Caixa Futebol Campus academy in Seixal. The club's trophy haul includes 26 Taça de Portugal triumphs and a host of European semi-final appearances. The fierce O Clássico against FC Porto and the Lisbon Derby against Sporting CP are the defining domestic fixtures.