BENFICA
What is the curse of Béla Guttmann? The bad luck that haunts Benfica in Europe
Benfica won the European Cup with Guttmann in 1961 and 1962.
Benfica are in the Champions League quarter-finals but have it all to do after losing their first leg at home to Inter Milan.
The Portuguese giants have one of the best youth academies in world football and continue to produce top talent, including Ruben Dias, João Félix and Bernardo Silva. Domestically, they lead the Portuguese top flight by four points, with a goal difference of +51 after 28 games played.
Benfica are expected to win in Portugal, but are they expected to win in Europe? They were European Cup winners in 1961 and 1962 but have not lifted any other European trophies since and have watched rivals Porto enjoy success on the continent, winning the UEFA Cup/Europa League and the Champions League.
What is the curse of Béla Guttmann?
Hungarian coach Béla Guttmann was appointed Benfica boss in 1959. Guttmann made an immediate impact on the club and promoted Portuguese football legend Eusébio to the first-team squad.
With Guttmann in the dugout, Benfica beat Barcelona 3-2 to win the European Cup in 1961. Just a year later, in 1962, they faced Real Madrid in the final, and once more, were victorious, winning 5-3 to claim back-to-back European titles.
After leading the Lisbon club to consecutive European Cups, Guttmann requested a pay rise. The club refused his request and he allegedly placed a curse on the Portuguese team.
“Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion,” he said.
Guttmann left Benfica later in 1962 to join Uruguayan giants Peñarol.
European final failure
Since he made the remark, Benfica have lost eight European finals in a row, their last coming in 2014, when they lost 4-2 to Spanish side Sevilla on penalties.
The defeats in finals have come against AC Milan (twice), Inter, Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven in the European Cup and Anderlecht, Chelsea and Sevilla in the Europa League, or UEFA Cup as it was previously known.
Superstitious Eagles supporters continue to blame the curse of Guttmann for their failure in the finals.
Defeat to Inter
After their 2-0 defeat to Inter in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, Benfica fans know their team have it all to do if they are to reach another European final this year.