Idman.biz
In response to criticism directed at his team, Benfica's head coach, José Mourinho, cited the career of Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton, emphasizing that the club's historical legacy is more important than short-term failures.
Idman.Biz reports that Mourinho, speaking ahead of the December 28th match against Braga, objected to Sporting's president Frederico Varandas's comment that "Benfica is always late to join the title race."
He stated that although Hamilton has been late to the championship fight in recent years, he has still won seven world championships, and this fact shows that greatness is not measured only by recent seasons. Mourinho added that Benfica has a similarly rich legacy.
It is noted that Sporting, after winning consecutive championships in 2024 and 2025, ending a long drought, tried to present Benfica as a club left behind. However, the Lisbon team has won 38 league titles, which is significantly more than Sporting's 21 championships. Mourinho emphasized that this statistical difference cannot be ignored.
Hamilton's recent seasons have been more difficult. He finished seventh overall in 2024 with Mercedes, his lowest career result. After moving to Ferrari in 2025, he finished the season in sixth place with 156 points and failed to reach the podium for the first time. Ferrari also failed to win that year, lagging behind Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes.
Mourinho compared Ferrari to Real Madrid, stating that playing for this team is both a dream and a great responsibility:
"Ferrari is like the Real Madrid of Formula 1. They say that as soon as you put on the white shirt, you are already 1:0 ahead. Red is the same feeling, both honor and a heavy burden."
The head coach believes that this parallel also applies to Benfica: current difficulties are temporary, but history and greatness are permanent.
