n. Name of
Portugal's,
Europe's and the
World's biggest club. According to the Guiness Book of World Records:
"The most widely supported football club is Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Portugal, which has 160,398 paid-up members. The record was acknowledged on 9 November 2006 during the celebrations for Guinness World Records Day.
The team, better known as just Benfica or, by fans, SLB, has supporters in most municipalities of Portugal and in cities throughout the world, namely Andorra, Angola, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, England, France, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Luxembourg, Macao, South Africa, Switzerland, and the United States."
Benfica is one of the most prominent clubs in Europe having reached the final of the UEFA Champions Cup for 7 times (2W/5L).
It it often said that Benfica is bigger than the country in which it was born - and not without cause.
Because of its size, illustrious history and enduring popularity at home and abroad, Benfica is also the most hated, vilified and secretly envied institution in Portugal.