THE VITALS:

Team: Benfica

Brand: Adidas

Era: 2011-12 (Used for the 2011-12 Primeira Liga season and the 2012 Taca de Liga Final)

Name/Number: -

CONDITION: VERY GOOD

This shirt comes to you in very good condition in what is, at the time of writing, its 10^th birthday! The material, crest, Adidas embroidery and chest sponsor are in nothing short of sensational condition, sadly however, the decal at on the sleeve has begun to wear and fade.

DIMENSIONS:

Size: Small

Pit to Pit Measurement: 19 inches

Shirt Length: 29.5 inches

Made by Adidas in their ‘ClimaCool’ range of shirts which they introduced in 2011; these dimensions lend themselves to both a fine small and even a medium if you prefer a tighter fitting shirt!

DESCRIPTION: 

Adidas delved into Benfica’s storied history to derive inspiration for their 2011-12 home shirt with the shirt paying homage to the 50^th anniversary of the club’s historic European Cup title defence in the 1961-62 season! Adidas would employ a v-neck collar for the first time since the 2002-03 home shirt and the supplementary tertiary colour of gold, which was used for the piping was yet another classy ode to the momentous event! While Benfica would have to settle for another 2^nd place finish, they would at least bridge the gap to Porto to just 6 points and the season would also include a second successive Taca da Portugal defence and would reach the quarter final of the UEFA Champions League; a first since the 2005-06 season! This would also be the final home shirt to be worn by modern stalwarts of the club: Javi Garcia, Axel Witsel, Javier Saviola and Joan Capedevila!

THE SEASON: 

Benfic would falter in their defence of the Primeira Liga crown; losing to the incredible FC Porto led by Andre Villas-Boas by 21 points! Fortunately, there was at least a successful Taca de Liga title defence and an appearance in the Europa League semi-final to shout about.

After David Luiz and Angel di Maria’s exits during the 2010-11 season; Fabio Coentrao was the latest big-money exit from the Estadio da Luz as he moved to Real Madrid for €30 million and fortunately, he was the biggest departure as the club were able to retain the likes of: Javier Saviola, Oscar Cardozo, Pablo Aimar, Javi Garcia and Maxi Pereira, meanwhile, there were some excellent arrivals such as: Artur, Axel Witsel, Ezequiel Garay, Bruno Cesar, Emerson, Joan Capdevila and Nolito!

Benfica would begin the new campaign away against Gil Vicente, but could only muster a 2-2 draw in Barcelos. This would however be the first of an 18 match unbeaten streak that yielded 15 wins! Only Porto and Braga claimed anything at the expense of Jorge Jesus’ side until match-day 18, however, a run of 3 games without a win; crucially culminating with a 3-2 defeat at home to Porto allowed the champions to go 3 points clear of them with 9 games to spare. Benfica would won win in 6 of those alterations, but it wasn’t enough as they would yet again finish 2^nd to Porto; albeit by a much more respectable margin of 6 points this time round.

In the cup competitions, while there would be a 5^th Round exit in the Taca de Portugal against Martimo, Benfica would make win the Taca de Liga for a 4^th season in a row; defeating their nemesis’ Porto in the semi-final before seeing off Gil Vicente in the April 14^th Finale! The club would also enjoy a stellar run in the Champions League as they drew both home and away against Manchester United and qualified as group winners and in another parallel to the 2005-06 season, they would bow out to the eventual winners of the tournament in the quarter final, this time being Chelsea!

Sadly for the club, this one season would be the only that Axel Witsel would play for the club, meanwhile: Javi Garcia, Javier Saviola and Joan Capedevila all sought new pastures ahead of the 2012-13 season.    

The notable players that season were:

Rodrigo, Nolito, Nelson Oliveira, Oscar Cardozo, Nico Gaitan, Pablo Aimar, Enzo Perez, Axel Witsel, Nemanja Matic, Bruno Cesar, Ruben Amorim, Andre Almeida, Emerson, Joan Capedevila, Luisao, Eziqiuel Garay, Jardel, Maxi Pereira, Artur, Eduardo