Welcome to the first player analysis.

This one excites copious amounts of fans from the Benfica Schools. Yes, our youth setups have many many fans and sell out their games on a regular basis, unlike the Senior Squad.

I am pleased to introduce to the reader Ruben Lima. One of the real talents that Benfica is developing and one that many are suggesting will join the Senior squad next year to cover for the never ending Leo.

His football background is from Futsal where as a young boy developed outstanding close ball control and quick thinking skills on the ball. He started his trade in Tenente Valez club when he was 7-8. He then joined a club in the centre of Lisbon called Palmense where he was playing with players that were 2-3 years older than him and like the proverbial David and Goliath all outsized him on the pitch.

After a year playing in Palmense, his coach walked up to him in training and suggested he wanted to introduce Ruben to someone…This someone was a scout and one of Benfica’s many Portuguese football legends…Nene.

Nene was quick to sign the young left back, who not surprisingly, two days after received an offer from Sporting Lisbon, Ruben at 10 years old clearly rejected the offer by saying “I will be playing for the club of my Dreams”.

Ruben throughout the youth ranks until the Juniores is seen by many as the best left back in Portugal of his generation. As a player, he always concentrates on his team ethic and work rate, which he likes to complement with his great skill and technique on the ball. This makes Ruben Lima a very defensively aware player with the ability to take players on and work his magic over the full wing with mazy dribbles, one twos and crosses. Very much like the Leo.

He has so far earned 20 caps over the U19’s and U20’s for Portugal and is developing across the ranks very quickly. His reputation amongst the Junior ranks is immense.

This season, Ruben has been Mr. consistency, after having played 9 games where he has been selected man of the match 3 times, all this as a left defender?? Ruben is looking to push on to the senior squad and to give mr. Camacho a small headache for the years to come. All we know, is when Leo retires, Benfica is very well prepared for the future…

Welcome to the first player analysis.