"Benfica is the pinnacle of football"

INTERVIEW

In an extensive interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel, Roger Schmidt, the Benfica coach, addresses various current issues. 

RETROSPECTIVE

"To be honest, we don't have time to look back. Come to think of it, 2014 was eight, almost nine years ago, eight and a half.... 8 and a half years is quite a long time, but things are happening. I have been in China, in the Netherlands, and now I am in Portugal. Time passes very quickly in football because on a daily basis we are focused on the here and now. There are so many things to decide and think about, that there is very little time left to look back."

PREPARATION

"Yes, that is tiring, but in the end it is related to the time I spend with the team. When I talk to the team, when I train, at those times I have to be at 100%, I have to be prepared. This is not 12 hours a day, but we have meetings, we have training, we have individual conversations, etc."

PLAYING STYLE

"To be honest, I've never read a book about football. I hadn't even thought about it, but no, I never read. It could even be interesting, but I never had the time, and it never seemed important to me. I also had the opportunity to accumulate experiences, even in several countries, at a high level and even in the Champions League. The goal is to control the lion share of the 90 minutes, and that we play the way we want to play."

IDENTITY

"Everything is important. It is important to win titles. It's something very special, and so, especially because the championship is a competition that lasts a long time, and when we manage to win a competition of 18 teams, it's the maximum confirmation we can have. Because it is very difficult, a season has ups and downs, difficulties arise, and in the end, being the team that wins the title is a very particular feeling. Just like in the cups, being the last team in the end means that you didn't lose any games. But I'm not indifferent to how you get there. I want to get there in a way that I like, where I can say 'I like this football'. Beyond the titles, this is the greatest joy in football. That's what we work for, to live that moment on the pitch, where the players play as a team, fight as a team, and then, in the end, impose themselves. It is the greatest feeling of happiness that exists in football."

RECOGNITION

"I get recognized, but it's all normal, and that's also what I want. I want to live my life, and sometimes I am approached in a positive way, but it doesn't bother me at all. It even makes me happy. I can't stop everywhere, you have to be careful. Going to the city center is more difficult, but I can move around quite freely. And in these situations... The approach is always very positive." 

SL BENFICA

"For me, as a football enthusiast, we can talk about great clubs. Benfica is one of them. It's at the level of Real Madrid, Barcelona... Benfica is the pinnacle of football. Historically, and in terms of magnitude, it is very special. There was no one buying this club for 4 billion euros, and suddenly injecting money here. It's a club where people save every month to be able to go to the stadium. It's a club that has to sell players to be able to operate. Furthermore, it is a club with twenty different sports and everyone follows these sports with passion. This is what I wanted to say: You feel Benfica after a while."