Speech by Rui Costa on the Museum's 11th anniversary

Rui Costa, President of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, attended the celebration of the 11th anniversary of the Benfica Museum - Cosme Damião, a date celebrated this Friday, July 26.

"Our Museum is celebrating its 11th anniversary! It is therefore to be congratulated, as are Sport Lisboa e Benfica and all Benfiquistas. Eleven years of paying tribute to those who helped make the Club great and write the brilliant history of our Sport Lisboa e Benfica. Eleven years of spreading the mystique, preserving the memory and, even more importantly, inspiring new achievements. A Museum where nearly 1 million visitors were able to remember and pay tribute to our victories and our legacy. In due course, our Heritage department recovered many of the trophies that do so much justice to the immense glory of our Club.  And so, if this is a space of inspiration for the future, it is also of supreme responsibility for those who represent Benfica," said the President at the beginning of his speech at the Museum.

"For those of us who have the honor of wearing our jersey, it's not just about the grandeur and beauty that surrounds us here today: it's about the demands and the drive to achieve new things. It is up to each one of us to ensure that, through our work and dedication, new achievements are made. May this be a museum that is constantly being updated, where there is always one more trophy to put up!!! And so I believe that one day we will also find ourselves short of space for new trophies and new victories! May that day be as close as possible. For my part and that of those who accompany me, we are doing everything we can to make it happen," stressed Rui Costa.

"On this 11th anniversary, I would like to praise the effort and commitment of all the staff at the Benfica Museum - Cosme Damião. A remarkable commitment to accompanying our history and our eclecticism, which is as comprehensive as it is winning. That's the way Benfica always has to be: in search of titles and trophies. And that's the only way it makes sense.  And that's why this 11th anniversary is highlighted by the opening of a new area of the permanent exhibition, called 'New Legends'. The journey is still recent, but glorious: a four-times championship in a season in which we reached the historic heights of national competitions and also an unprecedented appearance in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. And it is with this legacy of our Inspiradoras that we leave here for new conquests and even greater ambition: we are going for the fifth title in a row and growing affirmation in Europe," emphasized the President.

"The move of women's football to the Benfica Campus last season, and its transfer to Benfica SAD this season, express the Board's inalienable commitment to the development of Benfica women's football. In six seasons, we have achieved hegemony in Portugal and have projected the Benfica brand across borders in this part of the soccer scene. That's why the Benfica Museum - Cosme Damião has organized this tribute. It's a fitting legacy given the brilliant path we've traveled so far, but it's also a source of inspiration and motivation for the future. We'll continue together in search of more titles! Congratulations, Benfica Museum - Cosme Damião! Congratulations, Benfica women's football! Long live Sport Lisboa e Benfica!", said Rui Costa.