Angel di Maria wants to end Portugal adventure with Cup

Angel di Maria has already announced that he will not be returning to Benfica when his contract is up at the end of next month but wants to make sure to end his Benfica career in style by winning the Taca de Portugal trophy on Sunday against rivals Sporting.

Di Maria who returned to Benfica two seasons ago is set to move on from the club but it is still unknown if the 37 year old will continue his career elsewhere or hang up his boots at the conclusion of the season.

Di Maria will still represent Benfica at the Club World Cup in the America during the summer months but the Taca de Portugal will be his farewell game in Portugal.

This will be the first Taca de Portugal final that Di Maria has played in and it would be a perfect send off for the Argentinian to capture a trophy that has alluded him in his time at the club. Di Maria has also failed to score in a game against Sporting as a Benfica player and will get his final this weekend.

Bruno Lage will be back on the sidelines next season

Benfica President Rui Costa confirmed that Bruno Lage will continue as the team's coach for the 2025-26 season, despite the club’s failure to secure the 2024-25 Portuguese League title. With the club still in debt with former manager Roger Schmidt and his staff in the tune of just over €10M, it was a safe bet that Lage would not be leaving the club in the summer.

Speaking after a 1-1 draw against Braga on the final match day, which saw Sporting clinch the championship, Costa expressed unwavering support for Lage. He highlighted Lage’s achievements since taking over mid-season, including winning the Taca da Liga, reaching the Taca de Portugal final, and keeping Benfica in the title race until the end. “Bruno Lage will definitely start the next season at Benfica.”  

Costa stated, emphasizing that Lage was “the least responsible” for the season’s outcome. This decision comes amid fan frustration and looming presidential elections in October 2025, with Costa focusing on upcoming challenges like the Taca de Portugal final against Sporting on May 25, 2025 and this summers Club World Cup tournament.

With Lage at the helm, Benfica did out point Sporting from the time of his arrival and Benfica made it to the round of 16 of the new formatted Champions League bowing out to eventual La Liga champions Barcelona. The club will undoubtedly sell a few key pieces from the squad but hope to replace those pieces with equal or better parts this summer.

Benfica lose title on last day of the season

Benfica did not get the help the needed on the final day of the season to capture the league title and finish runner up again to back to back champions and cross town rivals Sporting.

The stage was set for a dramatic final day of the season as both clubs headed into the final weekend of games level at 79 points a piece with Sporting holding the tiebreaker from their head to head encounters with Benfica.

Benfica traveled to Braga, while Sporting was at home to take on Guimaraes. Sporting just needed to match Benfica's result to capture the title and they did just more then that. Sporting won 2-0 while Benfica came from behind to draw Braga 1-1.

The season ends with questions and missed opportunities with the club's biggest mistake being that they started the season with Roger Schmidt on the sidelines even though his poor club performances had reached a plateau. 

Benfica then missed out on the opportunity last weekend at the Luz to pull out in front where today's results would have given them the crown but faltered and drew 1-1. The result means that Benfica will have to go through qualifying if they are to make it into the main stage of the Champions League next season.