Fredrik Aursnes will be the new captain of Benfica. New hire Marco Silva confirmed this at a press conference on Saturday.
The Norwegian has emerged as one of Benfica’s most important players since his transfer from Feyenoord in 2022. Last year, Aursnes played a total of 53 games for the Portuguese big club, and has thus established himself as an indispensable piece in the team.
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The captain’s team in place
The rest of the captain’s team consists of Tomás Araújo, Samuel Soares, Clément Lenglet and Leandro Barreiro – a mix of experienced and young talents who will help lead the squad throughout the season.
Benfica do seem strong and have ambitions for more than the Europa League.
New leadership after Mourinho exit
The summer has brought big changes in Lisbon. José Mourinho left the club for Real Madrid, and thus it is Marco Silva who now steers the ship. He takes over a team that finished third in the league last season – and who now hope to take the step all the way to the top.
For Aursnes, the captaincy will be a new milestone in an already impressive career in Portugal.
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Ready for the series opener
With the captain’s armband on his arm, Aursnes leads Benfica into the league opener on Sunday, together with compatriot Andreas Schjelderup. The opponent is Académico Viseu – and expectations are of course sky-high in the Portuguese capital.
Now it remains to be seen whether the Norwegian’s leadership qualities can lead Benfica back to the gold medal match.
