#2 Eusebio
Joining Benfica as a teenager in 1960, Eusebio played under the legendary Hungarian manager, Bela Guttman. With his radical tactics and a young gifted squad at his disposal, Guttman guided Benfica to two consecutive European cups, beating Real Madrid 5-3 in the latter.
Their impressive performances even led to Ferenc Puskas handing over his shirt to the young Eusebio.
Benfica looked set for years of continental dominance. But when the board refused to increase Guttman’s wages to reflect his excellent work on the pitch, the Hungarian coach quit and cursed Benfica, reportedly saying that they would never win a European Cup for another 100 years.
Benfica have since then lost the 7 European Cup finals they have reached, most recently in 1990 against Milan. Eusebio, desperate for a win, visited Guttman’s grave, requesting for the curse to be lifted.
However, it was not to be as Benfica went on to lose 1-0. Since then, they have reached 2 Europa League finals, losing to Chelsea and Sevilla.
It seems this curse will keep going strong until the 100 years foretold are well and truly up.
