What if Benfica had retained their best players?

It's a known fact that Benfica are a selling club in Europe. In fact, most Portuguese clubs are. The Primeira Liga is technically the seventh-best league in Europe - behind the big five and even Russia.

Benfica are the most successful club in Portugal with 36 league titles. But they've still played the transfer market and made the most of it by selling their best players for big money to the tune of nearly half a billion euros! It's how they survive in the cut-throat world of football to balance the books.

So what if their finances were in the pink of health? If they had retained these players, how far would they have gone in the Champions League?

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper

Before he made his name at Atletico Madrid, Jan Oblak first won a domestic treble (Primeira Liga, Taca de Portugal and Taca da Liga) with Benfica in 2013/14.

He was only 17 at the time but a number of costly errors from first-choice goalkeeper Artur Moraes saw Jorge Jesus give young Oblak his chance.

Oblak did not look back. A series of clean sheets in his first few games saw him seal his place in the lineup. He was notably effective in blanking Porto and Juventus that season and walked away with the Best Goalkeeper of the Year award in spite of playing only half the season.

It wasn't long before Atletico Madrid came in with a €16m bid to make him the most expensive goalkeeper in La Liga history. Diego Simeone took him to the Vicente Calderon where he gave him a strong defence, allowing him to win the Ricardo Zamora Trophy twice (awarded to the goalkeeper with the lowest Goals-to-Games ratio).

Centre-Backs

When David Luiz was signed by Benfica, he was initially signed on loan from Brazilian club Vitoria. Most Brazilian players usually enter Europe through Portugal before making moves to bigger clubs in the continent and Luiz was one of many who moved to one of the big three in Portugal.

He was only 19 at the time but he impressed despite a few hiccups to warrant a permanent move for just €1.5m. Years later he would become the world's most expensive defender - a title he kept until the 2017 transfer window.

Luiz made his mark at Benfica under Jorge Jesus and was instrumental in the club reclaiming the 2008/09 league title after a five-year drought. He was even named the Portuguese Liga Player of the Year.

Chelsea then stepped in and took him to Stamford Bridge with a €25m bid - a handsome profit for Benfica.

Victor Lindelof Benfica — Victor Lindelof

Who would his centre-back partner be? The player Manchester United paid £31m to bolster their back line - Victor Lindelof. Although he had a pre-season to forget, take nothing away from the 23-year-old defender who has already won three league titles in Portugal.

The 2016/17 season saw him start nearly every league game, playing 47 games in all competitions as the club achieved their 11th domestic double.

Full-Backs

Although he hasn't exactly had a fulfilling career at Real Madrid, Fabio Coentrao did have a great start at the Santiago Bernabeu. But his story started at Benfica when he was just 19.

He was initially loaned to a couple of clubs but cemented his place in the squad for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons, playing 90 games across both campaigns - all by the age of 22.

The left-back soon became one of the club's prized assets and they squeezed Real Madrid for every penny, who eventually got their man for €30m.

At right-back is Barcelona's 2017 summer signing Nelson Semedo. Born in Lisbon, Semedo first made a name for himself in the Benfica B side that played in the Segunda Liga.

It wasn't long before he was promoted to the senior team after the departure of Maxi Pereira to rivals Porto. Although a knee injury saw him sidelined for a few months, the 2016/17 season saw him make 46 appearances for Benfica as they won a domestic double.

Although a defender, he is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and is quite a good passer of the ball - which probably explains why Barcelona paid €30m to secure his services when they desperately needed a right-back.

Central Midfield

If Benfica had their way, they would have kept Nemanja Matic for good. But Matic was somewhat of a late bloomer.

Originally signed by Chelsea, he was used as a pawn when the Blues decided to sign David Luiz in a player-plus-cash swap deal. Again, it was Jorge Jesus who transformed Matic into a key member of the squad by changing his position from an attacking midfielder to a defensive midfielder.

The 6'4" Matic thrived in that position and played 47 times in 2013/14 where the club won the Primeira Liga. Chelsea took their time but soon brought him back in the next January transfer window for €25m.

Alongside him is a Belgian whose career may have panned out differently had he not agreed to move to the Russian Premier League for five seasons. Axel Witsel is one of Belgium's ever-present players in midfield but he no longer plays in Europe, choosing the riches of the Chinese Super League instead.

Witsel spent just one season at Benfica where he made nearly 50 appearances in the season, even scoring five goals. Although a bit weak in the tackle, he was a strong passer of the ball with a good dribble in him.

Benfica would have been crazy to ignore a €40m bid from Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2012.

Attacking Midfield

With three midfielders (or a playmaker and two wide forwards) in our formation, we've gone with a star-studded attack.

First up is Angel Di Maria. The Argentine winger's first foray into European football was with Benfica where he spent three seasons. He arrived for just €2m and would be sold later to Real Madrid for a cool €36m (including incentives).

A wiry player who used his pace and crossing to good effect, Di Maria won three trophies with Benfica before turning 22, after which he made his famous move to the Bernabeu.

Renato Sanches may have made headlines following his €35m move to Bayern Munich at the age of 18 but his first season with the Bavarian club hasn't been anything to write home about.

But his time with Benfica was certainly productive. With the ability to play anywhere in midfield (even in defensive roles), he has a style reminiscent of Clarence Seedorf. Although he has a long way to go to match the four-time Champions League winner, the potential is there for all to see.

The third midfielder in our team is Manchester City's new recruit Bernardo Silva. Before he made a name for himself at AS Monaco, Silva had come up through the Benfica youth system before making his senior debut aged 19.

But Benfica saw it best to first loan him to Monaco where he impressed in the 2014/15 season, prompting the Ligue 1 club to spend nearly €16m to make his move permanent.

Silva has since made a name for himself, even leading Monaco to the Ligue 1 title that has been dominated by PSG for years before City saw it fit to spend €50m to secure his services.

But deep down, he still harbours feelings for Benfica, saying: "I wish to go back to Benfica like Rui Costa did (who retired at Benfica after 12 years in Serie A), win titles and be part of their history."

Striker

Having come through the Real Madrid youth system and playing for their reserve teams, Rodrigo Moreno made the switch to Benfica when he was only 19 after the club paid €6m.

Initially, Real inserted a buy-back clause that allowed the La Liga club to sign him back for €12m. However, after they signed Coentrao, the buy-back clause was canceled as part of the deal.

Althoug he was first loaned out (to Bolton Wanderers), he soon made his mark with Benfica, wearing their strip for three seasons where he scored 45 goals. His best season was the 2013/14 season when he banged in 18 goals (11 in the league).

It would also be his last season as Valencia took him on loan, before making the move permanent for a fee of €30m.

Total cost of this Benfica XI: €318m

Edited by Rohith Nair