In 1962, António Simões I was only 18 when he won his first European Cup with the Benfica. It was one of the figures of the legendary team that, under the direction of Béla GuttmannEurope conquered twice in a row. More than six decades later, and after eight lost finals, the Lisbon club is still involved in the shadow of a legend that many consider a curse. It is an alleged phrase of the Hungarian coach when leaving the Benfica, after Becompeo European: “Not in 100 years a Portuguese team will be two European two -time champion, and the Benfica Without me he will never win a glass of European champions. ”
But for Simõesthat curse is nothing more than a repeated myth until it becomes “truth.” In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, the former Portuguese player was clear: “The curse of Béla Guttmann is a lie,” he says sharp. “That's a story. They started saying that because Benfica He lost the following finals. But the Lord Béla Guttmann He never said that, not even private, ”he said.
As he explains, the narrative arose as a popular explanation to the European setbacks of the club, but does not conform to the facts. “As a Portuguese expression says, 'Maria goes with the others', that is, when a lie is repeated many times, it ends up true. But that has nothing to do with her departure from the Benfica”, He claims.
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Simões reveals that the true reason for the march of Guttmann They were contractual disagreements after the two -time championship: “He asked for conditions that were incompatible with the economic capacity of the club. And although the Benfica He had an attitude of recognition, he was not treated in the best way. He, who was a proud and independent man, felt injured and left. ”
The left end, which that same year would become the youngest player to win a European competition – a record that still retains – also underlines the international role of the international role of the Benfica In that golden age: “There are clubs with which Benfica has an impressive historical connection: Real Madrid, Santos y Manchester United. They were part of the growth of a club that is almost bigger than their own country. ”
To Simõesit is time to leave the superstitions behind: “The records are to be beaten and the stories, to tell themselves as they were. And this, believe me, was not a curse. It was a misinterpretation that lasted too many years.”
