"There was a lot to tell, I prefer to remember the good things"
It seemed like a straightforward process, given the complete openness between the parties, but it turned out to be more complicated than one might have imagined. There was considerable speculation about whether the succession was being prepared during the reign, and a statement was released denying all reports or allegations regarding the matter. It ended with an agreement that satisfied all parties. Less than a week after the announcement of Bruno Lage's departure, following the home defeat to Qarabag in the Champions League debut , Benfica managed to finalize the termination of the contract with the coach, settling the matter once and for all, unlike what happened last year with Roger Schmidt, the German who was released at the end of August but only terminated his contract in December in exchange for an 8.7 million euro compensation payment.
In this case, the amounts were much more modest. As he revealed in the first meeting to revoke the contract signed during his second stint in charge of the Luz senior team, Bruno Lage received the month of September and bonuses for overdue sporting objectives, namely Champions League qualification, while his assistants left with their contracts paid until the end of the 2025/26 season. At the same time, the confidentiality clause required for this type of termination was agreed upon, but with the added caveat that Lage would be able to publicly defend himself against potentially untrue information, as long as it did not jeopardize the club's performance.
"Thank you for everything, Benfica," Bruno Lage wrote on his official Instagram account at 7:04 p.m. this Monday, alluding to the club's founding year, while he was still at the facility. "Behind me is the stadium of a great club, and what I have to say is thank you, for everything. From what I discussed with the president, everything is fine," he commented after a visit to Now after leaving Luz.
"In light of the repeated false information that has been disseminated in the media, Benfica clarifies: 1) Coach Bruno Lage has always had the full support and solidarity of the club's structure throughout his tenure; 2) all decisions regarding the market and the sports organization were made with his knowledge, approval, and agreement, as Bruno Lage himself has publicly acknowledged; 3) the decision to terminate the contract was made exclusively by the president of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, in conjunction with the Executive Committee of Benfica SAD, always defending the club's best interests. Any other consideration regarding this process is objectively false and constitutes a regrettable exercise in defamation," Benfica stated in a statement .
Also in this regard, and following reports regarding previous contacts with coach José Mourinho to succeed Bruno Lage, along with an alleged agreement that was never signed to prevent any changes in coaching leadership until the elections, the new Benfica helmsman reiterated that he had no contact with Benfica officials during the summer. "If you want to believe me, great, if not, I can't do anything. Other people are telling the truth, but I'll repeat it so there's no doubt: during the summer, I had no contact with Benfica, not with the president, not with a mandated agent. Director Mário Branco wasn't even at Benfica. I had a contract with Fenerbahçe and wanted to see it through to the end. In my mind, it was far from the idea of returning to Portugal as a club coach. But I had no contact with the Federation. I had zero contact with Benfica. A few years ago, I had contact with Benfica, but things didn't work out at that time," the coach commented.
???? José Mourinho in the preview of #SLBRAFC .
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) September 22, 2025
"After the arrival of the general director [Mário Branco], that kind of connection they try to make... Becoming great friends with someone in football is difficult. If we became friends in a year, it's because on the other side was a serious professional, but when he came to Benfica and there was a 25% chance Benfica would play Fenerbahçe, our contact ended. There was zero contact. When Benfica lost to Qarabag, I was in Barcelona with my wife, and the next day the president called me and asked, 'Mister, it's worth talking. I'd like you to come and coach Benfica. Can we talk?' I said yes. And that was the end of the story. If you want to believe me, I appreciate it. If you want to fuel a story that has no history, I can't do anything," Mourinho concluded on this subject.
This morning's session ????
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) September 22, 2025
This Tuesday, Luís Nascimento, Bruno Lage's assistant and brother, also said goodbye to a club he knows well (he spent many years in the Reds' youth academy before taking on the role of assistant coach to Carlos Carvalhal at Rio Ave in 2018/19, then moving on to his brother's team at Wolverhampton in 2021/22 and later to Botafogo in 2023, before returning to Luz) with an enigmatic message.
Luís Nascimento, Bruno Lage's brother and former Benfica assistant: "There was a lot to say and tell" pic.twitter.com/MSboDeyFWA
— Cabine Desportiva (@CabineSport) September 23, 2025
"Our connection with 'our' Sport Lisboa e Benfica officially ended today. There was much to say and tell, but I prefer to remember the good things and the goals we helped the club achieve in these last months of a completely atypical transition to a football season, with the (many) known constraints: 1) winning the 2025/2026 Super Cup; 2) qualifying for the Champions League; 3) qualifying for the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup (eliminated in extra time by the competition's winners); 4) Benfica's first-ever victory against Bayern; 5) the club's best streak of clean sheets at the start of a season (7 official matches). The memories of having had the honor of once again being part of the history of this great club, this time in professional football, will always remain," wrote the former assistant coach of the Reds on his official Instagram account.
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