Angel di Maria set to return to Argentina

Angel di Maria's time at Benfica looks like it will be one and done, according to reports from Portugal's sports dailies. The Portuguese press is reporting that Di Maria has a verbal agreement in place to return to his childhood club, Rosario Central, amid for just six months.

Di Maria has always stated that his dream would be to finish his career at Rosario, but an event in March, when the 36 year old winger received threats to himself and his family if he were to return to Argentina, put those thoughts in doubt.

Di Maria is said to have had a change of heart and is once again open to returning to Rosario but he would do so alone, with his family moving to Miami to live. Di Maria is also demanding that heavy security be provided by Rosario for himself and that he will live in Buenos Aires, a full 300 km away from Rosario.

Benfica President Rui Costa is still set to meet Di Maria next week to discuss the winger staying at the club for another season, but a social media post by his spouse stating that she and Di Maria will miss Otamendi and his spouse has set the rumour mill of departure on overdrive.

Our 1000th Blog... Unbelievable

When I first decided to create an English blog dedicated to Benfica, I never imagined that I would still be going strong almost 5 years after my first post. The years have gone by and there have been happy times, sad times and plenty of other emotions that range from high to low when it comes to this club from Lisbon.

I never imagined that I would grow a following, not only on Blogger but also on Twitter, Flipboard and Reddit. I have striven to provide an honest look at Benfica over these years without being biased in my views of the club and on the majority of occasions, I feel that I have accomplished that.

This has now become a passion of mine and I hope to continue providing the fans of this blog with the latest insights, news and potential moves pertaining to the club for another 1000 posts. Here's a toast to that.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this blog over the years and I hope you continue to do so going forward. 

Links to some of our pages are below if you would like to follow me in other areas.

X (Formerly Twitter) - CLICK HERE

Reddit - CLICK HERE

Flipboard - CLICK HERE

Benfica left twisted after Europa League final

Benfica got an unfavourable result with the final score of the Europa League final, as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen, leaving Benfica waiting in the wings to see if they will get direct entry into the Champions League group stage next season.

A Leverkusen win would have seen Benfica earn an automatic spot as opposed to their current 3rd qualifying round spot but all is not lost for the Lisbon club as a Top 4 finish by Atalanta in Serie A would also see the club earn the automatic spot.

Atalanta currently sits in fifth place in Italy, trailing both third and fourth place by two points with a game in hand, but with their Europa League win, they do not have anything to really play for in their final two games, which could prove costly for Benfica in regards to their direct entry hopes.