Brief History

Founded on February 28th, 1904, Sport Lisboa e Benfica is the one of the biggest Clubs in the World (over 50 million fans) and one of the most decorated clubs with 79 official trophies (2018). SL Benfica is recognized for its ability to develop and lift its players up onto the world stage with names like Rui Costa, Di Maria, Ramires, Witsel, and more recently Bernard Silva and Andre Horta.
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Mission

Our mission is to raise the level of soccer excellence. Soccer excellence means instilling a ‘develop to win’ mentality that creates well-rounded, smart and resilient players throughout their development journey

Meet The Staff

All of our coaches have recognized certification and a recent successful police check

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João Oliveira
Benfica Soccer School Toronto’s Technical Director

Since 2008, João has been working at the Benfica Academy in various capacities. With his UEFA B License and Coerver Coaching Level 1 Certification, João had successful led U15 boys to both Regional and National Championships and U17 to a Regional Championships. He also has experience in coaching in a number of international tournaments with wins in Austria, Italy, France, Hungary and Russia. He was also a member of the Benfica International Camps where he had experience in working with a number of teams from around the world. Lastly, João had the pleasure of coaching the following players while they attended the Benfica Academy: Bernardo Silva (Man City), Andre Horta (Los Angeles FC), Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich), Gonçalo Guedes (Valencia), Ruben Dias and João Felix (Benfica). He also has a graduate degree in Sports Science with a specialization in soccer from Lisbon University – Faculty of Human Kinetics.  In 2017, João currently heads the Benfica Soccer School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Current Coaches

  • Rui Marquito
  • Paula Hermenegildo
  • Carina Mirassol
  • Ricardo Pereira
  • Jennifer Coelho
  • Dawson Gouveia
  • Filipe Teles
  • Tiago Pereira
  • John Dioz
  • Frank Lima
  • Daniel Mirassol
  • Liam Monette
  • Ricardo da Silva
Apply to be a Benfica Soccer School Coach