Rodrigo scored against FC Porto on January 12, 2014, seven days after Eusébio’s death and everyone had the ‘King’ name on their shirt
Rodrigo scored 45 goals at Benfica, but the one he scored against FC Porto, in Luz, on January 12, 2014, seven days after Eusébio’s death, and with Eusébio’s name on the back of the shirt, was the most special.
«Yes… We talked about memorable moments, I think that was the moment that remained in my memory of my time at Benfica, in addition to the titles and celebrations and everything else. It was the week of the death of the great figure in the club’s history, we were at the funeral, at the entire ceremony, and by coincidence we had the great derby with FC Porto that same week, it was a different, special week and I’m happy to have done that goal at that moment, which remained in the memory of many people», he observes.
It wasn’t easy to play in Benfica’s Jesus-era attack, with Saviola, Cardozo, Nuno Gomes or Lima. Rodrigo crossed paths with some of the best strikers Benfica had.
«Yes, yes, yes, the year I arrived I remember that the attack was Cardozo-Saviola and there was still Aimar. There was also Nuno Gomes… players who were… who I was only used to seeing on television, who at that moment were my idols. I arrived at Benfica when I was 18, almost 19, and it was a very strong competition, which helped me a lot to grow as a player. It was a very good time for me,” he explained.
Before finishing, he commented on the way Luís Filipe Vieira, president of Benfica at the time, looked at him. He compared him to Rivaldo. «[risos] By chance I had already heard about it. Well, he was one of the great idols I had as a child, Rivaldo and Ronaldo were phenomenal, but, in the end, Rivaldo was a much better player than me. [risos]. I’m happy with the comparison.”
2024-01-08 08:00:00
#INTERVIEW #BOLA #moment #Benfica #stayed #memory #Abola.pt #Abola.pt
