In Lisbon, after less than half a year, he is called the big one, the “big Schmidt”. At least that’s what Benfica fans call him, although Roger Schmidt doesn’t want to take himself too seriously.
For 20 competitive games, the 55-year-old has now led the Portuguese record champions as coach. The spectacular 4-3 victory in the Champions League against Juventus Turin was his 17th victory. He hasn’t lost yet. And yet says the Sauerland native. “It has nothing to do with Schmidt.” But what then?
Schmidt lets the Benfica supporters dream again. From the first championship since 2019. From the first cup win since 2017. After qualifying for the round of 16, which was perfect against Juve, Schmidt was even asked about winning the premier class.
The ex-coach from Bayer Leverkusen then had to smile. “Well, what can happen?” Schmidt replied with a smile. But he quickly became serious again. “I think we’re playing at a high level at the moment. Our goal must be to maintain that level.”
Roger Schmidt changed
When Schmidt took over the Adler last summer, some Portuguese asked themselves: who is that actually, this Schmidt? He was far from being the “big Schmidt” and in a way that was fitting because Benfica had also lost in size. FC Porto and city rivals Sporting have won the championships in recent years. Benfica, on the other hand, brought Jorge Jesus back as coach in 2020, an experiment that failed. Although Benfica surprisingly made it into the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season, Jesus had been on leave for a long time. In the summer, Schmidt came as the successor to interim coach Nélson Veríssimo. Then something changed.
With the backing of the club management, Schmidt turned the team inside out according to his ideas. Schmidt found little use for ex-Dortmund player Julian Weigl, who the fans voted player of the year in the summer of 2021. Weigl now plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach, and up-and-coming youngsters like Enzo Fernández and Florentino are in central midfield at Benfica. Schmidt promoted the exceptionally talented 18-year-old António Silva to become the second central defender alongside veteran Nicolás Otamendi. The 21-year-old Gonçalo Ramos is now set in the storm after Darwin Núñez’s EUR 80 million departure to Liverpool.
And then there’s Rafa Silva, the 1.72 meter short speed dribbler who shook the stadium with his brace against Juve. His goals, too, came from the high-tempo attacks they love so much for in Portugal’s Schmidt football. With aggressiveness, constant activity and great goals from time to time, Schmidt quickly convinced the supporters of his style of play. “It’s a very nice moment for us,” said Silva after the win against Juventus. A moment in which the “big Schmidt” also played his part.