Benfica are an absolutely huge club. One of the giants of world football. Don't they have the largest membership base in the world?
People wont have it mate.
For example the IFFHS rates Benfica as the 9th best team in the world.
Everton were 88th, just below Newcastle and level with, erm,
Trenkwalder Admira
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFFHS_Top_200_European_clubs_of_the_20th_century
Benfica were also ranked joint 12th by FIFA
The members of Benfica, who are called
sócios, democratically elect the club president for a four-year term (three years until 2010)
[117] by voting in each candidate list, forming the highest governing body of the club. They also participate in general assemblies, submit proposals, take part in discussions, and so forth. They can be elected for the governing bodies, to be designated for positions or functions at the club, etc.
[11] In 2003 the club switched to
electronic voting,
[118] and since 2010 only members with 25 years of uninterrupted filiation (as an adult) can candidate to the presidency of Benfica.
[117]
On 9 November 2006, Benfica set the
Guinness World Record for "the most widely supported football club", with 160,398 paid-up members.
[119] In 2014, according to a study by Movimento Por Um Futebol Melhor, Benfica had 270,000 members and was the biggest club in the world in membership terms.
[120][121]On 31 March 2015, Benfica reported to have 246,401 members.
[122] However, after a scheduled renumbering by the club in August 2015, the number decreased to 156,916.
[123] In April 2017, Benfica reported they had a total of 184,264 members by 31 December 2016.
[124]
So yeah, Benfica are a massive club.
