Rui Costa re-elected president of Benfica

Former midfielder Rui Costa has been re-elected president of Portuguese giants Benfica for the 2025-2029 term, the Lisbon-based club announced on its website on Sunday.

Costa, first elected in 2021, captured 65.9 per cent of the vote, easily defeating rival Joao Noronha Lopes, a lawyer and former vice-president of Portugal's most widely supported football club.

The result follows the first round of voting on 25 October, in which Costa also led the field, but no candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the vote.

The second-round election, held on Saturday, drew 93,081 members, marking the most participated vote in Benfica's history.

"Now is the time to put our ideas and projects into practice, with renewed determination to meet the challenges of the present and win the future," Costa, 53, said after the results were announced.

During his first tenure as president, Benfica ended a four-year league title drought by winning the Portuguese league in the 2022-23 season, securing the club's 38th championship.

Under his leadership, Benfica appointed José Mourinho as their new coach in September 2025.

Costa, who retired from international football after the 2004 European Championships, spent most of his career with Benfica and Italian clubs Fiorentina and, most famously, AC Milan.

Benfica is a cultural institution in Portugal. Known as "O Glorioso" (The Glorious One), the club has deep roots in Portuguese society, with generations of families supporting the team.