Just as Sporting CP once had an unlimited supply of homegrown wingers with the emergences of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Ricardo Quaresma, Benfica have become adept developers of top class centre-forwards. Great names from Benfica's gloried past, such as Eusebio, Jose Aguas and Nene, provide inspiration for the latest generation of goal scorers looking to find their wings with the Eagles.
When Joao Felix left the Estadio de Luz for an eye watering fee of £113million to join Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020, there was a sense that Benfica had lost its next great hope.
Benfica responded by plucking a young sensation in the shape of Darwin Nunez from Spanish second-tier outfit Almeria for just over £20million. Meanwhile, Goncalo Ramos, who joined Benfica in 2013, waited patiently for his moment in the spotlight.
The Eagles sold Nunez to Liverpool this summer for £85million, and although they had to pay Almeria a sell-on fee of £17million, the Portuguese heavyweights made £181million from the sales of both Felix and Nunez.
Ramos scored eight times in 46 matches across all competitions while playing in the shadow of Nunez last term. Now, without the presence of the Uruguayan, Ramos has shone for Benfica, scoring five goals and providing three assists in just five appearances this season.
But just as his Benfica career gets underway, Ramos could be set to follow in his predecessor Nunez's footsteps with a move to the Premier League. The 21-year-old is not short of suitors with Newcastle United , Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton chasing his signature.
Ramos has a £25million price tag hanging above his head, which seems a sensible price when you consider that Wolves paid £35.6m for Fabio Silva in 2020. If Ramos leaves Lisbon for the fee reported then Benfica would've amassed over £200million in fees from the sales of Felix, Nunez and Ramos.
However, what is even more exciting for Benfica is that they have another goal hungry prospect waiting in the wings. Henrique Araujo, who was plucked from Maritmo's youth system in 2018, could be the next forward to be thrust into the limelight.
The 20-year-old became the first ever player to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Youth League final in April as Benfica crushed Red Bull Salzburg in a 6-0 demolition to win the competition for the first time.
Araujo has scored 25 times in 54 matches for Benfica B in the second-tier of Portuguese football and was named Liga Portugal 2 Best Young Player of the Year last term.
He scored his maiden goal for the first team on just his third appearance from the bench and netted both goals in a 2-0 win over Pacos Ferreira on his only start last season. Araujo is currently a backup to Ramos but has already opened his account for the season in Benfica's 3-1 win at FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Champions League 3rd Round qualifier.
The Portugal U21 international has already been snapped up by Jorge Mendes' GestiFute agency and has averaged a goal every 59.5 minutes during his short but promising career. Although Ramos is a crucial asset that Benfica are reluctant to let go without a fight, as has been the case in years gone by, Benfica could have a readymade replacement in the shape of Araujo.
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