Reporter Wang Wei reports From January 11th to January 26th, the 2025 Eurasia China Youth Benfica Football Training Activity, hosted by Eurasia Industrial (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. and co-organized by Guangzhou Benfica Football Co., Ltd. and J.P. Treasure Club, was held in Lisbon, Portugal. During this period, the young footballers from China not only received technical guidance from the high-level coaches of the Portuguese giants Benfica FC, but also went to the Guangming Stadium, the home of Benfica FC, to watch the football game and compete with the outstanding Portuguese youth team. On January 23, the football teenagers were invited to attend the 2025 Chinese New Year Reception of the Chinese Embassy in Portugal.

Under the guidance of the country's policy of vigorously promoting the development of youth sports and national fitness, the Chinese football teenagers went to Portugal for in-depth exchanges as the hope of the future of Chinese football. Despite the tight schedule, the event was informative and high-spec. The Chinese football teenagers not only participated in high-level training under the guidance of coach Benfica in Lisbon, but also played a friendly match against the local youth team of Lisbon and won with a score of 4:3. This event is not only a competitive victory, but also an opportunity for cultural exchange and learning from the youth training system.

During the event, the Chinese football teenagers visited several famous cultural and natural landmarks in Portugal, including Cabo da Roca, Pena Palace, Sintra Palace, Monument to the Discoveries, Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower, etc. In Cabo da Roca, the children set foot on the westernmost point of the European continent and experienced the far-reaching meaning of "the land ends here, the sea begins here"; In the Pena Palace and Sintra Palace, you can feel the grandeur and history of Portuguese palace architecture; At the Monument to the Discoveries, children are deeply touched by the spirit of exploration of Portugal's maritime history.

In addition, the Chinese football teenagers also watched the match between Benfica and Famalicão in the Portuguese Super League, and the 65,000 spectators shouted at the scene, which made the children feel the charm and cultural atmosphere of professional football, which had a great inspiration for their football dreams.

The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Portugal attaches great importance to the visit of Chinese football teenagers to Benfica for football exchange activities, from the reception to the New Year reception, with full support and participation, demonstrating the country's great attention to youth football projects. Ambassador Zhao Bentang has repeatedly said that this event reflects China's initiative on the international sports stage, and hopes to use it as a starting point to promote in-depth cooperation between China and Portugal in the field of football.

On the evening of January 23, the Chinese football teenagers were invited to participate in the Chinese New Year reception of the Chinese Embassy in Portugal, and the Chinese Embassy in Portugal received these Chinese football teenagers with the highest standard. When the children heard the national anthem at the New Year reception, they immediately saluted the Young Pioneers. "When the national anthem was sung, we were super excited, looking at the national flag, we felt full of strength, and we will never forget that scene!" Zihuan's child said.

Ambassador Zhao Bentang warmly received the Chinese football teenagers in the embassy and took a group photo with them. When Ambassador Zhao Bentang chatted with the football teenagers and heard about the dishes that the children liked to eat, he specially adjusted the dishes for the Chinese New Year reception for the children, so that the Chinese football teenagers in Portugal felt warm.

Ambassador Zhao Bentang expressed his confidence and high appreciation for the event. He said that the 2025 Eurasian Chinese Youth Benfica Football Training Program is an important step in the sports cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and is also a concrete practice of "inviting in" and "going out" for Chinese football. He said that the Chinese Embassy in Portugal will continue to support the overseas development of Chinese youth football.

During his stay in Lisbon, former Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio da Cruz and President of the Portuguese Chinese Chamber of Commerce Cai Wenxian attended the opening ceremony of the 2025 Eurasian Chinese Youth Benfica Football First Training. The official representative of the Portuguese club Benfica in China and the chairman of Guangzhou Benfica Football Co., Ltd. said: "This Sino-Portuguese youth football exchange activity is not only a football event, but also a successful test of China's football reform. The event realized the first time that Chinese football youths carried out comprehensive learning exchanges and friendship competitions under the high-standard club system in Portugal. All these have proved to the world the potential and hope of Chinese youth football. More importantly, this event is a valuable opportunity for Chinese football youth to learn from international advanced experience, and provides a reference for the scientific training and systematic management of Chinese football in the future. ”

"China's football reform is inseparable from an international vision and a commercial operation model, and only by combining feelings with business models can we achieve long-term sustainable development," Cha Cha emphasized. ”

Benfica FC has shown great interest in the Chinese market and plans to cooperate with Eurasia Industrial to establish a flagship football school in China, and gradually explore a cooperation model for introducing Chinese cultural courses in local football schools in Portugal. While in Lisbon, Benfica president Rui Costa met with the official Chinese representative of the Portuguese club Benfica. Rui Costa said that Benfica has high hopes for the Chinese market and plans to fully introduce its youth training system through the establishment of a long-term strategic partnership. He also revealed that Benfica FC hopes to build a bridge between Portugal and China's education and sports systems, help Chinese football teenagers better integrate into international football, and provide a more sustainable development path for Chinese football through a combination of education and training.

Liang Yueming, the coach of the Chinese football team, said: "This time I went to Benfica, Portugal to exchange and observe the experience of training sessions, which was more rewarding than I expected. The Benfica coaching team is unique in the choreography of training content and the control of rhythm, especially the handling of details is very good. This exchange made me more sure that my previous training direction for children was correct, and I also learned a lot of practical skills, and I gained a lot. ”

It is understood that the future Sino-Portuguese football cooperation plan is already in the planning, including the establishment of an influential Benfica football school in China, and the exploration of the establishment of a "Chinese culture class" at the Benfica football school in Portugal to promote the combination of football education and cultural exchanges. Both Benfica and the Chinese team hope to make this cooperation long-term and expand the scale of the event, so that more Chinese teenagers have the opportunity to participate in the world's top football training system.

"As the overall responsible entity of Benfica Football Co., Ltd. in China, Guangzhou Benfica Football Co., Ltd., the organizer of the event, will carry out similar activities such as youth and coach training, the holding of various level competitions, and the naming of the club's home stadium between China and Portugal, and quickly promote the landing of the first Benfica football school in China," said the chairman of Guangzhou Benfica Football Co., Ltd., the organizer of the event. ”