Cosme Damião

Who was Cosme Damião?

Júlio Cosme Damião was a Portuguese football player, as a midfielder, and a coach for S.L. Benfica. He will always be remembered as the main force behind the birth of Benfica and one of the first great Portuguese football players. Benfica yearly awards presented to his athletes for outstanding performance, are named after him, the Galardão Cosme Damião.

He was educated at the Casa Pia, in Lisbon. Starting at a young age, Damião developed an enthusiasm for football. In 1903 he had the idea to start a football team and in 1904, with some friends, he founded Sport Lisboa. Later, in 1908, the team merged with Grupo Sport Benfica and became Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

He played all his career in Benfica, as the captain of the team, and from 1909–10, as player-coach, from 1908–09 to 1915–16, when he retired from football, aged 30. He won the title of Regional Champion of Lisbon for the seasons of 1909–10, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1913–14 and 1915–16. He continued to coach Benfica until 1925–26. The 18 years he led the team is still an record inside the club.

Damião had the misfortune of ending his career before the first game of the Portugal National Team, but still played for the Lisbon Team and an unofficial National Team that played in Brazil, in 1913.