Exclusive:Hearts legend Bruno Aguiar explains Benfica conflict and issues a Lisbon warning as he prepares for Edinburgh
Portugese icon will attend the Europa League tie
Lifting the Scottish Cup at Hampden Park in 2006 ensured Bruno Aguiar legendary status at Hearts. Winning the Portuguese Primeira Liga the previous year etched his name in Benfica’s history books. He is understandably conflicted over next week’s Europa League third qualifying round. Benfica are overwhelming favourites, which Aguiar does not deny, but there will forever be a piece of his heart at Tynecastle Park.
Aguiar is 45 now, although he still looks like he could tug the old Ukio Bankas shirt over his head and patrol the Hearts midfield with authority. He was one of the original Vladimir Romanov signings - on loan from Kaunas, paraded as one of eight new faces on that crazy transfer deadline day back in January 2006. Hearts are a more stable club 20 years later and Aguiar still follows their progress while working as a SportTV commentator in Portugal.
He is also closely aligned with Benfica. He is a friend of club president Manuel Rui Costa and a regular at the Estadio da Luz. St Gallen of Switzerland were destroyed 5-0 there on Thursday evening as Marco Silva’s side won 6-2 on aggregate to progress to next week’s meeting with Hearts. Worryingly for Wouter Vrancken and the thousands of fans who will travel from Edinburgh, Aguiar expects Benfica only to get stronger ahead of his old club’s arrival in the Portuguese capital.
“I think Benfica will be close to full strength by next week,” said the former midfielder, speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News. “The players who were involved in the World Cup will have had another week of training, and most of them were already on the bench in the last match. The only exception was [Fredrik] Aursnes, who had a slight muscular problem. So, by the time Benfica face Hearts, I expect them to have all of their key players available. Even though it’s still been an unusual pre-season, they’ll be much stronger with everyone back, which will make the challenge even tougher for Hearts.
“Thursday was definitely a better performance from Benfica than in the first leg. Some of the players are new, and it’s a different pre-season, especially without several key players who were at the World Cup. But last night we saw much more from the team, and it was a great win that secured Benfica’s place in the next round. “I only saw highlights from Hearts’ first leg against Sturm Graz. I think the result in the first leg was very tough for Hearts, and overall Sturm Graz were the stronger team across the two legs. Now Hearts have to focus on what’s next, while Benfica will be a much tougher challenge for whoever faces them.
“Benfica are clear favourites, especially over two legs. On paper, everything points towards Benfica. But football has taught us that anything can happen, so they still need to prove that superiority on the pitch. I have no doubt that Benfica have the quality to beat Hearts. They have better players, much more experience in European competitions, and they’re used to playing at this level.”
There could be up to 60,000 fans inside the ground for next Thursday’s first leg. Benfiquistas are known for atmosphere and hostility. Having toiled to cope in front of 15,882 in Graz, Hearts might find Lisbon even more daunting. “It will be a very difficult atmosphere for Hearts. Benfica always attract huge crowds at home, and the stadium is often close to its 60,000 capacity for big matches,” said Aguiar.
“It will be a great experience for Hearts, but also a very demanding one. The atmosphere will be similar to what they faced against other big European clubs, with constant pressure from the stands. Benfica have incredible support, both at home and away, and their fans create a fantastic atmosphere. Hearts can expect around 60,000 supporters at Estádio da Luz, which will make it a real European occasion.
“I will be there watching the match. Personally, it will be special to see Hearts again. I wish they hadn’t been drawn against Benfica because Benfica is the club I support and Hearts has become my second club. One of them will have to go out, but as a Benfica fan, I hope Benfica go through. At the same time, I’ll always wish Hearts the very best because it’s a club that will always have a special place in my heart.
“Last season I followed Hearts very closely, especially towards the end, because I really believed they had a chance of winning the league. Unfortunately, I think the penalty decision against Celtic was very unfair, and in my opinion Hearts didn’t deserve the way the season ended. It was a great opportunity to become champions, but that’s football. As I said, Hearts are a club that means a lot to me, so I watched many of their matches during the final part of the season.”
There is still regular contact between Aguiar and another Benfica/Hearts icon, Takis Fyssas. Chats with Christos Karipidis are frequent, too. “I actually saw Takis at Estadio da Luz about six months ago. Whenever we meet or speak, we always end up talking about Hearts,” admitted Aguiar. “I also speak quite often with Christos. Hearts was a hugely important club for us, and we were both very happy during our time there.
“Despite suffering a very serious injury that kept me out for more than a year, I have so many wonderful memories of my time in Edinburgh. The one that stands out the most is my comeback in the Edinburgh derby [in 2008]. After being out for so long, returning in such an important match and scoring a goal made it an unforgettable moment in my career. I also have great memories of my final season, when I finished as the club’s top scorer and we qualified for the UEFA Cup.
“Another very special memory was finishing second in the league in 2006. We didn’t manage to reach the Champions League [league phase], but I think it was a very important achievement for Hearts and a sign of the progress the club was making. As I’ve said before, Hearts is my second club. I’ll always have a great deal of affection for the club, the supporters and everything I experienced there.”
There’s that conflict again. Aguiar will travel to Edinburgh for the second leg at Tynecastle and doubtless enjoy reminiscing over so many maroon memories. Supporters will welcome him warmly as a fans favourite from a halcyon era in the club’s history. He will remain slightly uncomfortable about the whole thing as one of his former clubs faces another. “It’s a very difficult situation for me because I’m really happy to see the two teams meet, but they are both clubs that mean a lot to me,” added Aguiar.
“Everyone knows that Benfica is my club. I grew up there, from my childhood until I became a professional, so it will always be my club. I’m not going to be hypocritical and say I don’t want Benfica to go through. At the same time, I don’t feel completely comfortable saying I’ll simply be supporting Benfica against Hearts. Hearts is a club that means a great deal to me as well, and I’ll always be grateful for my time there.
“I’ll go to the match and enjoy the occasion. I believe Benfica are the stronger side over two legs because they have greater quality and more experience. It’s also very important for a club like Benfica to qualify, especially after missing out on the Champions League. More than anything, I’ll be watching two clubs that I admire enormously. Whatever happens, I’ll continue to wish both Benfica and Hearts every success in the future.”