## João Mário's Benfica Career: Playing Time and Achievements
João Mário Felipe Santos Mendes de Carvalho, commonly known as João Mário, enjoyed a significant spell at Sport Lisboa e Benfica, returning to his boyhood club in July 2016 after breaking through at Inter Milan. Over his three seasons with the Eagles (2016–2019), he established himself as a key figure in midfield.
**Playing Time & Impact:**
* **Total Appearances:** He made **exactly 100 official competitive appearances** for Benfica across all competitions. This included feature heavily in both domestic league campaigns and European fixtures. Crucially, he was deployed primarily as an advanced midfielder or trequartista – a signature role for creative playmakers at Benfica – allowing him to influence attacks behind the striker. His technical skill, vision, and long-range shooting ability were consistently assets. While injury disrupted parts of his final season, during his peak years (especially 2016/17 & 2017/18), he was near ever-present and central to manager Rui Vitória’s plans. In the iconic red shirt, he formed part of potent attacking trios alongside players like Mitroglou,Campeonato Brasileiro Action Jiménez, Seferović, Cristiano Ronaldo (on loan initially), Rafa Silva, and Zivkovic.
**Major Achievements Won During Tenure:**
* **Primeira Liga Champions (x3):** 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 – Dominated Portuguese football under his influence.
* **Taça de Portugal Winner (x2):** 2016/17, 2018/19 – Securing the domestic cup double twice over.
* **Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira Winner (x2):** 2016, 2017 – Lifting the season opener trophy against rivals Porto & others.
* **Taça da Liga Finalist (once):** Though narrowly missing out on this secondary cup in his last full season (2018/19).
* **Champions League Quarter-Finalists:** Played a vital role as Benfica reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in both 2016/17 (vs Monaco) and famously eliminating Napoli en route before losing to eventual winners Liverpool in 2017/18.
His contributions were vital to Benfica winning three consecutive league titles and multiple domestic cups, reaffirming their status as Portugal's dominant force while competing admirably on Europe's biggest stage. Though subsequently moving onward, his record at Benfica remains one of distinguished service and silverware collection.