Between the ambition to win the Youth League again and the requirement to "train the Benfica way", Vitor Vinha emphasises a model based on the player's all-round development, competitive identity and the ability to prepare youngsters to respond to the elite.
The young coach also highlights the growing connection between training and the Eagles' first team, alluding to the recent debuts of several youngsters and Jose Mourinho's inspiring role in monitoring the process.
Between concrete examples and a structured vision of the project, a common goal is evident: to continue launching talent and sustaining the club's future at the highest level.
'Very important competition for us'
Benfica is already a team with a lot of tradition in this competition, which is very important for the youth teams of clubs all over Europe. What does this presence say about the work being done in Benfica's youth system?
Vitor Vinha: "Our presence in all editions of the Youth League and our four finals, one of which culminated in a victory that is already part of our trophy cabinet, are a continuous reflection of the great work that Benfica has been doing in its youth teams, in developing players for the elite.
"Whenever a Benfica player joins the Benfica Campus or starts his career at the club, he has the goal and the dream of playing in the Youth League. So these finals and all these appearances are illustrative of the great work that everyone involved, this whole machine, does to develop the players.
"It's a very important competition for us and for the growth of our players. We're delighted and honoured to be taking part and we naturally have a very long history in this competition. A history to defend, but also a history to continue building. That's what we're going to endeavour to do."
This competition also exposes the players to very different situations from those they're used to in the national league, not least because some of the best players of this generation are here. In your view, what do these European games add to the development of these players?
"The Youth League is a very important competition in its own right, because it's first and foremost a mirror image of the Champions League. And in the elite of European football, the Champions League is the top. It's the elite. Since the Youth League is a mirror of that elite, we have the elite of European training gathered here.
"The best players, the best teams and the best training projects are here. We almost have a glimpse of what the future will be like, because many of these players end up making it to the highest levels. In fact, we have players who took part in the Youth League this season and who, for example, made their first team debut in the Champions League.
"So, we can say that this is, in a way, the future Champions League. It's fantastic to follow the development of the players and the teams. Sometimes it surprises you.
"We know our context very well, because it's our place of work, our daily environment, but when we face other opponents and see those players also making it into the top teams, that becomes very interesting to observe and evaluate. For player development, this competition is fantastic. It's a glimpse of the Champions League and this is where we see the future of the elite."
Before we move on to your next opponents, Club Brugge, in the semi-finals, I'd like to ask you to give us a quick assessment of the team's performance. Great games, lots of wins, and a very difficult quarter-final against Inter Milan...
"Obviously, at first glance, the balance is extremely positive. We had an excellent group stage in which we only lost one game, in London, in very special conditions, and the result didn't reflect the level of the teams either. It did reflect efficiency. We had chances to score more goals and we didn't manage it.
"Chelsea had their chances and ended up taking almost all of them. Even so, that game also served to regroup us, to reflect on the path we wanted to take and for our young players to realise what path they had to take and where we all had to improve.
"We mustn't forget that we played the group stage at a time when there was an Under-17 World Cup, in which we ended up being world champions, with nine Benfica players present at that competition. Others stayed here to play in the Youth League and had to respond, because they are also eligible and many have been starters here.
"We've reached this Final Four as a very solid, very capable team, with a lot of good players, and the best attack ever in an edition of the competition, which is fantastic. We're going to start this decisive week of the Final Four with a lot of ambition and drive, and we're going to try to beat Brugge to reach another final, which is our goal."
What difficulties do you foresee for this match and where can Benfica make the difference?
"Brugge are a very solid team and their record, with all the differences, is very similar to ours. They have eight wins and one defeat. They have the best defence in the competition, conceding just five goals. This demonstrates the solidity of the team, which is very capable and has very strong individuals, very interesting players and a very powerful front line, with a great ability to get forward, individually and collectively.
"Now, more important than Brugge is our team and what we can do, what we can produce, our players, the individual quality we have. As I said, we've been a team in the truest sense of the word. All together, all united, we've been a family, and that has also been one of the keys to the success that has brought us this far.
"If we maintain this level, this unity and this ability, I believe we'll be at a very high level and be able to overcome this opponent, which is what we want."
Is repeating the feat of 2022, when Benfica won this competition, your goal?
"Our goal, before thinking about that achievement, is to reach the final. Our focus is on Brugge, on preparing well for this game, on realising our opponents' strengths and also their weaknesses. We want to hide our weakest points and put our game on the pitch, our DNA, what it means to be Benfica.
"Obviously, we want to go for the win and reach the final. Then, once we're there, we'll think about the rest. For now, the focus is first and foremost on this game with Brugge, because if we don't get past Brugge there's nothing else for us. There's only Brugge."
Today, does a young player who has been trained at Benfica have it clear that, if he's successful, the door is open for him to reach the first team?
"Yes, obviously. When a young player arrives at Benfica, he knows that we already have many good examples: Joao Neves, Cancelo, Antonio Silva, Tomas Araujo, Samu, among others. And all these examples, as well as those who made their first team debuts this year, serve as a beacon for the rest of us.
"They serve as an example for Benfica's entire youth system. They know that by doing things well, working hard and developing in all areas, physically, technically, tactically, mentally and socially, they will be closer to achieving their dream of making their first team debut.
"Now, obviously, this is a process. Not everyone will make it, not everyone will be a first-team player, but they know that even if they don't, they'll be better prepared to make a career out of Benfica. Not everyone can make it, and they know that from the start. They're working towards that goal and we're here to support them and help them along the way."
Benfica invests a lot in its training. Do you believe that, in the future, the first-team project could be even more based on players trained at the club?
"Yes, obviously. That's what we're working towards. It's one of the club's great visions, or rather, it's the club's vision for training: to prepare, develop and grow young players to make it into our first team and the elite of football. That's what we work towards every day.
"That's what the structure and the whole machine are organised to do, to respond to this demand and the growth of our young players. We've done that very well. We have many good examples and, of course, we want to continue to bring in many more players for our first team."
'Mourinho inspired me to become a football coach'
About two years ago, in an interview with Flashscore, you said you were ready for any challenge. What is your assessment of these two seasons at Benfica and what has this experience been like?
"It's been a fantastic experience. I often define this experience as an old love that led to marriage, and it's been a very happy marriage. I've grown a lot, evolved a lot and contributed a lot to the development of Benfica and our young players.
"For me, it's a source of enormous satisfaction to belong to this club, to wear the sacred cloak and to come to work every day and contribute to this great house. I'm extremely happy and I'll always be grateful to Benfica for the opportunity to be here and to be part of this great institution."
How has this career at Benfica changed the way you are as a coach?
"Obviously it has. When you work with the elite, and Benfica belongs to the elite, you learn a lot. There was already a background. I was a professional footballer, I worked with many good coaches as an assistant, and I was able to learn from all of them.
"But when I arrived at Benfica, the journey didn't end there. The growth continued and even intensified. The chance to experience this context, to have contact with these players, with all the departments, to grow and evolve in all areas is fantastic.
"That's what I try to do every day: make my contribution, but also grow, learn, evolve and continue on this path."
Is it special to work at a club where Jose Mourinho is a reference?
"Yes. I, in particular, and I believe many other coaches as well, saw the desire to be a coach grow in me when I saw Jose Mourinho. He was an inspiration to me. If I'm here today, I owe him that too, because it was he who inspired me to become a football coach, as I believe many Portuguese coaches did.
"To be able to have contact with one of the great references, or, for me, one of the best coaches in history, perhaps even the best Portuguese coach in history, with so many titles and so many historic achievements, is fantastic. Being able to get in touch, learn, grow, exchange a few words, observe his way of being more closely and be able to learn from it is something extraordinary.
"He is a reference and will continue to be a reference. And that also demonstrates the greatness of Benfica and the greatness of Jose Mourinho. When you put the two together, it becomes something really special."
Does having someone like Mourinho so attentive to the work of the youth team add responsibility?
"Yes, of course it does. Jose Mourinho is a very regular presence and follows the youth teams very closely. He knows every corner of the house very well and, in such a short space of time, he's got to know the structure very well. He talks a lot about our young players and has already given several of them their debuts.
"That's fantastic for us. For me in particular, as I said, it's extraordinary to be able to have one of the best managers in history so close to us. To have a word from him, an assessment from him, is very valuable. We're walking together, we're making our way together, and that's tremendous. We must continue."
To close, what message would you like to leave the Benfica fans?
"What I can say is, first of all, thank you for all the support you've given our team and our teams throughout this journey. I'm speaking on behalf of myself and Benfica to thank the fans. It's for them that we're here too.
"Football is a game of emotions and they are part of that emotion. They are also part of the demands we make on a daily basis. Benfica fans are very demanding. For me, in particular, this is a stimulus, nourishment and a fundamental part of our evolution and growth. They're very demanding and very fervent.
"I hope they can make their presence felt in Lausanne. I think they've already mobilised and a lot of people have said they'll be there, but I'm appealing for everyone to come, so that we can paint the stadium red, so that they can support us and see the growth of this team and these young figures up close.
"Let them push us to victory, because with their presence everything will be easier. And to those who can't be there, let them follow us on television and on the various platforms. Let them be with us, let them support us and let them keep up this demand, because it makes us grow and want even more."