When Oscar Cardozo arrived at Benfica on June 21, 2007, fans had never heard of him. After six years with the club, Cardozo is not only a well known name, but he has managed to earn himself a spot in Benfica's history books.
He may not be the quickest, or the flashiest, but his ability to put the ball in the back of the net has made up for what ever he may lack. Missing the occasional tap in is something he can be accused of, but more often than not, he tends to bounce back from that let down.
From his 161 goals scored for the Lisbon side, all of that went out the window after the final whistle against Vitoria Guimaraes in the Portuguese Cup Final.
A horrific two weeks saw Benfica fall to Porto and Chelsea in stoppage time, stripping them of an opportunity to claim the Portuguese League title, as well as the Europa League.
Frustration had already set in, and after conceding two goals in a short period of time against Guimaraes, some of the Benfica players were in complete disbelief. From the possibility of winning three major titles, they had just ended up winning none.
Cardozo took out his frustrations on manager Jorge Jesus, whose decision making was also being questioned by Benfica fans, well before the 2012/13 campaign had even started.
What was said to Jorge Jesus is not known, but given the video footage available, Cardozo appeared to have been upset with the manager's decision to play Andre Almeida in the Benfica back four.
After this situation, things have not been the same for Cardozo, at a club where he had a love and hate relationship with some of the fans. His public argument and brief shoving match with the Portuguese manager has earned him some heavy criticism.
Now, while his reaction was not the greatest and he should be fined, if not punished, he was not alone.
If you watch the final moments of the match against Chelsea, after the final whistle, Enzo Perez makes his way over to Jorge Jesus, entering into a similar discussion with the manager. The camera footage was brief, but it was more than clear that Enzo was not happy. Oddly enough, the Portuguese media did not really mention the situation.
So why did they make such a big deal when it came to a similar situation with Oscar Cardozo?
My only guess would be that given his love/hate status at the club, and goal scoring record since arriving in Portugal, putting this all over the media outlets would not only unsettle the player, but it would also force the club into taking action.
Benfica did take action, and they seem content with dealing Cardozo to another club, but only for the right fee. But again, why is Cardozo being punished for something Enzo Perez did just a week before?
The South American striker has not been able to even make an appearance at the clubs training facilities, let alone train with his teammates. This situation not only looks extremely poor and unprofessional, but it also leaves Benfica's squad in an awkward position.
Without Cardozo, Benfica has to put their confidence and belief in Rodrigo and Lima. The arrival of Markovic and Djuricic will offer Benfica more options in the final third, but neither of the Serbians are prolific goalscorers.
Lima proved last season that he is the real deal and can take Benfica to the next level, but Rodrigo has struggled to find his form after getting injured against Zenit St. Petersburg.
There are two weeks remaining before the Portuguese League kicks off, and Benfica still has not sorted out the situation, even after Cardozo came out and apologized for what had happened. Making matters worst, given the way the club has reacted to the situation, Cardozo has said that his head is now far from Benfica.
So now the club not only will likely sell one of their all time leading scorers, but the club is also banking on one proven player, and another youngster that has been inconsistent as of late.
