© EuroFootball.com
Portugal's national team and Lisbon club captain Simao will not be able to help his team in the remaining three matches of the national championship, as he suffered a knee injury and will have to undergo surgery.
The 27-year-old winger did not appear in the 3-0 victory over "Maritimo" due to the injury bothering him. Although he was called up for the derby against "Sporting" this Saturday, it was later decided not to let him onto the field in the 1-1 draw.
Simao injured his left knee meniscus and the club is preparing to have surgery performed on him, which means he will not play for the rest of the season, but will solve this problem before the start of the next season.
He will be out for two weeks, but can start training next month and represent the Portuguese national team in the 2008 European Championship Group A qualifiers against Belgium, which will take place on June 2nd.
The Portuguese player, who was previously eyed by English clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal, was already operated on for a similar injury five years ago, which is why he could not help his country in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Currently, "Benfica" is in 3rd place in the Portuguese league, trailing one point behind "Sporting" and four behind the leader "Porto". The teams occupying the first two places will automatically receive tickets to next year's UEFA Champions League tournament, while the team in 3rd place will have to go through the qualifiers to enter the prestigious European competition.
