Benfica - Avs: New Vhils‑designed black kit debuts and what it means for supporters and the street‑football project

This matters now for fans and followers of the club’s cultural projects: the benfica - avs match served as the public unveiling of a black jersey created with artist Vhils under a street‑football concept. The kit’s debut — shown partly by captain Otamendi on Instagram and worn in the 23rd‑round meeting — extends beyond matchday fashion into a wider collection and a deliberate creative move tied to the club’s initiative.

Why supporters and the club’s street‑football initiative feel the impact

The new jersey is explicitly linked to the club’s football‑de rua (street football) initiative and was designed by the artist Alexandre Farto, known as Vhils. That link changes how the shirt functions: it is presented as part of a cultural collaboration rather than a simple alternate color. The piece also belongs to a special collection that includes sweatshirts, jogging pants and t‑shirts, so the visual identity will be available off the pitch as well as on it. What’s easy to miss is that this is positioned as a creative statement with merchandise reach, not only a one‑game novelty.

Benfica - Avs: how the kit was unveiled and used in the match

The club introduced the black shirt in the fixture against AVS (Aves SAD) during the 23rd round of the league, playing at Estádio da Luz and finishing the match with a 3‑0 victory. The captain, Otamendi, broke the secrecy by sharing the rear view of the black kit on his Instagram stories ahead of or during matchday. The jersey was therefore visible both in social media previews and in the stadium setting.

Design notes under Vhils’s creative direction

Under the creative direction of Alexandre Farto (Vhils), the equipment incorporates visual elements drawn from his artistic language. The design features a worked fragment of the club’s eagle wing, rendered with texture, depth and a sense of movement. The artist framed the jersey as emerging from the overlap of football and art — he described his own background where those two spaces shared the same ground, and presented the shirt as reflecting football as a place of affirmation and identity.

Approvals, kit context and procedural details

The club requested permission to use this alternative black kit for the AVS match from the league marketing body two weeks before the game. This season’s official kits otherwise include red, white and beige as the sanctioned jersey colors; the black shirt was therefore an exception submitted for approval. Note: some published presentation pages required login or registration for full functionality.

Immediate reactions, match context and ancillary coverage

The match setting included a post‑match coach conference after the victory over AVS SAD. Meanwhile, specialist commentators Marco Ferreira and Jorge Faustino analyzed the refereeing performance of Miguel Fonseca in the Luz fixture. Separately, commentary on match composition noted a starting eleven with only five holdovers from the previous game and mentioned players José Neto, Bah and Enzo as contributors in that lineup.

• The kit was debuted on a matchday in the 23rd round and worn during a 3‑0 win at Estádio da Luz.
• Design credited to Alexandre Farto (Vhils), incorporating an eagle‑wing fragment and street‑football motifs.
• The shirt is part of a broader collection including sweatshirts, jogging pants and t‑shirts.
• Club asked league marketing for permission two weeks before the match; the season’s official colors otherwise include red, white and beige.
• Captain Otamendi revealed the back of the black kit on his Instagram stories, breaking the secrecy.

Here’s the part that matters for collectors and supporters: this is being sold and shown as a cultural product as much as a match uniform, and the related apparel extends the visual concept into everyday wear. The real question now is whether the club will use similar collaborations in more matches this season; recent moves show a willingness to request exceptions to regular kit colors.

Editorial aside: the presentation bridges on‑pitch identity and off‑pitch merchandise in a way that spotlights the club’s creative partnerships while changing how a special kit is framed for supporters.

Content note: one of the original published pieces hosting images included an advisory that it contains adult content and visuals some readers may find disturbing, and asked viewers to confirm they were 18 or older before proceeding. Readers should exercise discretion where that advisory appears.