Original Adidas football shirt SL Benfica 1996/97

The 1996–97 European football season was the 93rd season of Sport Lisboa e Benfica's existence and the club's 63rd consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football. The season ran from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997; Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Divisão and the Taça de Portugal. The club also participated in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup as a result of winning the previous Taça de Portugal.

To manage the team in the new season, Benfica appointed Paulo Autuori. The Brazilian had just won the Brasileirão with Botafogo and was working in the background with the club since January 1996. He signed Jamir and Donizete from Botafogo, plus others like Jorge Bermúdez or Ronaldo Guiaro. Major departures included Ricardo Gomes, Paulo Bento and Daniel Kenedy.

The season started with different outcomes in the different competitions. While in the Primeira Divisão, Benfica reached the first place by September; in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, the panorama was the opposite, with Benfica conceding a five-nil home loss with FC Porto. Until January, Autuori led the team through the first and second round of the Cup Winner's Cup, and battled with Sporting over the second place.

In January, the league campaign took a turn for the worse, Benfica lost twice in a row and Autuori was sacked. Mário Wilson was interim in one game (another loss); before the permanent appointment of Manuel José. With José, Benfica performance in the Primeira Divisão became much more irregular. Consecutive wins and consecutive losses were followed by intercalating wins and draws. In May and June Benfica, lost four times in five match-days, and hit new record lows, both in number of losses and points to league winner. In the domestic cup, José led them to their second final in a row, but lost it to Boavista.