Karadas coup for Benfica

Goalscoring cameo
The 22-year-old had been with Rosenborg BK since 2002 but caught the eye when the two teams met in the UEFA Cup third round last March, scoring in the 2-1 second-leg win before Rosenborg went out on away goals.

Still eligible
Karadas was left out of Rosenborg's squad for last night's UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first-leg tie against FC Sheriff, which the Norwegian champions won 2-1, to ensure his European eligibility.

'Dream come true'
The Portuguese league runners-up will enter the same competition at the third-round stage, but have no chance of meeting Rosenborg because both sides are unseeded. Regarding the move, Karadas said: "It is a dream come true for me because Benfica are a great European club. [Giovanni] Trapattoni is Benfica's coach and there are very good players here, such as [Zlatko] Zahovic, Nuno Gomes, [Tomo] Šokota and Simão Sabrosa."

Impressive figures
Karadas spent three seasons with Rosenborg after leaving SK Brann, scoring 13 goals in 59 matches including three in 15 outings in the 2004 campaign. He made his Champions League debut in 2002/03, when he struck twice in a 2-2 group stage draw with FC Internazionale.