 After the 2006–07 campaign, the first since the separation of Serbia and Montenegro, with Rad failing to return to the top division, Sretenović stated his desire to play in western Europe and, on 29 June 2007, was signed by Portugal's S.L.Benfica.However, he was quickly discarded by the man who required his services, Fernando Santos; with the latter's sacking after the first matchday in 2007–08 and the subsequent replacement with José Antonio Camacho, he remained in Benfica's payroll, having been loaned to Zagłębie Lubin in the Polish Ekstraklasa.