Jaime Graça
Encyclopedia
Jaime da Silva Graça (ˈʒajm(ɨ) ˈɡɾasɐ; born 10 January 1942 in Setúbal
Setúbal
Setúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants....

) is a retired Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 football midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

.

Club career

Graça made his professional - and first division debuts with local Vitória Futebol Clube
Vitória F.C.
Vitória Futebol Clube is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Setúbal. Popularly known as Vitória de Setúbal with the motto "A Vitória será nossa" .- Domestic :*Portuguese Liga: Runners-up 1971–72...

, appearing in 103 league games in four seasons, and helping the Sadinos
Sado River
The Sado River is a river in Southern Portugal, and is one of the major rivers in the country. It flows in a South/North direction through 175 km from its springs in the Caldeirão hills before entering the Atlantic Ocean in an estuary in the city of Setúbal.In Setúbal, its estuary is famous...

to the domestic cup
Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...

 final in his last year.

In the 1966 summer, after scoring 28 goals in his last two seasons with Vitória combined, he signed with national powerhouse Benfica, where he would win seven national championships and three Portuguese Cups. He scored the equalizing goal in the 1967–68 European Cup final
1968 European Cup Final
The 1968 European Cup Final was the 13th European Cup Final and the culmination of the 1967–68 European Cup, a club football tournament for the champions of European leagues. The match was held at Wembley Stadium, London, on 29 May 1968, between Manchester United of England and Benfica of Portugal...

, a 1–4 extra time
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

 loss against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

.

After only six games in his last two years combined, 33-year old Graça returned to his first club, retiring from the game in 1977, with Portuguese top flight (the only division he competed in) totals of 303 games and 56 goals. He was in charge of C.D. Santa Clara
C.D. Santa Clara
Clube Desportivo Santa Clara is a Portuguese football club from Ponta Delgada, Azores. They are the most successful football team from the Azores islands. To date, it is the only club from the Azores islands to have competed in the top division of the Portuguese Liga, although they currently...

 as the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...

 side promoted to the second division
Liga de Honra
The Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...

 in 1986–87.

International career

Graça collected 36 caps for the Portuguese national team
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

 (four goals), mostly whilst as a Benfica player. His debut came on 24 January 1965, in a 5–1 home win against Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...

 for the 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...

 qualifiers
1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The 32 teams were divided into 9 groups of 3 or 4 teams each . The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis...

.

Graça was selected for the final stages in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, appearing in all the matches for the eventual third-placed team. He also represented the nation in the Brazilian Independence Cup in 1972, where Portugal lost to hosts Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

, in what would be his last international appearance.

Graça assisted José Torres
José Augusto Torres
José Augusto da Costa Séneca Torres was a Portuguese football centre forward and coach.Nicknamed O Bom Gigante , most of his 21-year senior career was spent at Benfica, with great individual and team success...

 in the ill-fated 1986 World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...

 in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, marred by the Saltillo Affair
Saltillo Affair
The Saltillo Affair was a player uprising in the Portugal national football team during the Mexico '86 FIFA World Cup, named after the Mexican city of Saltillo, Coahuila, the team headquarters for the competition....

.

Club

  • Setúbal:
    • Portuguese Cup
      Taça de Portugal
      The Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...

      : Runner-up 1965–66

  • Benfica:
    • Portuguese League: 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75
    • Portuguese Cup
      Taça de Portugal
      The Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...

      : 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72; Runner-up 1970–71, 1973–74, 1974–75
    • European Cup
      UEFA Champions League
      The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

      : Runner-up 1967–68

External links

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