José Augusto Torres
Encyclopedia
José Augusto da Costa Séneca Torres (ʒuˈzɛ ˈtoʁɨʃ; 8 September 1938 – 3 September 2010) was a Portuguese
football centre forward and coach.
Nickname
d O Bom Gigante (The Kind Giant
), most of his 21-year senior career was spent at Benfica, with great individual and team success (13 major titles). With the Portuguese national team
, he participated in two World Cups
separated by 20 years, one as player and the other as manager.
In the 1962–63 season, in only 21 games, Torres was crowned the competition's top scorer, netting 26 goals, whilst also helping champions Benfica to the domestic cup
final. It was also during this decade that he would be an instrumental figure as the club reached three European Cup
finals - losing all - alongside offensive partners José Augusto, Mário Coluna
, Eusébio
and António Simões
.
Torres left Benfica in 1971 at nearly 33 years of age, being involved in a deal that sent him and two teammates to Vitória de Setúbal
, and promising Vítor Baptista
in the opposite direction. He continued scoring regularly for his next club (an average of 12 goals per season), always in the first division - he also briefly acted as the team's player-coach
in 1975 - then ended his career three months before his 42nd birthday, after four years at another side in Lisbon
, G.D. Estoril Praia, again in the top level, suffering relegation in his last year. In 21 seasons in the competition, he amassed totals of 379 matches and 217 goals (only for Benfica, overall, he surpassed the 200 mark).
In the following years, Torres worked as a manager, without much success. His biggest achievement was help modest Varzim Sport Clube to two consecutive mid-table finishes in the first division (1982–84).
, scoring 14 goals. His debut came on 23 January 1963, in a 0–1 loss against Bulgaria
, for the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying matches (a third-game replay). He was selected for the 1966 FIFA World Cup
in England
- as Augusto, Coluna, Eusébio and Simões - where he played all the matches and scored three goals, including the 2–1 winner against the Soviet Union, in the third-place playoff, through his main asset, a header.
Torres last game, at the age of 35, was a 2–2 draw, again against Bulgaria, on 13 October 1973, for the 1974 World Cup
qualification
. It would also be longtime club and national team mates Eusébio and Simões' last match.
After leaving Varzim, aged 46, Torres was named national team manager. In the last match of the 1986 World Cup qualifiers
in West Germany
, Portugal needed a win to qualify: prior to the game in Stuttgart
, he uttered "Please allow me to dream", and his side eventually won it 1–0 thanks to a Carlos Manuel
goal. The finals
in Mexico
, however, would be marred by the Saltillo Affair
, with Portugal being eliminated after the first round.
as his main hobby. On 3 September 2010, just five days short of his 72nd birthday, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease
, he died from heart failure.
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 centre forward and coach.
Nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d O Bom Gigante (The Kind Giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
), most of his 21-year senior career was spent at Benfica, with great individual and team success (13 major titles). With 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...
, he participated in two World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
separated by 20 years, one as player and the other as manager.
Club career
Born in Torres Novas, Santarém District, Torres signed with national powerhouse S.L. Benfica in 1959, from local side Clube Desportivo de Torres Novas. Even though he appeared rarely in his first three seasons combined, he managed to score six league goals in as many matches, paving the way for a bright future at the Reds.In the 1962–63 season, in only 21 games, Torres was crowned the competition's top scorer, netting 26 goals, whilst also helping champions Benfica 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. It was also during this decade that he would be an instrumental figure as the club reached three 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...
finals - losing all - alongside offensive partners José Augusto, Mário Coluna
Mário Coluna
Mário Esteves Coluna is a former Portuguese and Mozambican footballer. He was primarily a left-half and was nicknamed the "O Monstro Sagrado" .-Career:...
, Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
and António Simões
António Simões
António José Simões da Costa ; born Corroios, 14 December 1943) is a Portuguese footballer and a current coach. He played as a left winger for Benfica, from 1961/62 to 1974/75. With only 1.58 m of height, he is seen as the first "Giant Gnome" of Portuguese football, before Rui Barros...
.
Torres left Benfica in 1971 at nearly 33 years of age, being involved in a deal that sent him and two teammates to Vitória de Setúbal
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...
, and promising Vítor Baptista
Vítor Baptista
Vítor Manuel Ferreira Baptista was a Portuguese footballer. Mainly a second striker, he could also operate as an attacking midfielder....
in the opposite direction. He continued scoring regularly for his next club (an average of 12 goals per season), always in the first division - he also briefly acted as the team's player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
in 1975 - then ended his career three months before his 42nd birthday, after four years at another side in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, G.D. Estoril Praia, again in the top level, suffering relegation in his last year. In 21 seasons in the competition, he amassed totals of 379 matches and 217 goals (only for Benfica, overall, he surpassed the 200 mark).
In the following years, Torres worked as a manager, without much success. His biggest achievement was help modest Varzim Sport Clube to two consecutive mid-table finishes in the first division (1982–84).
International career
Torres had 33 caps for PortugalPortugal 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...
, scoring 14 goals. His debut came on 23 January 1963, in a 0–1 loss against Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
, for the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying matches (a third-game replay). He was selected 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...
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...
- as Augusto, Coluna, Eusébio and Simões - where he played all the matches and scored three goals, including the 2–1 winner against the Soviet Union, in the third-place playoff, through his main asset, a header.
Torres last game, at the age of 35, was a 2–2 draw, again against Bulgaria, on 13 October 1973, for the 1974 World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
qualification
1974 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 99 teams entered the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. , as the hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition....
. It would also be longtime club and national team mates Eusébio and Simões' last match.
After leaving Varzim, aged 46, Torres was named national team manager. In the last match of the 1986 World Cup qualifiers
1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....
in West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Portugal needed a win to qualify: prior to the game in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, he uttered "Please allow me to dream", and his side eventually won it 1–0 thanks to a Carlos Manuel
Carlos Manuel
Carlos Manuel Correia dos Santos , known as Carlos Manuel, is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a central midfielder, and a current manager....
goal. The finals
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...
, however, would be 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....
, with Portugal being eliminated after the first round.
Team
- Benfica:
- Portuguese League: 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71
- Portuguese CupTaça de PortugalThe 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...
: 1961–62, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70; Runner-up 1964–65, 1970–71 - European CupUEFA Champions LeagueThe 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 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68
Later years/Death
Torres settled in Lisbon with his wife after his retirement from the football world, with pigeon racingPigeon racing
Pigeon racing is the sport of releasing specially trained racing pigeons, which then return to their homes over a carefully measured distance...
as his main hobby. On 3 September 2010, just five days short of his 72nd birthday, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, he died from heart failure.