Jaime Graça

Jaime da Silva Graça (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒajm(ɨ) ˈɡɾasɐ]; 30 January 1942 – 28 February 2012) was a Portuguese football midfielder and coach.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Silva and the second or paternal family name is Graça.
Jaime Graça
Graça in 1972
Personal information
Full name Jaime da Silva Graça
Date of birth (1942-01-30)30 January 1942
Place of birth Setúbal, Portugal
Date of death 28 February 2012(2012-02-28) (aged 70)
Place of death Lisbon, Portugal
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Palmelense
1959–1961 Vitória Setúbal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1961–1966 Vitória Setúbal 103 (32)
1966–1975 Benfica 159 (19)
1975–1977 Vitória Setúbal 41 (4)
1978–1979 Sesimbra
1979 Eléctrico
1980–1981 Oliveirenses
Total 303 (55)
National team
1965–1972 Portugal 36 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Born in Setúbal, Graça made his professional – and Primeira Liga – debut with local Vitória Futebol Clube, appearing in nearly 150 official games over five seasons and helping the Sadinos to three Taça de Portugal finals during his spell.[1][2]

In summer 1966, after scoring a combined 28 goals in his last two seasons with Vitória, he signed with S.L. Benfica, where he would win seven national championships and three Portuguese Cups, playing 229 matches all competitions comprised (29 goals). He netted the equaliser in the 1967–68 European Cup final, a 1–4 extra time loss against Manchester United.[3]

On 5 December 1966, Benfica's new hydro massage bath short-circuited with seven players immersed. Luciano Fernandes was electrocuted before Graça – an electrician by trade before he became a professional footballer – could save himself and the others, and the team played the rest of that season in black.[4][2]

After featuring rarely during his latter years at the Estádio da Luz, the 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 matches and 55 goals. He was in charge of C.D. Santa Clara as the Azores side were promoted to the second division in 1987, but could not prevent relegation the following year.

International career

Graça collected 36 caps for the Portugal national team and scored four goals, mostly whilst as a Benfica player. His debut came on 24 January 1965, in a 5–1 home victory over Turkey for the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Graça was selected for the final stages in England, appearing in all the games for the eventual third-placed team.[5] He also represented the nation in the Brazilian Independence Cup in 1972, where Portugal lost to hosts Brazil, in what would be his last international appearance.[6]

Graça assisted José Torres in the ill-fated 1986 World Cup in Mexico, marred by the Saltillo Affair.[6]

Jaime Graça: International goals
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition

[7]

124 January 1965Estádio Nacional, Lisbon, Portugal Turkey3–15–11966 World Cup qualification
213 November 1966Estádio Nacional, Lisbon, Portugal Sweden1–01–2Euro 1968 qualifying
312 November 1967Estádio das Antas, Porto, Portugal Norway2–12–1Euro 1968 qualifying
42 July 1972Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Uruguay1–11–1Brazilian Independence Cup

Death

On 28 February 2012, Graça died at the Lusíadas Hospital in Lisbon after a long battle with illness. He was 70 years old.[8]

Honours

Club

Setúbal

Benfica

International

Portugal

References
  1. Sequeira, Pedro (6 October 2008). "Década de 60: V. Setúbal mostra garras" [60s: V. Setúbal show their claws]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  2. Escobar de Lima, Filipe (29 February 2012). "Jaime Graça, o sexto elemento de luxo do Benfica" [Jaime Graça, Benfica's sixth deluxe element]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  3. "O adeus a Wembley: as duas finais perdidas pelo Benfica" [Farewell to Wembley: Benfica's two lost finals] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 30 September 2002. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  4. M., Craig (10 April 2013). "A Misfortune Never Comes Alone – Benfica 1967, Part One". Beyond The Last Man. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  5. Paixão, Paulo; Castanheira, José Pedro (13 July 2016). "A lenda dos Magriços começou há 50 anos" [The legend of the Magriços started 50 years ago]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  6. "Morreu o antigo jogador do Benfica Jaime Graça" [Death of former Benfica player Jaime Graça]. i (in Portuguese). 28 February 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  7. "Jaime Graça". European Football. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  8. "Morreu Jaime Graça" [Jaime Graça died]. Record (in Portuguese). 28 February 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  9. "Especial 'Tetra'" ['Tetra' special edition]. Mística (in Portuguese). No. 33. Portugal: Impresa Publishing. April–June 2017. p. 78. ISSN 3846-0823.
  10. "Bicampeões para a história" [Back-to-back champions for the ages]. Visão (in Portuguese). Portugal: Impresa]] Publishing. May 2015. p. 48. ISSN 0872-3540.
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