Manuel António

Manuel António Leitão da Silva (born 29 January 1946), known as Manuel António, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a striker.

Manuel António
Personal information
Full name Manuel António Leitão da Silva
Date of birth (1946-01-29) 29 January 1946
Place of birth Santo Tirso, Portugal
Playing position(s) Striker
Youth career
1961–1963 Tirsense
1963–1964 Académica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1964–1965 Académica 26 (20)
1965–1968 Porto 44 (30)
1968–1977 Académica 206 (83)
1977–1978 União Leiria
Total 276 (133)
National team
1969 Portugal 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 247 matches and 110 goals over 12 seasons, with Académica (two spells) and Porto.

Club career

Manuel António was born in Santo Tirso, Porto District. During his 14-year professional career, he played almost exclusively for two teams; having started out at Académica de Coimbra, his excellent performances earned him a transfer – at only 19 – to FC Porto, where he appeared sparingly over three years (still managing to score regularly).[1]

In 1968, Manuel António returned to Académica, being crowned the Primeira Liga's top scorer in the first season in his second spell, with the Students finishing in sixth place.[2] He all but saw out his career eight years later at the same club, still having a further four campaigns in double digits.

International career

Manuel António won four caps for Portugal in eight months, his debut coming on 6 April 1969 in a 0–0 friendly draw against Mexico.

Later life

After retiring, Manuel António majored in medicine, being in charge of Coimbra's Portuguese Institute of Oncology for several years.[1]

References
  1. ""Tive convites de Benfica, Sporting e FC Porto"" [“I had offers from Benfica, Sporting and FC Porto”] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. Claro, Paulo; Preston, Simon; Nunes, João; Di Maggio, Roberto. "Portugal – List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
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