Artur Pinga

Pinga
Personal information
Full name Artur de Sousa
Date of birth (1909-07-30)30 July 1909
Place of birth Funchal, Portugal
Date of death 12 July 1963(1963-07-12) (aged 53)
Place of death Porto, Portugal
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Marítimo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1929–1930 Marítimo 2 (0)
1930–1946 Porto 221 (146)
International career
1930–1942 Portugal 21 (9)
Managerial career
1948–1949 Tirsense
1949–1950 Porto
Sanjoanense
Gouveia
0000–1963 Porto youth team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Artur de Sousa, known by his nickname Pinga (July 30, 1909 – July 12, 1963) was a Portuguese footballer and later coach who made his name at FC Porto, where he served until his death in 1963.[1]

Playing career

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Pinga played as forward or inside left and achieved nationwide fame at CS Marítimo. In 1930 he earned his first call-up to the national team, and in the same year joined FC Porto, and became the key player of the victories in the Campeonato de Portugal (the predecessor to the Cup of Portugal), in 1931/32 and 1936/37. He was still a playing for Porto when the forerunner of the current Primeira Liga was established, where he was champion in the first two years of the competition, in 1938/39 and 1939/40.

He retired in 1946 after a meniscus surgery, when such operations still carried many risks. During his career he was considered the best national player ever, scoring 394 goals in 400 games. He only played for two clubs, Marítimo and FC Porto.

International career

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He was capped 21 times for Portugal, scoring 9 goals over 12 years (1930–1942).[2] On 5 May 1935, Pinga scored two late goals against Spain to complete an iconic comeback, from 3-0 down up to 3-3.[3] On 16 March 1941, he scored his last international goal against Spain in a 5-1 loss.

Coaching career

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In his first season as a football manager, he caused a massive upset when Tirsense knocked out Sporting in the Portuguese Cup. He then managed Sanjoanense and Gouveia before returning to FC Porto as assistant manager.

He died in 1963, while serving as a youth team coach in Porto.

Legacy

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He was idolized by José Maria Pedroto, who would become another major star in the Porto side. Both had their name suggested to the Estádio do Dragão. One of the most important sportsmen born in the Madeira Islands (some say his legacy lives on modern star Cristiano Ronaldo), he has a street named after him in his hometown Funchal.

International goals

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Portugal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Pinga goal.
List of international goals scored by Pinga[4]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 31 May 1931 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon, Portugal  Belgium 3–2 3–2 Friendly
2. 3 May 1932 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon, Portugal  Yugoslavia 1–0 3–2
3. 29 January 1933 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon, Portugal  Hungary 1–0 1–0
4. 5 May 1935 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon, Portugal  Spain 2–3 3–3
5 3–3
6. 28 November 1937 Estadio Municipal de Balaídos, Vigo, Spain  Spain Nationalist 1-0 2–1
7. 30 January 1938 Campo das Salésias, Lisbon, Portugal  Spain Nationalist 1–0 1–0
8. 24 April 1938 Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany  Germany 1–0 1–1
9. 16 March 1941 San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Spain  Spain 1-3 1–5

Honours

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Club

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Porto

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ Dias, Rui (8 June 2001). "Pinga foi o primeiro génio eterno da história do FC Porto" [Pinga was the first eternal genius in the history of FC Porto] (in Portuguese). Record. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  2. ^ Pierrend, José Luis. "Portugal - Record International Playersdate=28 May 2009". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  3. ^ "Portugal vs Spain international football match report". EU-football. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  4. ^ "National football team player Pinga". EU-football.info. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
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