| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1898 | ||
| Place of birth | England | ||
| Date of death | 31 March 1972 (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1923–1929 | Vitória Setúbal | ||
| 1929–1931 | Benfica | ||
| 1931–1933 | Sporting CP | ||
Arthur "Artur"John (1898 – 31 March 1972) was an Englishfootball manager who managedVitória de Setúbal,Benfica andSporting CP in Portugal.
He was an unusual manager because he acted as amassage therapist and massaged his players when they approached the bench for instructions. He was convinced that theplayer-manager role should not exist, saying, "You either coach or play".[1]
Born in England, John career as manager started inVitória de Setúbal, managing them forsix seasons, winning twoCampeonato de Lisboa, two newly createdCampeonato de Setúbal and finish runners-up in the 1926–27Campeonato de Portugal.[citation needed]
That success led him to bigger clubs, so in 1929, John became the first foreign manager of Benfica.[2] In his two seasons he spent there, John led the club to their first national title, winning the Campeonato de Portugal againstBarreirense on 1 June 1930, putting an end to a 10-year title drought[3] He successfully defend this conquest in the following year, beatingPorto by three-nill on 28 June 1931.[4]
John was then signed bySporting CP, which offered him 16contos to move.[5] He did not have as much success there, and was replaced in May 1933 byRudolf Jeny.[citation needed] He was the last manager to directly move from Benfica to Sporting untilJorge Jesus did it 84 years later.[5] He died in Lisbon on 31 March 1972, at age 74, and was buried in Cemetery of Ajuda.[6]
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||||
| Benfica[7] | 20 October 1929 | 28 June 1931 | 46 | 28 | 6 | 12 | 60.87 | |||
| Sporting | 13 December 1931 | 17 May 1933 | 35 | 22 | 4 | 9 | 62.86 | |||
Vitória Setúbal
Benfica
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