| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Alexandre Fortes Alhinho | ||
| Date of birth | (1949-01-10)10 January 1949 | ||
| Place of birth | São Vicente, Cape Verde | ||
| Date of death | 31 May 2008(2008-05-31) (aged 59) | ||
| Place of death | Benguela, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1963–1965 | Académica Mindelo | ||
| 1965–1968 | Académica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1972 | Académica | 95 | (3) |
| 1972–1975 | Sporting CP | 77 | (2) |
| 1975 | Betis | 0 | (0) |
| 1976 | Porto | 19 | (0) |
| 1976 | Benfica | 22 | (2) |
| 1977–1978 | Molenbeek | 19 | (1) |
| 1978–1981 | Benfica | 52 | (0) |
| 1979 | →New England Tea Men (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 1981–1983 | Portimonense | 51 | (9) |
| 1983–1984 | Farense | 21 | (0) |
| Total | 372 | (18) | |
| International career | |||
| 1973–1982 | Portugal | 15 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1984–1985 | Lusitano Évora | ||
| 1985–1986 | Cape Verde | ||
| 1986–1989 | Académico Viseu | ||
| 1989–1990 | Penafiel | ||
| 1990–1991 | Portimonense | ||
| 1991–1992 | Académico Viseu | ||
| 1994–1996 | Angola | ||
| 1996–1997 | FAR Rabat | ||
| 1998–2000 | Atlético Aviação | ||
| 2000 | Angola | ||
| 2001–2002 | Badajoz | ||
| 2002–2003 | Al Ahli | ||
| 2003–2004 | Al Gharafa | ||
| 2004–2005 | Qatar SC | ||
| 2005–2006 | Al-Muharraq | ||
| 2006 | Petro Atlético | ||
| 2007 | Al-Qadsiah | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Carlos Alexandre Fortes Alhinho (10 January 1949 – 31 May 2008) was a Portuguese professionalfootballcentral defender and manager.
He was one of the few players in his generation to have played for theBig Three in Portugal –Sporting,Benfica andPorto.[1] Over 15 seasons, he amassedPrimeira Liga totals of 337 matches and 17 goals.
Prior to his death in 2008, Alhinho worked as a coach for more than 20 years, in numerous clubs and countries.
Born inSão Vicente, Cape Verde, Alhinho moved toPortugal shortly after. He made his professional debut withAcadémica de Coimbra in the1968–69 season after having joined its youth system at the age of 16 fromAcadémica do Mindelo, appearing in 14 matches as the team finished in sixth position in thePrimeira Liga.[2]
After three further seasons inCoimbra, Alhinho signed forSporting CP, winning his first national championship in1973–74 and never missing a game in two of his three seasons. In 1975 he moved toLa Liga sideReal Betis but, unsettled,[3] returned to his country of adoption a mere months after, joiningFC Porto.[4]
In the next five years, Alhinho would be mainly linked contractually toS.L. Benfica, winning another league in1976–77. During his tenure, however, he also played in Belgium withR.W.D. Molenbeek[5]– rejoining his former club after one season – and in theNorth American Soccer League for theNew England Tea Men, loaned.
Aged 33, Alhinho left Benfica, played three more years in the Portuguese top flight, withPortimonense S.C. andS.C. Farense (without ever suffering relegation) and retired from football. He immediately started coaching, with modestLusitano GC; in the following 22 years he managed teams in Portugal (two in the top division),Morocco,Angola,Qatar,Bahrain andSaudi Arabia.
Alhinho representedPortugal internationally, earning 15caps over a period of nine years. His debut came on 28 March 1973 in a 1–1 draw withNorthern Ireland for the1974 FIFA World Cupqualifiers, and his last game happened on 5 May 1982 in a 1–3friendly loss withBrazil.
In one of his first coaching jobs, in 1985, Alhinho managed theCape Verdean national team,[6] working withAngola nine years later and again in 2000.[7]
On 31 May 2008, Alhinho opened the doors of theelevator on the sixth floor of his hotel inBenguela and stepped in, only to find the carriage was not there but on the ground floor. He plunged five floors onto the top of the cabin and, despite receiving immediate medical attention, died shortly afterwards at the age of 59.[8]
