 Pinto in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Manuel Vieira Pinto[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1971-08-19)19 August 1971 (age 54)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Porto, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bairro do Falcão | |||
| 1982–1983 | Águias da Areosa | ||
| 1983–1988 | Boavista | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1989 | Boavista | 17 | (3) |
| 1990–1991 | Atlético Madrileño | 30 | (9) |
| 1991–1992 | Boavista | 34 | (8) |
| 1992–2000 | Benfica | 220 | (64) |
| 2000–2004 | Sporting CP | 115 | (28) |
| 2004–2006 | Boavista | 57 | (11) |
| 2006–2008 | Braga | 33 | (3) |
| Total | 506 | (126) | |
| International career | |||
| 1987–1988 | Portugal U16 | 15 | (5) |
| 1988–1989 | Portugal U18 | 22 | (11) |
| 1989–1991 | Portugal U20 | 18 | (3) |
| 1991–1994 | Portugal U21 | 15 | (3) |
| 1991–2002 | Portugal | 81 | (23) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
João Manuel Vieira PintoCvIH (Portuguese pronunciation:[ʒuˈɐ̃wˈpĩtu,ˈʒwɐ̃w-]; born 19 August 1971) is a Portuguese retired professionalfootballer who played mostly as aforward.
Blessed withplaymaking and goalscoring ability, he made his name mostly at a domestic level and as a key figure in thePortuguese national team's "Golden Generation",[2] collecting 151 caps and scoring 45 goals across all levels (81/23 for the senior team alone) and representing the country at the2002 World Cup and twoEuropean Championships.
At the club level, Pinto started his career withBoavista, but it was mainly associated with two ofthe biggest clubs in the country,Benfica andSporting CP, with which he won onePrimeira Liga each for a total of six major titles. Over 19 top-division seasons, he played 476 matches and netted 117 goals.
As a youth, Pinto played for Bairro do Falcão (where he was born, inCampanhã,Porto's east side) and Águias da Areosa FC, finishing his development atBoavista F.C. after joining its academy as a 12-year-old. Early on, he impressed with his speed and ball control,[3] and was subsequently one of the brightest stars in Portugal's wins in theFIFA U-20 World Cup inRiyadh andLisbon, being one of three players ever to have been on the winning side in this competition twice along withgoalkeeperFernando Brassard (whom however did not play in thefirst tournament) and ArgentinianSergio Agüero.[4][5][6] Additionally, he made hisPrimeira Liga debut at only 17.[7]
Pinto's performance in the first youth competition earned him a transfer toAtlético Madrid in 1990, but he was placed instead with thereserve team.[8] After a forgettable season he rejoined Boavista, appeared in every match, scored eight goals and won theTaça de Portugal, in a final againstcity rivalsFC Porto.[9][7] Shortly after, he signed forS.L. Benfica.[10][3]
Whilst with Benfica, Pinto's career was threatened in late 1992 by acollapsed lung during an international match forPortugal inScotland for the1994 FIFA World Cupqualifiers,[11] eventually recovering but being unable to help his team win the title. However, thenext season, he played arguably his best football there, his best moment coming in theLisbon derby againstSporting CP, where he scored three goals and was on the play of the remaining three in a 6–3 win at theEstádio José Alvalade; this result proved to be decisive for the club's clinching of the 1994 national championship.[12][11]
Dubbed "The Golden Boy", Pinto woncaptaincy from veteranAntónio Veloso after the latter's retirement in 1995, but was unable to win a national title again.[13] Following a wage dispute with presidentJoão Vale e Azevedo,[14] he was released from contract weeks before theUEFA Euro 2000 (making him the onlyfree agent in the competition),[15] where he helped the national team reach the semi-finals after scoring eight goals during thequalifying stage, netting through aheader againstEngland in a 3–2 comeback win in the group stage on 13 June 2000;[16][17] he was also selected for theEuro 1996 tournament.[18][19]
Subsequently, Pinto had several offers from abroad, eventually agreeing to a four-year deal at Sporting.[20] After a relatively poor season in2000–01, theLions acquired four-timePortuguese Golden Boot winnerMário Jardel, and Pinto returned to his golden years in a magnificent run which ended with the claiming ofhis second title;[21] named the "father of the team" by the Brazilian, took part in all but one game and scored nine goals.[22][7]
Although a highly talented player, Pinto was also known for a series ofred cards for aggression and bad tackles. His feud with Porto player and national teammatePaulinho Santos lasted for years, and both would be frequently ejected after hitting each other;[23] he also stirred some controversy when he assaulted a fireman in the league fixture atRio Ave F.C. on 20 September 1997.[24]
The lowest point, however, was when Pinto hit Argentine refereeÁngel Sánchez who had sent him off after a bad tackle early into the 1–0 loss to hostsSouth Korea in the third group game of the2002 World Cup.[25] He was suspended for six months.[26]
Pinto ended his Portugal career with 81 caps and 23 goals.[27] Never recovering fully from the World Cup incident, he failed to impress in the following seasons, when Sporting failed to reach the top two spots, and in 2004 he was released from contract, returning to Boavista. Although he was close to signing withAl-Hilal FC ofSaudi Arabia in the Januarytransfer window, he remained with his first professional club.[28]
After asecond season carrying Boavista's squad (who almostqualified for theUEFA Cup, with him scoring nine league goals and receiving numerousPlayer of the match awards),[29][30][7] Pinto accepted the invitation ofS.C. Braga's board in July 2006,[31] signing for one year. He netted twice in 24 appearances in an eventual fourth-place finish for theMinho side, and renewed his link for the2007–08 campaign;[32] however, during February 2008, he trained withToronto FC ofMajor League Soccer and, later that month, announced the termination of his contract at Braga,[33] retiring shortly after aged 36.[11]
Subsequently, Pinto worked with thePortuguese Football Federation in directorial capacities.[34][35][36]
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Still in his teens, Pinto had two children from his first marriage to Carla Baía;[37][11] the elder,Tiago, first played professionally withC.D. Olivais e Moscavide.[38] In 2008 he married television presenter Marisa Cruz, with the couple divorcing five years later.[37]
Pinto's younger brother,Sérgio, was also a footballer, having competed almost exclusively in the lower leagues of Portugal and one year in England.[39]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boavista | 1988–89 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1989–90 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 5 | |
| Total | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 5 | |
| Atlético Madrid B | 1990–91 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boavista | 1991–92 | 34 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 8 |
| Benfica | 1992–93 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 9 |
| 1993–94 | 34 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 44 | 18 | |
| 1994–95 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 36 | 6 | |
| 1995–96 | 31 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 42 | 23 | |
| 1996–97 | 28 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 40 | 16 | |
| 1997–98 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 7 | |
| 1998–99 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 7 | |
| 1999–2000 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| Total | 220 | 64 | 30 | 14 | 44 | 11 | 294 | 89 | |
| Sporting CP | 2000–01 | 31 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 7 |
| 2001–02 | 33 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 44 | 12 | |
| 2002–03 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 8 | |
| 2003–04 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 5 | |
| Total | 115 | 28 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 142 | 32 | |
| Boavista | 2004–05 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 |
| 2005–06 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 10 | |
| Total | 57 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 13 | |
| Braga | 2006–07 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 |
| 2007–08 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3 | |
| Career total | 476 | 117 | 56 | 20 | 75 | 15 | 605 | 152 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 November 1991 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal |  Greece | 1–0 | 1–0 | Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 2 | 19 June 1993 | Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal |  Malta | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1994 World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 13 October 1993 | Estádio das Antas, Porto, Portugal |  Switzerland | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1994 World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 9 October 1994 | Daugava Stadium (Riga), Riga, Latvia |  Latvia | 1–1 | 3–1 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 5 | 9 October 1994 | Daugava Stadium (Riga), Riga, Latvia | Latvia | 2–0 | 3–1 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 6 | 18 December 1994 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal |  Liechtenstein | 4–0 | 8–0 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 7 | 19 June 1996 | City Ground, Nottingham, England |  Croatia | 2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 |
| 8 | 5 October 1996 | Olimpiysky National Sports Complex, Kyiv, Ukraine |  Ukraine | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 7 June 1997 | Estádio das Antas, Porto, Portugal |  Albania | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 14 October 1998 | Štadión Pasienky, Bratislava, Slovakia |  Slovakia | 1–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 11 | 14 October 1998 | Štadión Pasienky, Bratislava, Slovakia | Slovakia | 2–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 12 | 26 March 1999 | Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal |  Azerbaijan | 2–0 | 7–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 13 | 26 March 1999 | Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal | Azerbaijan | 5–0 | 7–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 14 | 9 June 1999 | Estádio Municipal de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal | Liechtenstein | 2–0 | 8–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 15 | 9 June 1999 | Estádio Municipal de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal | Liechtenstein | 5–0 | 8–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 16 | 9 June 1999 | Estádio Municipal de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal | Liechtenstein | 6–0 | 8–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 17 | 18 August 1999 | Estádio Nacional, Lisbon, Portugal |  Andorra | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 18 | 9 October 1999 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal |  Hungary | 2–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 19 | 12 June 2000 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands |  England | 2–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 |
| 20 | 16 August 2000 | Estádio do Fontelo, Viseu, Portugal |  Lithuania | 1–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 21 | 6 June 2001 | Estádio José Alvalade (1956), Lisbon, Portugal |  Cyprus | 5–0 | 6–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 6 June 2001 | Estádio José Alvalade (1956), Lisbon, Portugal | Cyprus | 6–0 | 6–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
| 23 | 6 October 2001 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal |  Estonia | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
Boavista
Benfica
Sporting CP
Portugal
Individual
Portugal squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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