.jpg) Coluna in 1969 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mário Esteves Coluna | ||
| Date of birth | 6 August 1935 | ||
| Place of birth | Inhaca, Mozambique | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 71⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Albasini | |||
| Ferroviário | |||
| 1951–1954 | Desportivo Lourenço Marques | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1954–1970 | Benfica | 525 | (127) |
| 1970–1971 | Lyon | 19 | (2) |
| 1971–1972 | Estrela Portalegre | ||
| Total | 383 | (91) | |
| National team | |||
| 1955–1968 | Portugal | 57 | (8) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Club career[edit]
Born in Inhaca, Portuguese Mozambique to a Portuguese father and a Mozambican mother, Coluna was spotted by S.L. Benfica while playing forDesportivo de Lourenço Marques, where he excelled at basketball and track and field.[2] Signed by the Lisbon and national giants in 1954 he started playing as an inside forward, scoring a career-best 14 goals in 26 games inhis first season in Portugal and winning the first of his national championships; subsequently he was successfully reconverted as a central or attacking midfielder by manager Otto Glória, where he put to good use his stamina and strength, adding to this an accurate and powerful long-distance and technical skills.[1]
From 1963 to 1970, Coluna was the Reds' captain. Already at the service ofOlympique Lyonnais he was awarded a testimonial match by his main club on 8 December 1970, playing against a UEFA selection that featured the likes ofJohan Cruyff, Dragan Džajić, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, Luis Suárez or Uwe Seeler.[1] He retired professionally at the age of 35, after one sole campaignwith the French side – he still spent one year with amateurs Sport Clube Estrela from Portalegre, acting as player-coach.
Coluna scored in both European Cup finals won by Benfica: in 1961 he beatFC Barcelona's Antoni Ramallets from long range, in a 3–2 win in Bern. The following year, against fellow Spaniards Real Madrid, he netted the 3–3 equalizer and, subsequently, was supposed to take the penalty that resulted in the 4–3 lead (eventual 5–3 triumph), when youngsterEusébio politely asked if he could shoot it instead.[2][3]
International career[edit]
Coluna gained 57 caps for the Portuguese national team, scoring eight goals. His first appearance was in a friendly match withScotland on 4 May 1955 (0–3 loss), and his last on 11 December 1968, in a 2–4 defeat in Greece for the 1970 FIFA World Cupqualifiers.
Coluna captained the Magriços side in all except one of the games during the third-place campaign at the 1966 World Cup, in England.[2]
Honours[edit]
Club[edit]
- European Cup: 1960–61, 1961–62; Runner-up 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68
- Primeira Liga: 1954–55, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69
- Taça de Portugal: 1954–55, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70; Runner-up 1957–58, 1964–65
Country[edit]
- FIFA World Cup: Third-place 1966
Individual[edit]
- FIFA World Cup: All-Star Team 1966
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