Costa Pereira facts for kids
Costa Pereira (right) holding Benfica's second European Cup after the final on 2 May 1962
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alberto da Costa Pereira | ||
| Date of birth | 22 December 1929 | ||
| Place of birth | Nacala, Mozambique | ||
| Date of death | 25 October 1990 (aged 60) | ||
| Place of death | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.88 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sporting Lourenço Marques | |||
| Instituto Portugal | |||
| Mocidade Portuguesa | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1951–1954 | Ferroviário | ||
| 1954–1967 | Benfica | 253 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1955–1965 | Portugal | 22 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1968–1969 | CUF | ||
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Alberto da Costa Pereira (born December 22, 1929 – died October 25, 1990) was a famous Portuguese football player. He was a talented goalkeeper.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Costa Pereira was born in Nacala, which was then part of Portuguese Mozambique. He started playing football there. A big Portuguese club, S.L. Benfica, noticed his skills while he was playing for a local team.
Joining Benfica
In 1954, Costa Pereira joined Benfica. He quickly became their main goalkeeper. In his very first season, he played 26 games and helped Benfica win the Primeira Liga championship. This was the first of seven league titles he would win with the club!
European Success
Costa Pereira was a key player when Benfica won the European Cup twice in a row, in 1961 and 1962. This was a huge achievement for the club. He also played in two more European Cup finals, in 1963 and 1965, but his team lost those matches.
In the 1965 final against Inter Milan, a shot slipped past him, leading to the only goal of the game. He also got injured during that match. Back then, teams couldn't easily bring in a new player (a substitute) if someone got hurt. So, a defender had to take his place in goal, and Benfica played with only ten players for a long time.
Retirement and Coaching
Costa Pereira stopped playing football in June 1967 when he was 37 years old. He had played in 358 official games for Benfica, which is a lot! After retiring as a player, he briefly worked as a manager for another club, G.D. CUF, in the 1968–69 season.
Playing for Portugal
Costa Pereira also played for the Portuguese national team 22 times. His first game for Portugal was on May 22, 1955, against England. Portugal won that game 3–1.
He helped Portugal start their successful journey to qualify for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. However, he wasn't chosen to play in the World Cup tournament itself. Even without him, the Portuguese team did very well, finishing in third place.
Later Life
Costa Pereira passed away in Lisbon, Portugal, on October 25, 1990. He was 60 years old.
Honours and Achievements
Costa Pereira won many important trophies during his career, especially with Benfica.
Benfica
- Primeira Liga (Portuguese League): 7 times (1954–55, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67)
- Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup): 5 times (1954–55, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1963–64)
- Taça de Honra (Lisbon FA Cup): 1 time
- European Cup: 2 times (1960–61, 1961–62)
- Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 2 times (1961, 1962)
Individual Awards
- World Soccer World XI: 1965 (This means he was chosen as one of the best players in the world by a famous football magazine in 1965!)
