Fernando Cabrita facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fernando da Silva Cabrita | ||
| Date of birth | 1 May 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Portugal | ||
| Date of death | 22 September 2014 (aged 91) | ||
| Place of death | Loures, Portugal | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1940–1942 | Esperança Lagos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1942–1951 | Olhanense | 170 | (82) |
| 1951–1953 | Angers | 56 | (5) |
| 1953–1957 | Covilhã | 125 | (6) |
| 1959–1960 | Portimonense (player-coach) | ||
| Total | 351 | (93) | |
| International career | |||
| 1945–1957 | Portugal | 7 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1954–1958 | Unhais Serra | ||
| 1959–1960 | Portimonense | ||
| 1967–1968 | Benfica (caretaker) | ||
| 1970–1972 | União Tomar | ||
| 1973–1974 | Benfica | ||
| 1977–1979 | Beira-Mar | ||
| 1980 | Rio Ave | ||
| 1981 | Rio Ave | ||
| 1981–1982 | Académico Viseu | ||
| 1983–1984 | Portugal | ||
| 1985–1986 | Penafiel | ||
| 1986–1987 | Estrela Amadora | ||
| 1987–1988 | Raja Casablanca | ||
| 1988–1989 | Académico Viseu | ||
| 1990–1991 | Raja Casablanca | ||
| 1992 | Esperança Lagos | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Fernando da Silva Cabrita (born May 1, 1923 – died September 22, 2014) was a well-known Portuguese football player and coach. He played as a forward, which means he was an attacking player whose main job was to score goals.
Fernando Cabrita spent 14 seasons playing in Portugal's top football league, the Primeira Liga. During this time, he played 295 games and scored 88 goals for clubs like Olhanense and Sporting da Covilhã. After his playing career, he became a football coach for over twenty years. He coached famous teams like Benfica and even the Portuguese national team.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Fernando Cabrita was born in Lagos, a city in the Algarve region of Portugal. He played football for 18 years as a professional. Most of his career, 14 years, was spent in Portugal's top division.
Early Club Years
He started his senior career at S.C. Olhanense. In the 1943–44 season, he had an amazing year, scoring 20 goals in just 18 games. This helped his team finish in fifth place out of ten clubs.
Later Clubs and Retirement
Cabrita also played for Angers SCO in France, which was in their second division. Later, he returned to Portugal to play for S.C. Covilhã and Portimonense S.C.. He retired from playing football in 1960 when he was 37 years old.
International Matches for Portugal
Fernando Cabrita played for the Portuguese national team seven times over twelve years. Each time a player plays for their country, it's called earning a "cap."
First Games and Goal
His first game for Portugal was on March 11, 1945. It was a friendly match against Spain, and it ended in a 2–2 draw. He scored his only goal for the national team in his very next game. This was on April 2, 1950, against Spain again, but Portugal lost 1–5. This game was part of the qualifiers for the 1950 FIFA World Cup.
Coaching Career
Fernando Cabrita started coaching even before he stopped playing, beginning with Portimonense in 1959.
Coaching Top Clubs
His first full-time coaching job at a professional level was during the 1967–68 season. He became the temporary coach for S.L. Benfica, one of Portugal's biggest clubs. He successfully led them to win the national championship that season before another coach, Otto Glória, took over. He also coached other teams in the Portuguese top league, including U.F.C.I. Tomar, S.C. Beira-Mar, Rio Ave FC, Académico de Viseu FC, and F.C. Penafiel.
Coaching the National Team
In 1983, Cabrita became the manager of the Portuguese national team after Otto Glória resigned. He worked with three other coaches – José Augusto, António Morais, and Toni. Together, they led Portugal to the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 1984 tournament. They played against France and lost a very close game 2–3 in extra time.
Later Life and Passing
Fernando Cabrita passed away on September 22, 2014. He was 91 years old. He died due to breathing problems at the Hospital Beatriz Ângelo in Loures, near Lisbon.
Achievements and Awards
Fernando Cabrita achieved several important things during his career as both a player and a coach.
Team Honours
Raja Casablanca
- Botola: 1988 (This is the top football league in Morocco, which his team won.)
Special Recognition
Orders
Commander of the Order of Prince Henry (This is a special award given by Portugal to people who have done great things for the country, especially in spreading Portuguese culture.)
