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Rui Jordão facts for kids

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Rui Jordão
Rui Jordão (1972).jpg
Jordão in 1972
Personal information
Full name Rui Manuel Trindade Jordão
Date of birth (1952-08-09)9 August 1952
Place of birth Benguela, Angola
Date of death 18 October 2019(2019-10-18) (aged 67)
Place of death Cascais, Portugal
Height 1.79 m
Playing position Striker
Youth career
Sporting Benguela
1970–1971 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1976 Benfica 90 (63)
1976–1977 Zaragoza 33 (14)
1977–1987 Sporting CP 207 (137)
1987–1989 Vitória Setúbal 60 (12)
Total 390 (226)
National team
1971 Portugal U18 7 (1)
1973 Portugal U21 2 (0)
1972–1989 Portugal 43 (15)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European Championship
Bronze 1984 France
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Rui Manuel Trindade Jordão (born August 9, 1952 – died October 18, 2019) was a famous Portuguese football player. He was known as a fantastic striker, which means he was great at scoring goals.

Rui Jordão played most of his professional career for two of Portugal's biggest football clubs: Benfica and Sporting CP. He was one of the best goal scorers in Portuguese football history. He even won the "Silver Ball" award twice, once with each team.

Jordão also played for the Portugal national team for 17 years. He represented his country in the Euro 1984 tournament.

Rui Jordão's Club Journey

Rui Jordão was born in Benguela, which was then part of Portuguese Angola. When he was a teenager, he moved to Portugal. He started his professional football career with S.L. Benfica in the 1971–72 season.

Playing for Benfica

In his first season with Benfica, he played 18 games and scored seven goals. In his second season, he helped the team win the Primeira Liga title. Benfica was very strong during these years, winning two league titles in a row. They only lost one match over these two seasons! Jordão helped them win four league titles in total.

Time in Spain and Return to Portugal

In 1976, Jordão moved to Spain to play for Real Zaragoza. He scored goals regularly there, but his team was unfortunately moved down to a lower league. After just one year in Spain, he returned to Portugal. He then joined Sporting CP, another big club.

Success with Sporting CP

Rui Jordão had his best years playing for Sporting CP. He scored more than ten goals in six of his first seven seasons with the team. He scored a total of 57 goals when Sporting won the league in 1980 and 1982. He also helped them win the Portuguese Cup twice.

Final Club and Retirement

When he was 35 years old, Jordão moved to Vitória de Setúbal. He played there for two more years. He finished his amazing career having scored 212 goals in Portugal's top football division.

Rui Jordão's International Career

Rui Jordão first played for the Portugal national team in early 1972. This was against Cyprus in a qualifying game for the 1974 FIFA World Cup. He played a total of 43 games for his country.

Euro 1984 Heroics

One of his most famous moments was on November 13, 1983. He scored the winning goal against the Soviet Union in Lisbon. This important goal helped Portugal qualify for UEFA Euro 1984.

In the Euro 1984 tournament, Portugal reached the semi-finals. They played against the host country, France, in Marseille. Jordão scored two goals in this exciting match! Portugal was even leading 2-1 in extra time with only six minutes left. However, France came back and won 3-2. Even though Portugal lost, Jordão's performance was unforgettable.

He played his last international game in 1989, the same year he retired from club football.

Life After Football

After retiring from football, Rui Jordão chose a different path. He moved away from the world of sports and became a talented painter and sculptor.

He passed away on October 18, 2019, at the age of 67. He had been in the hospital due to heart problems in Cascais, Portugal. Fernando Gomes, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, said that Jordão was "peerless," meaning he was truly unique and had no equal.

Rui Jordão's Achievements

Rui Jordão won many awards and titles during his football career.

Benfica

Sporting CP

  • Primeira Liga: 1979–80, 1981–82
  • Taça de Portugal: 1977–78, 1981–82
  • Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1982

Individual Awards

  • Bola de Prata (Top Scorer Award): 1975–76, 1979–80
  • Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 1980

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Rui Jordão para niños

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