Mário Coluna

Mário Coluna (1969 )

Mário Esteves Coluna ( born August 6 1935 on Inhaca (Maputo ), Mozambique, † February 25, 2014 ) was a Portuguese football player, who has won ten national championships with Benfica as well as 1961 and 1962 the European Cup of Champions. In 1966, he was with the national team at the World Cup 1966 in England by third parties. In Lisbon, he was known as o Monstro Sagrado, " the sacred monster ". Brazilian journalists called him respectfully Portuguese Didi.

Career

Clubs, 1945-1970

Mário Culuna, son of a Portuguese father and a Mozambican mother was in a poor family on the City Lourenço Marques (now Maputo, the capital of independent Mozambique ) offshore island of Inhaca born and grew up in Alto - Maé district. Sports enthusiast Coluna hoped perhaps to become an auto mechanic. He joined in 1951 Desportivo Lourenço Marques, a top club of the city which was co-founded by his father and where these also acted as a goalkeeper. He also tried his hand as a basketball player, but did not have the reserve team out. He was more successful as an athlete, where he set a national record in the high jump with 1.82 meters. 1952 Desportivo won the championship of the district of Maputo, which was the highest attainable degree in the absence of a provincial championship. Mário Culuna developed in the following years to an outstanding footballer and aroused the interest of FC Porto. Sporting Lisbon doubled the offer, but Culuna finally changed in 1954 to SL Benfica, which is probably also the desire of the Father and of the fact that Desportivo was associated with the club owed ​​.

At the same time came up with goalkeeper Alberto da Costa Pereira from Lourenço Marques club Ferroviário another player from Mozambique to Benfica and Brazil came from coach Otto Glória Atlético Mineiro. This led not only the 4-2 -4 system, but also professionalized the structures of the society. With Mário Coluna the new coach was an ideal man for the link between defense and attack and also Pereira sat down immediately and was carried to 1967 in Benfica's goal. Together with José Águas scorer succeeded already in 1954/55 the first championship after four years break and the victory in the Cup. The recognition of the personal performance of the young 19 -year-old midfielder has been well documented with the first appeal on May 4, 1955 in the Portuguese national football team during the international match against Scotland in Glasgow. In 1957, the second double success with Benfica and 1959, the third Cup success followed. However, the first appearance in the European Cup of Champions in 1957/58 ended in the first round against the Spanish champions FC Sevilla vice. Coluna played as center forward Águas and Left Wing Cavém both games against the Andalusians, lost in Sevilla with 1:3 goals and 0-0 on 26 September 1957 in Lisbon could not be made ​​up for the first leg defeat.

As Béla Guttmann coach Glória replaced for season 1959/60 and two other above-average players came with right winger José Augusto and the central defender Germano to Benfica, celebrated Mário Coluna 1960 his third championship in Portugal. The success in the European Cup 1960/61 by Benfica presented then but still a surprising its total, the handlebars ten championships and seven times won the focal point of the building game of Benfica, in the middle, in the years 1955 to 1969 Cup in Portugal. In 1964 Coluna was voted Portugal's player of the year and the man from Mozambique occupies the second place among Portugal century footballers.

At the conclusion of his playing career Mário Coluna spent the 1970/71 season at Olympique Lyon, where he played 19 games in the French Division 1, in which he scored two goals. The now 35 -year-old Coluna enthusiastic still with its inherent brilliance, but was no longer physically on the height. Also the music lovers spent for the taste of some of too many late nights in the Hot Club Jazzauf the Place Carnot. Opponent as Fleury Di Nallo and the emerging Serge Chiesa, he was able to prevail less visibly. So he was not in the list of Cup final of 1971, the 0-1 lost against Stade Rennais UC.

It was planned that he still spends another season at Lyon, but they then broke up but soon. So he pulled over the 1971/72 season in the Portuguese third division side SC Estrela Portalegre near the Spanish border from Narciso coach and was active until end of season as player-coach. He brought his longtime teammate Humberto Fernandes and five youth players of Benfica about the club. At the end Estrela was 13th of 16 teams and dismounted in the district leagues.

Five runners-up in the European Cup of Champions, 1961-1968

In the European Cup rounds 1958/59 and 1959/60, the Portuguese representative Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto were eliminated in the first round or in the qualification. Therefore, the two successes against the Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian in the national champion competition 1960/61, had come from Benfica in the first round in the underdog role into being. Internationally, the Portuguese football was not a high priority at this stage. The 6-2 home win against Hungarian champions Újpest Budapest in the second round had expected with such clarity in any case the professionals. Benfica was at this time a team of " Nameless ", which was also true for Mário Coluna in the midfield and the attack by José Augusto José Águas. Against Aarhus GF was the team with the midfielders Fernando Cruz, Mário Coluna and Joaquim Santana for the first time in the role of favorite and put this with two hits into action. After the success in the semi-final against Rapid Vienna was before the finale on May 31, 1961 in Bern, FC Barcelona the clear favorite. Had not " Barca " in the second round of the five-time series champion Real Madrid turned off, brought to Spain in 1959 and 1960 the championship title in the Exhibition Cup 1958 and 1960 triumphs, and had with Luis Suárez European Footballer of the Year 1960 in the team. Since the Catalans attack by László Kubala, Sándor Kocsis, Zoltán Czibor and the Brazilian striker Evaristo - all internationally recognized sizes - was completed, Coluna and colleagues were clear in the underdog role.

As Coluna also still in the eighth minutes, a broken nose drew upon, Barcelona particular consider the game and after 21 minutes by Kocsis 1-0 took the lead, the negative predictions seemed to be coming true, that only Barcelona succeed Real could. But again returned to the game Coluna and Fernando Cruz took control in midfield, Coluna even scored the goal for the 3-1 lead and the Red -Whites Benfica picked up with a 3-2 win the European Cup of Champions 1960 / 61 Mário Coluna had played nine games in the competition and scored two goals. Even with the defense of the title on May 2, 1962 in Amsterdam 5-3 goals against Real Madrid - now were Eusébio and Simões in the attack - to Coluna contributed by the 3-3 equalizer in the scoresheet. From the Cup - winning 1962, the Benfica attack with Augusto, Eusebio, Aguas counted (later José Augusto Torres), Coluna and Simões to international parade Storm series.

The first European Cup final lost learned now as the successor of Águas as captain acting Coluna in 1963 against AC Milan. Without Germano and Águas Benfica lost in London with 1:2 goals. The collaboration with the Chilean national coach of the 1962 World Cup, Fernando Riera, designed in the Guttmann successor not having the desired success. With the championship win in 1963 took Coluna and his teammates Benfica also 1963/64, again participate in the European Cup. In the second round came by a 0-5 defeat at Borussia Dortmund on December 4, 1963 but already the early corner. With coach Elek Schwartz Coluna moved into its fourth European national champion finals in the season 1964/65. On May 27, 1965 Benfica lost the final in Milan 0-1 goals against Inter Milan, the team coached by Helenio Herrera.

This was followed in the European Cup two lean years: in the series 1965/66 different Coluna with Benfica in the quarter- final against Manchester United and 1966/67, it was not qualified for the Cup of Champions. On May 29, 1968 Mário Coluna stood with Benfica in his fifth final at the European Champions Cup. But in London he lost his third final match with 1:4 goals in extra time against Manchester United.

From 1957 to 1969 Mario Coluna completed 58 games in the European Cup of Champions - such as Alfredo Di Stéfano -, conducting the Benfica team in 37 matches as a captain on the field. Overall, its presence in the Cup of Champions up 12 years and two months lasted. In the European Cup era from 1955 to 1970 of the Benfica playmaker was one of the outstanding players and is put on a par with Eusébio, Ferenc Puskás and Luis Suárez.

National Team, 1955-1968

Mário Coluna debuted in the Seleção at age 19 on May 4, the 1955 international match against Scotland in Glasgow. In contrast to the many years of success with his club team Benfica Lisbon, is the national team of Portugal, only the successful World Cup qualifying in 1965 against Turkey, Romania and the Vice World Champion of the year 1962, Czechoslovakia, and the Football World Cup 1966 in England, as a success to book. At the World Cup Coluna completed all six games along with Jaime Graça in the middle of Portugal. In the group stages, Portugal was able to beat the reigning world champions Brazil and decided at the end of the match for third place against the Soviet Union 2-1 in itself. Coluna was the director and Eusébio the superior scorer. The captain of the Portuguese was also chosen in the middle of the All-Star teams in the 1966 World Cup. With the World Cup qualifier on 11 December 1968 in Athens against Greece Mário Coluna finished with 33 years of his career after 57 missions and eight goals in the national team of Portugal.

End of playing career

On September 27, 1967 Mário Coluna still led as captain of the World XI at the game in Madrid against Spain. Together with Mario Corso and Gianni Rivera, he was the middle of the World XI won the game with 3-0. As a farewell game of Coluna received Benfica on 8 December 1970, a selection at the Estádio da Luz Europe. 55,000 spectators Eusébio & Co prevailed 3-2 against the gates of captain Bobby Moore and coach László Kubala -led Europe - selection (including with Cruijff, Džajić, Hurst, Osgood, Seeler, Suárez ).

Coaches and officials

With the beginning of the independence of Mozambique in 1975 Coluna was coach in his home country. As a club coach, he won the championship with Textáfrica do Chimoio in 1976 and with Ferroviário Maputo 1982. With Ferroviário 1984, the trophy. Later he held the office of culture and sports minister. He was a member of the FIFA Goal Bureau in Mozambique and from 1998 to 2007 president of the Football Association of Mozambique, which is connected since the 2006 World Cup by a partnership project with the Bavarian Football Association.

Links / literature

• Mário Coluna, zerozero.pt (as of October 20, 2012 ).
• Coluna, Benfica 's midfield colossus, FIFA.com (by October 20, 2012 ).
• Matthias Weinrich: The European Cup from 1955 to 1974, Volume 1, AGON, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89784-252-6
• Michael Horn: Encyclopedia of international football stars, Verlag Die Werkstatt, 2004, ISBN 3-89533-466-9
• Hardy Green: Encyclopedia of European football clubs, AGON, 2000, ISBN 3-89784-163-0
• Uwe Nuttelmann: The great European football book, Volume 2, Sportverlag Nuttelmann, 1999, ISBN 3-930814-02-1
• European Champion Clubs' Cup (1955-1960), IFFHS.
• LIBERO International, No. 21, 1996, IFFHS