António Simões da Costa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtɔniu siˈmõjʃ]; born 14 December 1943), known as Simões, is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a left winger.
,_Bestanddeelnr_927-7898.jpg) Simões in 1975 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | António Simões da Costa | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 December 1943[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Corroios, Portugal | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1957–1959 | Almada | ||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1961 | Benfica | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1961–1975 | Benfica | 312 | (46) | ||||||||||||||
| 1975–1976 | Boston Minutemen | 27 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 1975–1976 | Estoril | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1976–1977 | San Jose Earthquakes | 33 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | União Tomar | 16 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1978 | New Jersey Americans | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Dallas Tornado | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1979–1980 | Detroit Lightning (indoor) | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | Chicago Horizon (indoor) | 20 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 1981–1982 | Kansas City Comets (indoor) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 429 | (60) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1962–1973 | Portugal | 46 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1984 | Phoenix Inferno | ||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | Las Vegas Americans (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1991 | Austin Sockadillos | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | União Madeira | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Lusitânia | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Portugal Olympic | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Iran (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Iran B | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
He spent 14 professional seasons with Benfica, playing 449 official games and scoring 72 goals. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he represented several teams in the United States, and subsequently worked as a manager in both continents.[2]
Simões played more than 40 times for Portugal, including appearing at the 1966 World Cup.
Club career
Benfica
Born in Corroios, Seixal, Setúbal District, Simões joined S.L. Benfica when he was 15,[3] and was already an important first-team member just two years later, being part of the squads that won ten Primeira Liga championships and one European Cup. In the 1962 final of the latter competition, a 5–3 win against Real Madrid, he became the youngest ever player to conquer the tournament, at 18 years and four months.[2][4]
Simões left Benfica at the end of the 1974–75 season after winning his last league. He contributed 26 scoreless matches in the process.[2]
United States
Simões moved to the United States at the age of 32, signing with the Boston Minutemen of the North American Soccer League.[5] He spent two seasons in the city before moving to the San Jose Earthquakes in 1976, and subsequently the Dallas Tornado.
In 1979, Simões joined Major Indoor Soccer League club Detroit Lightning. After one season he moved to the Chicago Horizon, before finishing his career with the Kansas City Comets; he returned twice to his country during the off-season period, briefly representing G.D. Estoril Praia and U.F.C.I. Tomar.[6]
Immediately after quitting football, Simões was hired as coach of the Phoenix Inferno of the MISL.[7] He was dismissed in March 1984 and replaced by Ted Podleski, joining the Las Vegas Americans as assistant to Alan Mayer afterwards and also leaving in January 1985; in 1989, he was the SISL indoor season coach of the year with the Austin Sockadillos.[8]
International career
Simões made his debut with the Portugal national team on 6 May 1962, in a 2–1 friendly defeat to Brazil in São Paulo. He was a member of the squad that finished third in the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, scoring the first goal in the group stage opener against the same opponent (3–1 win).[9]
The recipient of 46 caps with three goals,[10] Simões missed the Brazil Independence Cup due to injury. He made his last appearance on 13 October 1973, in a 2–2 home draw against Bulgaria for the 1974 World Cup qualifiers.[11]
Simões joined Iran's coaching staff in April 2011, acting as assistant to compatriot Carlos Queiroz.[12] He left in February 2014, due to personal reasons.[13]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition[14] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 April 1964 | Hardturm, Zurich, Switzerland |  Switzerland | 0–2 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 19 July 1966 | Goodison Park, Liverpool, England |  Brazil | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1966 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 13 October 1973 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal |  Bulgaria | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1974 World Cup qualification |
Style of play
A diminutive winger known for his above-average skills, creativity and crossing, able to play with both feet,[15] Simões holds the record of youngest player (18 years and 139 days old) to play and win a European Cup final, when he appeared for Benfica against Real Madrid on 2 May 1962.[16]
Honours
Benfica
- Primeira Divisão: 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75[17]
- Taça de Portugal (4)[18]
- European Cup:[18] 1961–62
- Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 1961,[19] 1962[20]
Portugal
- UEFA European Under-18 Championship: 1961[3]
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1966[9]
References
Further reading
- Simões, António (December 2013). António Simões, personalidades e reflexões do mais jovem campeão europeu da história [António Simões, personalities and thoughts of the youngest European champion ever] (First ed.). QuidNovi. ISBN 978-989-554-977-1.
External links
- António Simões at ForaDeJogo (archived)
- António Simões national team profile at the Portuguese Football Federation (in Portuguese)
- António Simões at National-Football-Teams.com
- António Simões – FIFA competition record (archived)
- NASL/MISL profile
