António André
Personal information
Full name António dos Santos Ferreira André
Date of birth (1957-12-24) 24 December 1957
Place of birth Vila do Conde, Portugal
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1971–1976 Rio Ave
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1976–1977 Rio Ave
1977–1979 Ribeirão
1979–1984 Varzim 136 (30)
1984–1995 Porto 276 (23)
Total 412 (53)
International career
1985–1992 Portugal 20 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

António dos Santos Ferreira André (born 24 December 1957) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

He gained notoriety for his tough tackling which on occasion bordered on the violent, and was best known for his lengthy spell with Porto, with which he won several domestic and continental accolades.[1]

Club career

At the age of 13, André entered hometown Rio Ave FC's youth system, as he complemented the sporting activities with fishing in the high sea, in which his family was involved – it was also one of the main activities at Vila do Conde, where he was born.

André signed his first professional contract in 1978, also up north with Varzim SC, although he continued to work with his family. Still, he produced four solid seasons at the club, scoring a career-high ten goals in 1983–84.[2]

Under the advice of legendary club manager José Maria Pedroto, FC Porto signed André in that summer. After initial difficulties due to injuries, he was firmly installed in the side's central midfield, remaining there for nine consecutive years and helping the team win 19 titles overall.

In his last two years, André was challenged for position by the player who regarded him as his role model, Paulinho Santos, and appeared less.[3] He retired at the age of 37, winning the Primeira Liga in his last season as Porto was managed by Bobby Robson, in what would be the first of five consecutive national titles for the club.

André retired in June 1995 with 379 games in the main division, scoring 41 goals and adding to that 48 matches with four goals in European competition. He then continued to work with Porto, as an assistant for several coaches; he was chosen by Portuguese sports newspaper Record as one of the best 100 Portuguese football players ever.

International career

André earned 20 caps for the Portugale national team, making his debut on 30 January 1985 in a friendly with Romania as the latter won it 3–2 in Lisbon. He represented the nation at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, playing in the entire 1–0 win against England and also appearing against Poland, but Portugal exited in the group stage.[4]

António André: International goals
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
129 March 1989Estádio José Alvalade (1956), Lisbon, Portugal Angola3–06–0Friendly

Personal life

André's son, André, is also a footballer and a midfielder. He too played for Porto and Varzim and the Portuguese national side.[5]

Honours

Bibliography

  • Dias, Rui – Record – 100 Melhores do Futebol Português – Volume I (Record – The 100 best of Portuguese Football); EDISPORT, 2002

References

  1. ↑ "Esquadrões imortais: Porto de 1982 a 1988, campeão europeu em 1987" [Immortal squads: 1982 to 1988 Porto, European champions in 1987] (in Portuguese). Universo Online. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "Época 1983/84: Primeira Divisão" [1983/84 season: First Division] (in Portuguese). Arquivos da Bola. 16 June 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "Paulinho Santos duzentas vezes na alma do dragão" [Paulinho Santos two hundred times in the dragon's soul]. Record (in Portuguese). 23 May 2001. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  4. ↑ "Já não se fazem jogadores como André" [They don't make players like André anymore] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 24 December 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "André André: a cópia perfeita que o FC Porto não quis" [André André: the perfect copy FC Porto did not want] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
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