Vítor Baía
Baía in 2016
Personal information
Full name Vítor Manuel Martins Baía
Date of birth (1969-10-15) 15 October 1969
Place of birth Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Académico Leça
1983–1988 Porto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1996 Porto 246 (0)
1996–1998 Barcelona 39 (0)
1999–2007 Porto 160 (0)
2001 Porto B 2 (0)
Total 447 (0)
International career
1989–1990 Portugal U21 8 (0)
1990–2002 Portugal 80 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vítor Manuel Martins Baía, OIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvitɔɾ βɐˈiɐ]; born 15 October 1969) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

One of the most decorated goalkeepers of all time,[1][2] his career was intimately connected with FC Porto, which he started representing professionally still in his teens, helping it to 26 titles and eventually remaining with the club in an ambassadorial role.

Also having played for Barcelona, Baía appeared with the Portugal national team in two European Championships and the 2002 World Cup.

Club career

Porto

Born in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto District, Baía joined FC Porto's youth ranks at 13 from also northern club Leça FC.[3] In early 1989, he renounced to appear at the FIFA World Youth Championship, as he had relegated Pole Józef Młynarczyk to the bench and his club was still chasing the Primeira Liga title, which eventually eluded them (second place).[4]

Baía made his first-team debut in a game against Vítoria de Guimarães, and did not lose his starting place for the following seven seasons, winning five leagues and two Taça de Portugal and conceding only 116 goals (16,5 goals per year).[5][6] It was between 1994 and 1996 that he made his name as a world-class goalkeeper, being voted for the "ESM Team of the Year" after the 1994–95 season and being named in the "IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1995" list, finishing sixth in the voting[7] and improving to fifth in the following year;[8] consequently, he was named in the Portugal squad for Euro 1996, being transferred after this tournament to Spain's FC Barcelona for the highest amount paid for a player in the position in the world.[5][6]

Barcelona

While he only missed one La Liga match in his first season, as Barcelona finished second to Real Madrid, adding that campaign's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Baía also suffered from knee problems during his two-and-a-half-year spell.[9]

Additionally, when Louis van Gaal took over at Barcelona from Bobby Robson, he was dropped from the team in favour of the manager's compatriot Ruud Hesp,[10] being subsequently loaned in mid-season back to Porto, filling the position some said he had "haunted" since his departure.

Porto return

In my opinion, no country can afford not to call the best European goalkeeper to its team, but that happened to me.

Vítor Baía, 17 December 2007[3]

In January 1999, Baía returned to Porto to find the No. 1 jersey unavailable, so he chose No. 99 instead, with the sales of that number being a success as well as the club's game attendances, highly related to the player's return.[3] When his career seemed back on track, he was injured again during the 1999–2000 season, needing a corrective surgery on his knee.[11]

Baía returned to Barcelona in the summer of 2000, being immediately released and signing with Porto.[12] After one year on the sidelines due to injury, he made his comeback in the 2001–02 campaign in a reserves match against S.C. Vila Real, on 26 November 2001.[13] Sixteen days later, he made his competitive debut against C.D. Santa Clara in the cup;[14] after a full recovery, he was included in the list for the 2002 World Cup.[15]

Baía was in great shape again in 2002–03, helping his team to win the league title, the cup and the UEFA Cup, appearing in 11 of 13 matches in the latter competition, including the semi-finals against S.S. Lazio where he saved a penalty kick,[16] and the final against Celtic.[17][18] It would not be until the following campaign when he regained full fitness again, and he would have one of the most impressive years of his career, winning the UEFA Champions League and his seventh league trophy – in the former competition, he played all games and minutes as Porto beat AS Monaco FC in the final (3–0)[18] and, consequently, he was selected as the "UEFA Club Best Goalkeeper of the Year",[19] being the first Portuguese goalkeeper to win this individual title. This was not, however, good enough for Euro 2004 selection, with Sporting CP's Ricardo being controversially preferred.[20] Later, in 2007, in a FIFA.com interview, Baía said: "(...) It's kind of strange because I was voted as being the best goalkeeper in Europe in the 2003/04 season and a few days before the squad for UEFA EURO 2004 was announced I'd won the Portuguese championship and the UEFA Champions League and even then I wasn't called up";[3] at the end of the season he was named in the list for "IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 2004", finishing eighth in the voting while Ricardo ranked 19th.[21]

At the start of 2005–06, under Dutch coach Co Adriaanse, Baía initially started the season but lost his status midway through it, being replaced by Brazilian Helton.[22] Although he was a part of the squad that won Porto's second league in a row the following campaign the player, in the last year of his contract, made only one league start, on the final league matchday, a 4–1 home win against C.D. Aves which would be his 700th official appearance; upon retiring at nearly 38, on 14 June 2007,[23] he became director of public relations with his main club,[3] leaving the post in late July 2010. He and Italian Stefano Tacconi are the only goalkeepers in history to have won the three main UEFA club competitions.[24]

International career

Baía made his Portugal senior debut on 19 December 1990 in a 1–0 friendly win over the United States, at the age of 21. He went on to make 80 appearances for the national team until 2002, playing in all the games in UEFA Euro 1996[25] and 2000 (except one in the latter, as they were already qualified) and in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.[26] In Euro 2000, he stopped Arif Erdem's penalty in the 2–0 defeat of Turkey in the quarter-finals.[27]

After the failure in the 2002 World Cup, coach António Oliveira was sacked when he refused to quit. Luiz Felipe Scolari was hired as his replacement and Baía, a stalwart for the past ten years with a record of caps in his position, was ditched.[28]

Personal life

In 2004, Baía founded a charity with his wife Alexandra Rodrigues de Almeida, which would bear his own name and would be dedicated to helping underprivileged children and troubled teens.[29][30][3] Also that year, he would donate a pair of his autographed gloves to be included in the UEFA Jubilee time capsule, a collection of UEFA memorabilia that was sealed underground in September, only opened 50 years hence.[31]

Baía published his autobiography entitled 99 – Vítor Baía in 2005. On 10 June 2008, he was made an Officer of the Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique by the president of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva.[32]

In August 2015, EA Sports announced Baía as part of their FIFA 16 Ultimate Team Legends, along with eight other former footballers.[33]

Career statistics

Club

[34][35]

Club League Season League Cup Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Porto Primeira Liga 1987–88 0000000000
1988–89 150000000150
1989–90 340006000400
1990–91 380106030470
1991–92 340104020410
1992–93 3402010020480
1993–94 3202011030480
1994–95 330006030420
1995–96 260006010330
Total 2460604901403150
Barcelona La Liga 1996–97 370108010470
1997–98 2000100030
Total 390109010500
Porto Primeira Liga 1998–99 160000000160
1999–2000 150109020270
2000–01 0000000000
2001–02 170002000190
2002–03 2501011000310
2003–04 3100013010450
2004–05 310006030400
2005–06 240106000310
2006–07 1000000010
Total 160030470602100
Career total 445010010502105750

International

Portugal[36]
YearAppsGoals
199010
199190
199270
1993100
199450
199560
1996120
199740
199860
199990
200060
200100
200250
Total800

Honours

Porto[37]

Barcelona[37]

Individual

Orders

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nair, Rohith (12 August 2015). "Footballers who have won the most trophies in club football". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Júlio César sobe ao top 3 dos jogadores com mais títulos no Mundo" [Júlio César climbs to the top 3 of the players with most titles in the world] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Baia: My brilliant career". FIFA. 17 December 2007. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  4. ↑ "Vítor Baía: a lenda nasceu há 30 anos" [Vítor Baía: the legend was born 30 years ago]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 11 September 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Biografia" [Biography] (in Portuguese). Official website. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  6. 1 2 "O futebolista com mais títulos mundias [sic]" [The footballer with the most world titles]. Jornal dos Desportos (in Portuguese). 2 April 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  7. ↑ Pierrend, José Luis. "IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1995". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  8. ↑ Pierrend, José Luis. "IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1996". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Rodrigo, Belén (12 December 2001). "Vitor Baia vuelve 19 meses después" [Vitor Baia returns 19 months later]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  10. ↑ Carbonell, Rafael (6 November 1997). "Las oraciones de Baía" [Baía's prayers]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Vítor Baía operado com êxito ao crónico joelho direito" [Vítor Baía successfully undergoes right knee surgery]. Record (in Portuguese). 11 December 1999. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  12. ↑ "Hesp heading home". BBC Sport. 15 August 2000. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  13. ↑ "Vítor Baía: "Foi a meu pedido que joguei na equipa B"" [Vítor Baía: "I played for the B team at my request"]. Record (in Portuguese). 26 November 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Vítor Baía ao seu posto com Mundial à vista" [Vítor Baía between the posts with World Cup in sight]. Record (in Portuguese). 12 December 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "Os 23 eleitos de Oliveira" [Oliveira's chosen 23]. Record (in Portuguese). 14 May 2002. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  16. ↑ "Porto cruise past Lazio". UEFA. 24 April 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  17. ↑ "Uefa Cup final player ratings". BBC Sport. 21 May 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  18. 1 2 Haisma, Marcel. "Manuel Martins Vítor Baía – Matches in European Cups". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  19. ↑ "Consagração de Vítor Baía" [Consecration of Vítor Baía]. Record (in Portuguese). 25 August 2004. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  20. ↑ "Scolari ruffles feathers". BBC Sport. 24 May 2004. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  21. ↑ Pierrend, José Luis. "IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 2004". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  22. ↑ "Adriaanse definiu prioridades: "Helton é o número um, Baía o dois"" [Adriaanse got priorities straight: "Helton is the number one, Baía the two"] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  23. ↑ "Former Portugal goalkeeper Vitor Baía retires". International Herald Tribune. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  24. ↑ Bevan, Chris (14 April 2009). "When Porto shocked Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  25. ↑ Hodgson, Guy (1 June 1996). "The rising force in Europe counting on their foreign legion; CHAMPIONSHIP COUNTDOWN: No 9 Portugal". The Independent. London. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  26. ↑ Pierrend, José Luis. "Vítor Manuel Martins Baía – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  27. ↑ "Portugal into semis at expense of ten-man Turkey". UEFA. 6 October 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  28. ↑ "Sem Baía naturalmente" [No Baía of course]. Record (in Portuguese). 27 April 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  29. ↑ "Vítor Baía cria fundação para jovens desfavorecidos" [Vítor Baía creates foundation for underprivileged youths]. Record (in Portuguese). 1 June 2004. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  30. ↑ "Fundação Vítor Baía" [Vítor Baía Foundation] (in Portuguese). Fundação Vítor Baía. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  31. ↑ "Jubilee time capsule ceremony". UEFA. 2 September 2004. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  32. ↑ "F.C. Porto: Vítor Baía condecorado por Cavaco Silva no 10 de Junho" [F.C. Porto: Vítor Baía decorated by Cavaco Silva on 10 June] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  33. ↑ "FIFA 16 player ratings – New legends". EA Sports. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  34. ↑ Vítor Baía at ForaDeJogo (archived)
  35. ↑ "Vitor Baia". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  36. ↑ "Vítor Baía". European Football. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  37. 1 2 Vítor Baía at Soccerway
  38. ↑ "Baía investido por Cavaco Silva" [Baía invested by Cavaco Silva]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 June 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
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