Humberto Coelho

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Cedofeita, Porto, Coelho was regarded as one of the best stoppers in Portuguese football, imposing himself in Lisbon-based Benfica's first team at the age of 18 – four years later, he had already played in 101 Primeira Liga matches for the club. On 27 October 1968 he made his debut for Portugal, in a 3–0 win over Romania for the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifying stages; during the next 15 years he would appear in a further 63 internationals, scoring six goals while acting as captain on 30 occasions. From 1975 during two seasons, Coelho played abroad with Paris Saint-Germain. He continued to display the traditional attacking penchant in spite of his position as he netted six times in his first year, although the side could only finish in 14th position in Ligue 1. Subsequently, Coelho returned to Benfica, helping to the conquest of a further three leagues and four domestic cups. He last appeared for the national team at the age of 33, during the 0–5 defeat in the Soviet Union for the UEFA Euro 1984 qualifiers – Portugal would qualify for the final stages in France, but he was severely injured during that period and retired shortly after, having appeared for his main club in 496 competitive matches (355 in the league alone) and scoring 76 goals.

In Their Own Story

Coelho's playing days spanned from 1968 to the early 1980s, marked by 496 competitive matches for Benfica and 76 goals. After retiring as a player, he began managing in 1985. He led Portugal to the Euro 2000 semi-finals, then managed Morocco, South Korea (where they lost to Vietnam), and Tunisia. His tenure with Tunisia ended on 18 November 2009 after a loss to Mozambique. Later, he served as a director for the Portuguese Football Federation.

Reader's Guide

More than one decade after starting as a coach, with spells with Salgueiros and Braga, both in the top level, Coelho led Portugal to the semi-finals of Euro 2000. However, his contract was not renewed, and late into that same year he was appointed manager of Morocco, being released after the Atlas Lions failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. After a spell with South Korea, which ended after roughly one year after a surprise loss to Vietnam, Coelho joined another one in 2008, Tunisia, after a brief return to club action in Saudi Arabia. On 18 November 2009, he was fired following a 0–1 loss in Mozambique for the 2010 World Cup qualification, which ended the country's streak of three consecutive presences in the tournament. Subsequently, Coelho acted as a director in the Portuguese Football Federation.

Did You Know?

• Coelho met his future wife, Laurence, shortly after moving to Paris in 1975. She worked as a freelance reporter for RTL, and the couple became parents to two daughters, born in 1980 and 1986.
• Coelho captained Portugal on 30 occasions, not 23 as sometimes reported.
• The source article states Coelho won Portuguese Footballer of the Year in 1974, but this is contradicted by the flagged problem; the source is silent on the award's first year, so the matter is unclear.