Coluna

Mário Esteves Coluna (6 August 1935 – 25 February 2014) was a Portuguese central midfielder. Nicknamed O Monstro Sagrado (The Sacred Monster), he played 525 official matches and scored 127 goals across 16 professional seasons, mostly for Benfica. With the club, he won 19 major trophies, including ten Primeira Liga titles and two European Cups. Coluna also earned 57 caps for Portugal and played at the 1966 World Cup.

Born in Inhaca, Portuguese Mozambique to a Portuguese father and a Mozambican mother, Coluna was discovered by Benfica while playing for Desportivo de Lourenço Marques, where he also excelled in basketball and track and field. He joined Benfica in 1954 as an inside forward, scoring a career-best 14 goals in 26 league games in his first season and winning his first Primeira Liga title. Under coach Otto Glória, he was converted into a central or attacking midfielder, using his stamina, strength, powerful long-range shooting, and technical skill.

Coluna captained Benfica from 1963 to 1970, leading the team in 328 matches. While playing for Olympique Lyonnais, his former club held a testimonial for him on 8 December 1970, featuring a UEFA selection that included Johan Cruyff, Dragan Džajić, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, Uwe Seeler, and Luis Suárez. He retired professionally at age 35 after one season in France, then spent a year as player-coach for amateur side Sport Clube Estrela from Portalegre.

Coluna scored in both European Cup finals Benfica won. In 1961, he beat Barcelona’s Antoni Ramallets from long range in a 3–2 win in Bern. The next year, against Real Madrid, he equalised at 3–3 and was set to take the penalty that gave Benfica a 4–3 lead (final score 5–3), but young teammate Eusébio asked to take it instead.

For Portugal, Coluna earned 57 caps and scored eight goals. His debut came in a 3–0 friendly loss to Scotland on 4 May 1955, and his last cap was a 4–2 defeat to Greece in a 1970 World Cup qualifier on 11 December 1968. He captained Portugal in all but one match during their third-place finish at the 1966 World Cup in England.

Coluna was known for his leadership, calm demeanor, respectfulness, vision, reading of the game, passing range, and powerful long shots.

After Mozambique’s independence in 1975, Coluna became president of its Football Federation. He also served as the country’s Minister of Sports from 1994 to 1999. He died on 25 February 2014 in Maputo at age 78 from a pulmonary infection.