João Vieira Pinto

For other Portuguese footballers named João Pinto, see João Pinto.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Vieira and the second or paternal family name is Pinto.

João Pinto

File:Joao Pinto 2012.JPG Pinto in 2013
Personal information
Full name	João Manuel Vieira Pinto
Date of birth	(1971-08-19) 19 August 1971
Place of birth	Porto, Portugal
Height
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1982–1983	Águias da Areosa
1983–1988	Boavista
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1988–1989	Boavista	17	(4)
1990–1991	Atlético Madrileño	7	(2)
1991–1992	Boavista	34	(8)
1992–2000	Benfica	220	(64)
2000–2004	Sporting CP	115	(28)
2004–2006	Boavista	57	(11)
2006–2008	Braga	33	(3)
Total		483	(120)
International career
1989–1991	Portugal U20	18	(3)
1991–1994	Portugal U21	16	(5)
1991–2002	Portugal	81	(23)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

João Manuel Vieira Pinto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒwɐ̃w̃ ˈpĩtu]; born 19 August 1971) is a retired Portuguese professional footballer who played mostly as a forward.

Blessed with formidable playmaker skills and scoring ability, he made his name mostly at a domestic level and as a key figure in the Portuguese national team's "Golden Generation", collecting 138 caps and scoring 35 goals all categories comprised (81/23 for the senior team alone) and representing the country in one World Cup and two European Championships.

In the club level Pinto started his career with Boavista, but it was mainly associated with two of the biggest clubs in the country, Benfica and Sporting CP, with which he won one national championship each for a total of six major titles combined. Over the course of 19 first division seasons, he played in 450 games and netted 112 goals.

Football career

See also: List of international goals scored by João Vieira Pinto

As a youth, Pinto played for Bairro do Falcão (where he was born, in Campanhã, Porto's east side) and Águias da Areosa FC, and once tried to join FC Porto's youth system – refused, he moved to Boavista F.C. instead. As a child, he impressed with his speed and ball control, and was subsequently one of the brightest stars in Portugal's wins in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Riyadh and Lisbon, being the only player ever to have been on the winning side in this competition twice (along with goalkeeper Fernando Brassard, whom however did not play in the first tournament). Additionally, he made his first division debuts at only 17.

Pinto's performance in the first youth competition earned him a transfer to Atlético de Madrid in 1990, but he was placed instead with the club's B-team. After a forgettable season he rejoined Boavista, played every game, scored eight goals and helped his team win the 1992 Portuguese Cup, in a final against city rivals Porto; shortly after, he signed with S.L. Benfica.

Whilst with Benfica, Pinto's career was threatened in late 1992 by a collapsed lung during an international match for Portugal in Scotland for the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers – he did recover, but was unable to help Benfica win the title. However, in the next season, he played arguably the best football he ever played at the Eagles, his best moment coming in a derby against Sporting Clube de Portugal, where he scored three goals and was on the play of the remaining three in a massive 6–3 win at the Estádio José Alvalade; this result proved to be decisive for the club's clinching of the 1994 national championship.

Dubbed "The Golden Boy", Pinto won club captaincy from veteran António Veloso after the latter's retirement in 1995, but was unable to win a national title again. Arguably, the lack of quality of a poorly managed Benfica side played a part in his lack of development after 1995, as he was considered as the main talent of the Portuguese squad alongside playmaker Rui Costa; finally, after a wage dispute with Benfica's president João Vale e Azevedo, he was released from contract weeks before the UEFA Euro 2000 (making him the only free-agent in the competition), where he helped the national team reach the semifinals after scoring eight goals during the qualifying stage: on 13 June 2000, he netted through a header against England for a 3–2 group stage win, after a two-goal disadvantage.

After the end of the tournament Pinto had several offers from abroad, and after almost signing with Porto, he settled for Sporting instead, signing a four-year contract. After a relatively poor season in 2000–01, the Lions hired four-time Portuguese Golden Boot winner Mário Jardel, and Pinto returned to his golden years in a magnificent run which ended with the conquest of his second title; named the "father of the team" by the Brazilian, he played all but one game and scored nine goals.

Although a highly talented player, Pinto was also known for a series of red cards for aggression and bad tackles – his feud with Porto player and national teammate Paulinho Santos lasted for years, and both players would be frequently sent off after hitting each other. Other incidents that stirred some controversy included one case of aggression against a fireman during the half-time break and elbowing a C.F. Estrela da Amadora player during a practice match.

The lowest point, however, was when Pinto hit Argentine referee Ángel Sánchez (in the third group stage game, against South Korea, at the 2002 World Cup), who had sent him off after a bad tackle early in the match. He was suspended for six months.

Pinto ended his Portugal career with 81 caps, 23 goals, and appearances in Euro 1996, Euro 2000, and the 2002 World Cup. Never recovering fully from the incident at the World Cup, he failed to impress in the following seasons, when Sporting failed to reach the top two spots, and in 2004 he was released from contract, returning to Boavista. Although he was close to signing with Al-Hilal FC of Saudi Arabia in the January transfer window, he remained with his first professional club.

After a second season carrying Boavista's squad (who almost qualified for UEFA Cup, with Pinto scoring nine league goals and receiving numerous Man of the match awards), Pinto accepted the invitation of S.C. Braga's board in July 2006, signing for one season. He netted twice in 24 appearances in an eventual fourth-place finish for the Minho side, and extended his contract for the 2007–08 season; however, during February 2008, he trained with Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and, late into that month, announced the termination of his contract at Braga, retiring shortly after at nearly 37 years of age.

Personal life

Still in his teens, Pinto had two children from his first marriage to Carla Baía. The elder, Tiago, first played professionally with C.D. Olivais e Moscavide; in 2008 he married television presenter Marisa Cruz, with the couple divorcing five years later.

Pinto's younger brother, Sérgio, was also a footballer, having played almost exclusively in the lower leagues of Portugal and one year in England.

Statistics

Club

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Boavista	1988–89	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	1989–90	11	3	0	0	2	2	13	5
	Total	17	3	0	0	2	2	19	5
Atlético Madrid B	1990–91	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Boavista	1991–92	34	8	5	0	4	0	43	8
	Total	34	8	5	0	4	0	43	8
Benfica	1992–93	21	7	6	1	4	1	31	9
	1993–94	34	15	2	1	8	2	44	18
	1994–95	24	4	5	1	7	1	36	6
	1995–96	31	18	6	4	5	1	42	23
	1996–97	28	7	6	6	6	3	40	16
	1997–98	25	6	3	1	2	0	30	7
	1998–99	28	4	1	0	7	3	36	7
	1999–00	29	3	1	0	5	0	35	3
	Total	220	64	30	14	44	11	294	89
Sporting CP	2000–01	31	6	5	1	5	0	41	7
	2001–02	33	9	6	2	5	1	44	12
	2002–03	25	8	1	0	0	0	26	8
	2003–04	26	5	1	0	4	0	31	5
	Total	115	28	13	3	14	1	142	32
Boavista	2004–05	26	2	4	1	0	0	30	3
	2005–06	31	9	1	1	0	0	32	10
	Total	57	11	5	2	0	0	62	13
Braga	2006–07	24	2	0	0	0	0	24	2
	2007–08	9	1	0	0	0	0	9	1
	Total	33	3	0	0	0	0	33	3
Career total		476	117	56	20	75	15	605	152

Honours

Club

Boavista

• Taça de Portugal: 1991–92

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 1993–94
• Taça de Portugal: 1992–93, 1995–96

Sporting

• Primeira Liga: 2001–02
• Taça de Portugal: 2001–02
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2001

Country

Portugal

• UEFA European Championship: Third place 2000
• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1989, 1991
• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: Runner-up 1994
• UEFA European Under-18 Championship: Runner-up 1988, 1990
• UEFA European Under-16 Championship: Runner-up 1988

Individual

• Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 1992, 1993, 1994
• Portuguese League Player of the Month: February 2006

External links

• João Vieira Pinto at footballzz.co.uk
• João Vieira Pinto profile at ForaDeJogo
• João Vieira Pinto profile at BDFutbol
• João Vieira Pinto at National-Football-Teams.com
• João Vieira Pinto – FIFA competition record