Amândio José Malta da Silva (born 19 February 1943) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a right back or a central defender.

Amândio Malta da Silva
Malta da Silva in 1972
Personal information
Full name Amândio José Malta da Silva
Date of birth (1943-02-19) 19 February 1943 (age 81)
Place of birth Benguela, Angola
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1964–1976 Benfica 138 (1)
1977 San Jose Earthquakes 5 (0)
1977 New England Oceaneers 16 (0)
1978–1981 Benfica Castelo Branco
1981–1982 Lusitano
1982–1983 Pêro Pinheiro
Total 159 (1)
International career
1971 Portugal 5 (0)
Managerial career
1979–1981 Benfica Castelo Branco
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career edit

Born Benguela, Portuguese Angola, Malta da Silva was discovered by S.L. Benfica's scouting team at Clube Nacional de Benguela.[1] He joined the club in 1964, and made his competitive debut on 3 January of the following year in an away win against Seixal FC, playing five more Primeira Liga games as the season ended in league conquest.[2][3] Facing heavy competition from Humberto Coelho, Germano, Raúl Machado and Jacinto Santos he appeared mainly in the Taça de Portugal, failing to feature in the league from 8 May 1965 to 23 March 1969.[4]

Malta da Silva had his breakthrough season at the age of 26, starting as right back for Benfica and playing 33 matches in 1969–70, where the Portuguese Cup was won.[5] In the following three campaigns, under Jimmy Hagan, he battled with Adolfo and Artur Correia for the position, but still appeared in over 60 league contests to win the three-peat;[6] however, starting from 1973–74, he gradually lost his importance in the squad, leaving the club in 1976 with official totals of 192 games and one goal.[1][7]

In 1977, Malta da Silva followed many teammates to the North American Soccer League.[8] He played with António Simões in the San Jose Earthquakes, and then moved to New England Oceaneers in American Soccer League.[8]

Two years later, Malta da Silva embarked on a managerial career with Sport Benfica e Castelo Branco, promoting them from the third division in his first season and finishing twelfth the following year to avoid relegation.[9]

International career edit

Due to his performances at club level, Malta da Silva received his first call-up to the Portugal national football team in 1971, during the UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying campaign. He made his debut on 17 February in a 1–3 loss in Belgium, and played four more games during the tournament, twice against Scotland and once against Denmark, earning his final cap on 21 November against Belgium.[10][11][12][13][14]

Honours edit

References edit

General

  • Tovar, Rui Miguel (2012). Almanaque do Benfica. Portugal: Lua de Papel. ISBN 978-989-23-2087-8.

Specific

  1. ^ a b Malheiro, João (July 2006). Memorial Benfica 100 Glórias [Benfica Memorial, 100 glories] (in Portuguese) (Third ed.). QuidNovi. p. 93. ISBN 978-972-8998-26-4.
  2. ^ Tovar 2012, p. 318.
  3. ^ Tovar 2012, p. 322.
  4. ^ Tovar 2012, p. 329,335,342,346.
  5. ^ Tovar 2012, p. 350,356.
  6. ^ Tovar 2012, p. 364,371,377.
  7. ^ Tovar 2012, p. 726.
  8. ^ a b "DaSilva Malta". NASL Jerseys. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Memórias: O Benfica e Castelo Branco de Malta da Silva" [Memoirs: Malta da Silva's Benfica e Castelo Branco] (in Portuguese). Reconquista. 18 October 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Belgium 3–0 Portugal". UEFA.com. 17 February 1971. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Portugal 2–0 Scotland". UEFA.com. 21 April 1971. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Portugal 5–0 Denmark". UEFA.com. 12 May 1971. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Scotland 2–1 Portugal". UEFA.com. 13 October 1971. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Portugal 1–1 Belgium". UEFA.com. 21 November 1971. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Especial 'Tetra'" ['Tetra' special edition]. Mística (in Portuguese). No. 33. Portugal: Impresa Publishing. April–June 2017. p. 78. ISSN 3846-0823.

External links edit