Rui Rodrigues Explained

Rui Rodrigues
Full Name:Rui de Gouveia Pinto Rodrigues
Birth Date:17 May 1943
Birth Place:Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique
Position:Centre-back
Years1:1962–1971
Caps1:210
Goals1:17
Years2:1971–1974
Caps2:47
Goals2:1
Years3:1974–1976
Caps3:48
Goals3:2
Years4:1976–1979
Caps4:33
Goals4:1
Totalcaps:338
Totalgoals:21
Nationalyears1:1967–1976
Nationalcaps1:12
Nationalgoals1:3
Manageryears1:1979–1980
Managerclubs1:Leça
Manageryears2:1980–1981
Managerclubs2:Beira-Mar
Manageryears3:1981–1982
Managerclubs3:União Coimbra
Manageryears4:1982
Managerclubs4:Beira-Mar
Manageryears5:1983
Managerclubs5:Oliveira Bairro
Manageryears6:1985
Managerclubs6:1º de Maio
Manageryears7:1995–1997
Managerclubs7:Benfica (youth)
Manageryears8:2000
Managerclubs8:Camacha

Rui de Gouveia Pinto Rodrigues (17 May 1943 – 23 February 2024) was a Portuguese football player and manager. He played as a centre-back.

Over the course of 17 seasons, Rodrigues amassed Portuguese top division totals of 338 games and 21 goals, representing Académica de Coimbra (two spells), S.L. Benfica and Vitória de Guimarães.

Rodrigues died on 23 February 2024, at the age of 80.[1]

Club career

Born in Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique, Rodrigues started at Grupo Desportivo 1º de Maio, after an unsuccessful try-out at Ferroviário de Lourenço Marques.[2] In 1962, he travelled to Portugal for a training session with the under-18 national team. Only a few months later, at the start of 1962–63 season, he joined Académica de Coimbra. First with José Maria Pedroto and then with Mário Wilson, Rodrigues spent nine seasons in Coimbra, helping them reach a fourth place in 1964–65 and a club record second place in 1964–67, plus reaching two Portuguese Cup finals, in 1967 and 1969.

In 1971, after years of refusing offers from larger clubs, he accepted a move to Benfica.[3] [4] He made his debut on 12 September 1971, in a home win to Porto and played a total of 25 matches throughout the season, winning a league and cup double, and reached the semi-final of the European Cup. During his spell at Benfica, he suffered minor injuries that hindered his progress in the team and with competition from Messias and others, the 31-year old chose to leave Benfica in 1974.[5]

Rodrigues then joined Vitória de Guimarães for two seasons, playing all of the league games in 1974–75 and receiving the captain armband in the following year, which ended with another Portuguese Cup final lost. Rodrigues returned to Académica in 1976, playing only 33 league appearances over three years, five of those in 1978–79 and with the team suffering relegation, the 36-year-old retired from football. In the following four years, he managed several teams, notably Leça and Beira-Mar (twice), returning to Benfica in 1995 on invitation of Artur Jorge to coach the under-12, winning the Campeonato Nacional de Infantis.

International career

Rodrigues gained 12 caps for Portugal, nine as an Académica player. He made his debut on 26 November 1967 against Bulgaria, in a 1–0 loss in Sofia for the UEFA Euro 1968 qualifiers.[6]

Rodrigues' last appearance was on 16 October 1976 against Poland, in a 2–0 home defeat for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.

Career statistics

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rodrigues goal.

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Honours

Académica

Benfica

1971–72, 1972–73

1971–72

Vitória de Guimarães

References

General

Specific

Notes and References

  1. https://maisfutebol.iol.pt/luto/benfica/morreu-rui-rodrigues-antigo-jogador-do-benfica Morreu Rui Rodrigues, antigo jogador do Benfica
  2. Web site: Alberto de Castro Abreu. Rui Rodrigues. Glórias do Passado. 9 October 2015. Portuguese. 3 February 2009.
  3. Arsenal: Campeão de Inglaterra, teste benfiquista para a campanha internacional. Diário de Lisboa. 18 July 1971. 17447. 27. 27 April 2017. Champions Arsenal to test Benfica for international campaign. Portuguese.
  4. Book: Malheiro. João. Memorial Benfica 100 Glórias. Benfica Memorial, 100 glories. July 2006. QuidNovi. 978-972-8998-26-4. Third. 126. Portuguese.
  5. Guimarães. Diário de Lisboa. 29 July 1974. 18523. 24. 17 April 2017. Portuguese.
  6. Web site: Rui Rodrigues. eu-football.info. 9 October 2015.