Manuel António Leitão da Silva (born 29 January 1946), known as Manuel António, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a striker.

Manuel António
Personal information
Full name Manuel António Leitão da Silva
Date of birth (1946-01-29) 29 January 1946 (age 78)
Place of birth Santo Tirso, Portugal
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1961–1963 Tirsense
1963–1964 Académica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1964–1965 Académica 26 (20)
1965–1968 Porto 44 (30)
1968–1977 Académica 206 (84)
1977–1978 União Leiria
Total 276 (134)
International career
1969 Portugal 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 247 matches and 111 goals over 12 seasons, with Académica (two spells) and Porto.

Club career

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Manuel António was born in Santo Tirso, Porto District. In a 14-year professional career, he played almost exclusively for two teams; having started out at Académica de Coimbra, his excellent performances earned him a transfer – at only 19 – to FC Porto, where he appeared sparingly over three years (still managing to score regularly).[1]

In 1968, Manuel António returned to Académica, being crowned the Primeira Liga's top scorer in the first season in his second spell, with the Students finishing in sixth place.[2] He all but saw out his career eight years later at the same club, still having a further four campaigns in double digits.

International career

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Manuel António won four caps for Portugal in eight months, his debut coming on 6 April 1969 in a 0–0 friendly draw against Mexico.[3]

Later life

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After retiring, Manuel António majored in medicine, being in charge of Coimbra's Portuguese Institute of Oncology for several years.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b ""Tive convites de Benfica, Sporting e FC Porto"" ["I had offers from Benfica, Sporting and FC Porto"] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. ^ Claro, Paulo; Preston, Simon; Nunes, João; Di Maggio, Roberto. "Portugal – List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Lista completa dos internacionais portugueses" [Complete list of Portuguese internationals] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 18 February 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
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