João Pires (footballer)

João António Gonçalves Correia Pires (born 19 November 1970) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a left winger.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Gonçalves and the second or paternal family name is Pires.
João Pires
Personal information
Full name João António Gonçalves Correia Pires
Date of birth (1970-11-19) 19 November 1970
Place of birth Cascais, Portugal
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Left winger
Youth career
1983–1986 Alapraia
1986–1989 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1992 Benfica 1 (0)
1989–1991 → Estoril-Praia (loan) 65 (4)
1992–1994 Estoril-Praia 27 (0)
1994–1999 Académica 78 (5)
1999 Alverca 18 (0)
1999–2000 Estrela Amadora 2 (0)
2000–2002 Estoril-Praia 25 (1)
Total 216 (10)
International career
1987 Portugal U16 7 (1)
1991 Portugal U21 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Developed at Benfica, he amassed 71 Primeira Liga appearances, spending six years at Estoril-Praia and five and half at Académica. Pires also earned 8 caps for Portugal from under–16 to under–21 level.

Football career

Born in Cascais, Pires started at Sporting Alapraia, spending three seasons there before finishing his development at Benfica in 1989. His first two seasons as a professional were on a loan deal to Estoril-Praia, where he help them win promotion to the first tier in 1990–91, with 37 appearances and three goals.

In 1991, he was recalled back to Benfica but only played two times during the season, a first round match for the European Cup against Hamrun Spartans and a league game against Marítimo on match-day 24.[1][2][3] He left the club the following year and rejoined Estoril-Praia, where he battled with Ilia Voynov for the left winger role in the starting XI, playing 27 league games during two seasons.

In 1994, the 24 year-old moved to Académica and spent five and half years there, winning promotion in 1996–97, amassing nearly 80 league caps between the second and the top tier. In January 1999, he signed a two-year deal with Alverca, helping them finish 14th and avoid relegation. He changed teams again during the summer, moving to Estrela Amadora on 17 June 1999, after terminating his contract with Alverca.[4]

Suffering from lack of opportunities, in June 2000, he was contacted by Estoril, as he admitted: "I was contacted by the Estoril management, but right now, I still need to fix my situation with Estrela da Amadora, as I have another year in my contract.".[5] After agreeing the move, Pires was regularly used in the first year, retiring a year later, at 32.[6]

References
  1. Tovar 2012, p. 511.
  2. Tovar 2012, p. 513.
  3. "Possível regresso de João Pires à Luz" [Possible return of João Pires to Benfica]. Record (in Portuguese). 30 September 1999. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  4. "João Pires assina pelo E. Amadora" [João Pires signs with E.Amadora]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 June 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  5. "Estoril Praia quer João Pires" [Estoril-Praia wants João Pereira]. Record (in Portuguese). 3 July 2000. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  6. "Estoril aposta na subida" [Estoril bets on the ascend]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 July 2000. Retrieved 16 September 2015.

Bibliography

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