Malta da Silva
Portuguese footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amândio José Malta da Silva (born 19 February 1943) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a right back or a central defender.
.jpg)
|
Malta da Silva in 1972 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Amândio José Malta da Silva | ||
| Date of birth | 19 February 1943 | ||
| Place of birth | Benguela, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | 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
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
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]
