Fernando Cruz (footballer)
Portuguese footballer (1940–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fernando da Conceição Cruz (12 August 1940 – 16 August 2025) was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a left-back, most notably for Benfica and the Portugal national team.
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Cruz with Benfica in 1965 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fernando da Conceição Cruz | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 12 August 1940 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 16 August 2025 (aged 85) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Lisbon, Portugal | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Left-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1956–1959 | Benfica | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1959–1970 | Benfica | 227 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1970–1971 | Paris Saint-Germain | 24 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 251 | (0) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1968 | Portugal | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
Born in Lisbon, Cruz was already first choice with Benfica at the age of 20, going on to win eight Primeira Liga championships with the club as well as four Portuguese Cups. He played in all five European Cup finals the side reached in the 60s, winning the 1961 and 1962 editions and appearing in 346 official games during his 11-year stint (one goal).[1]
Cruz ended his professional career in June 1971, after one year with newly-formed Paris Saint-Germain.[2] After leaving France he headed to South America, and later to the United States, working as a manager in the latter nation.[3]
International career
Cruz played 11 matches for Portugal,[4] his first appearance being on 21 May 1961 in a 1–1 friendly draw with England.[5] He was included in Otto Glória's squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup finals, failing to make an appearance for the third-placed nation.[6]
Personal life and death
Cruz was a supporter of Benfica. In 2008, he was honoured by the club for his achievements, in the presence of his friend and well-known footballer Eusébio.[7]
On 23 September 2012, Cruz acted as "honour guest" of Benfica's supporters association in Canas de Senhorim in the Central Region of Portugal.[7] He died on 16 August 2025 following a long illness, four days after his 85th birthday.[8]
Honours
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69[9]
- Taça de Portugal: 1961–62, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70[10]
- European Cup:[10] 1960–61, 1961–62; runner-up 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68
- Intercontinental Cup runner-up 1961,[11] 1962
Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal
- FIFA World Cup third-place: 1966[6]
