Humberto Coelho

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is de Jesus and the second or paternal family name is Coelho.

Humberto Coelho

Coelho in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Humberto Manuel de Jesus Coelho
Date of birth	(1950-04-20) 20 April 1950
Place of birth	Cedofeita, Portugal
Height
Position(s)	Centre back
Youth career
1964–1966	Ramaldense
1966–1968	Benfica
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1968–1975	Benfica	188	(24)
1975–1977	Paris Saint-Germain	42	(7)
1977	Las Vegas Quicksilvers	22	(3)
1977–1984	Benfica	167	(32)
Total		419	(66)
International career
1968–1983	Portugal	64	(6)
Managerial career
1985–1986	Braga
1986	Salgueiros
1997–2000	Portugal
2000–2002	Morocco
2003–2004	South Korea
2005–2006	Al-Shabab
2008–2009	Tunisia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Humberto Manuel de Jesus Coelho (born 20 April 1950) is a retired Portuguese footballer and manager.

In a career mainly associated with Benfica, the central defender also competed professionally in France and the United States, during a 16-year career. He gained more than 60 caps for Portugal, being the player with the most appearances for several years.

Coelho worked as a manager since 1985, also being in charge of several national teams including his own.

Playing career

Born in Cedofeita, Porto, Coelho was regarded as one of the best stoppers in Portuguese football, imposing himself in Lisbon-based S.L. Benfica's first team at the age of 18 – four years later, he had already played in 101 Primeira Liga matches for the Eagles. On 27 October 1968, he made his debut for Portugal, in a 3–0 win over Romania for the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifying stages; during the next 15 years, he would appear in a further 63 internationals, scoring six goals.

From 1975 and during two seasons, Coelho played abroad with Paris Saint-Germain FC, continuing to display the traditional offensive penchant in spite of his position as he netted six times, although the side could only finish in 14th position in Ligue 1.

Subsequently, he returned to Benfica, helping it to further leagues (three) and domestic cups (four). He last appeared for the national team at the age of 33, during the 0–5 defeat in the Soviet Union for the UEFA Euro 1984 qualifiers. Portugal would qualify for the final stages in France, but he was severely injured during that period and retired shortly after, having appeared for his main club in 496 competitive matches – 355 in the league alone – and scoring 76 goals.

Humberto Coelho: International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	10 May 1970	Estádio Nacional, Lisbon, Portugal	Italy	1–2	1–2	Friendly
2	29 March 1972	Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal	Cyprus	1–0	4–0	1974 World Cup qualification
3	14 June 1972	Estádio do Arruda, Recife, Brazil	Iran	0–3	0–3	Brazilian Independence Cup
4	18 June 1972	Estádio do Arruda, Recife, Brazil	Chile	0–1	1–4	Brazilian Independence Cup
5	17 December 1980	Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal	Israel	1–0	3–0	1982 World Cup qualification
6	17 December 1980	Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal	Israel	3–0	3–0	1982 World Cup qualification

Managerial career

More than one decade after starting as a coach, with spells with S.C. Salgueiros and S.C. Braga, both in the top level, Coelho led Portugal to the semi-finals of Euro 2000, but his contract was not renewed.

Late into that same year, he was appointed national coach of Morocco, being released after the Atlas Lions failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

After a third spell with a national team, South Korea, which ended after roughly one year with the manager claiming he had not had enough time to form a competitive side, Coelho joined another one in 2008, Tunisia, after a brief return to club action in Saudi Arabia.

On 18 November 2009, Coelho was fired as national coach of Tunisia, following a 0–1 loss in Mozambique for the 2010 World Cup qualification, which ended the country's streak of three consecutive presences in the tournament. Subsequently, he acted as a director in the Portuguese Football Federation.

Honours

Club

Benfica

• Primeira Liga (8): 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1982–83
• Taça de Portugal (6): 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1984–85; Runner-up 1970–71, 1973–74, 1974–75
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1980; Runner-up 1981, 1983
• Taça de Honra (7)

Country

Portugal

• Brazilian Independence Cup: Runner-up 1972

Individual

• Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 1974

External links

• Humberto Coelho at footballzz.co.uk
• Humberto Coelho profile at ForaDeJogo
• Humberto Coelho manager stats at ForaDeJogo
• Humberto Coelho at National-Football-Teams.com

Sporting positions
Preceded by Eusébio	Portugal captain 1973–1983	Succeeded by Manuel Bento