Vítor Baía

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Vítor Baía
Personal information
Full name Vítor Manuel Martins Baía
Date of birth October 15, 1969 (age 37)
Place of birth    São Pedro da Afurada, Portugal
Height 1.86 m
Nickname Vítor Baliza
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club FC Porto
Number 99
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1989-1996
1996-1999
1999-		 FC Porto
FC Barcelona
FC Porto		 246 (0)
39 (0)
159 (0)
   
National team2
1990-2002 Portugal 80 (0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of August 22, 2006.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 12 June 2006.
* Appearances (Goals)

Vítor Manuel Martins Baía, pron. IPA: ['vitɔɾ bɐ'iɐ], (born 15 October 1969 in São Pedro da Afurada, Portugal), nicknamed "Vítor Baliza" (Portuguese for goalmouth), is a professional footballer who plays for Portuguese side FC Porto.

Contents

[edit] Goalkeeping

A FC Porto trainee, Baía debuted at 19 years of age (after being advised to quit after an arm injury when only sixteen) replacing Champions League winner Josef Mlynarczyk, who had fractured his shoulder during training. Baía's performances were good enough to keep the first choice goalkeeper out of the team, even after he recovered from his injury.

At the time he was also the indisputed first-pick for goal on the Portuguese youth national side. He had to resign from playing in the 1989 Football World Youth Championship, played mid-season, having already become the first-choice on goal for FC Porto. The club was very much involved in the title race and at European level, ending the season in second spot, and being eliminated by Valencia in the UEFA Cup.

This was the start of an career at club level, which saw the keeper win a record-breaking nine Portuguese league titles in sixteen years, six Portuguese Cups, one Spanish league title, two Spanish Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, one Champions League Cup, one UEFA Cup and one Cup Winners Cup.

He was the U-21 National Team goalkeeper, and had his debut for the main National Team, at 19 December 1990, in a 1-0 win over USA, in a friendly match. He went to have 80 caps for the Portuguese National Team until 2002. He played all the games in the Euro Cup 1996 and 2000 finals (except one in this last one) and in the World Cup 2002 finals.

Baía captured five first division titles and achieved the Portuguese record of most minutes unbeaten with 1191 minutes before departing with Bobby Robson to FC Barcelona in 1996-97. While he only missed one Spanish Liga game in his first season and captured a Cup Winners' Cup, he had severe knee problems which ruled him out for the next two seasons. Under team guidance of coach Louis van Gaal he was excluded from the team in favour of Ruud Hesp, and was loaned in mid-season back to FC Porto in the 98-99 season, filling the goalkeeper spot some said he had "haunted" since his departure, as several goalkeepers failed to convince in that position. Upon his return to FC Porto, Baia dropped his number 1 jersey and picked the number 99, the year of his return.

Just as his career seemed back on track, he was injured again halfway during the 1999-00 season. He had surgery in mid 2000 on his knees and never got in shape again, and had metallic plates inserted to avoid limping. Baia only returned late in the 01-02 season, after a couple of tests in FC Porto "B" side, but still in time to play in the 2002 World Cup.

[edit] A new beginning

Fit at the start of the season for the first time since 1999, Baía (now with a less flamboyant but more effective style) had to not only prove he was capable of handling the pressure, but to impress new national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Only a few weeks into the Superliga he had a disagreement with coach José Mourinho, which cost him the goalkeeper spot. After he apologized for the incident, he had one of the most impressive seasons of his career, winning his second European trophy, seventh league trophy and fourth Cup.

[edit] Grand slam

With the 3-0 FC Porto victory over AS Monaco in the 2004 UEFA Champions League he became the first Portuguese player to capture a Grand Slam (winning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup), a select group which Baía joins as only the tenth member.

[edit] The National team and the Euro 2004 controversy

After the failure in the 2002 World Cup, coach António Oliveira was sacked when he refused to quit. In his place, Luiz Felipe Scolari was called, and Baía, a stalwart for the past 10 years, with a record 80 caps in his position, was ditched. Although for the first games it looked a result of the 2002 World Cup. Baía was injured up to the competition and then a frequent scapegoat for national team poor results, although only from part of the supporters. Although the number of goals allowed in that competition was higher than expected, Baia managed to hold the team in the last minutes of their final match against South Korea when Portugal charged for a goal that would put them through to the play-off stage, effectively denying several threatening fast breaks from the Koreans.

With Scolari in charge during the Euro 2004 preparation matches the question was raised (by FC Porto fans), and while for some Baía should have been called, for others he should have quit the national team himself by 2002. Scolari always refused to comment on Baía, which led to further heated discussions in the public square. Despite winning a second Superliga title and the 2004 UEFA Champions League and being chosen by UEFA as the 2004 best goalkeeper in Europe[1], Baía was not called up again, and Scolari left him out of the Euro 2004 final 23 call-up.

It was claimed weeks before the start of the Euro 2004 tournament that Baía was the only player serving as a witness for Oliveira against the FPF. Some claim that Scolari had included the goalkeeper name in the final 23, but was forced to remove him. This claim is unsupported and has been denied by all involved.

[edit] The end?

At the start of the 2005/06 season coach Co Adriaanse stated that he didn't know what goalkeeper would be his primary player. After the pre-season ended, Baia was the one picked.

In the middle of the 2005/06 season Baia was replaced by Helton in the FC Porto goal. Although with Baia still in top form, coach Co Adriaanse elected Helton as a better choice to lead the team to the national championship after one bad game from Baia. While some disturbance was predicted by the press and stress between the two players, Helton publicly stated at the end of the season that he wouldn't have made it without Baia's support and that they became great friends in the process. At the season end, both players swaped jerseys for the title ceremonies and some of the press acknowledged Baia's role in the process with his superb professionalism towards Helton and his club. This fact was again used to criticize some of the allegations surrounding his absence from the national team due to poor "team spirit".

Baia is still part of the FC Porto official squad for Season 2006/07, his last on contract.

[edit] Player with most titles won ever

Vitor Baía achieved on 20 August 2004 the title of professional football player with most titles won and continued to expand it. Not only has he won 30 titles throughout his career, some of them are the top titles any professional player can win. Although he never won any title as goalkeeper for his national team he is one of the ten players to have won all the major European club titles.

The full list:

  • 9 Portuguese national league championships (89/90, 91/92, 92/93, 93/94, 95/96, 98/99, 02/03, 03/04, 05/06)
  • 7 Portuguese Supercups (89/90, 90/91, 92/93, 93/94, 02/03, 03/04, 05/06)
  • 5 Portuguese Cups (90/91, 93/94, 99/00, 02/03, 05/06)
  • 2 Spanish Cups (96/97, 97/98)
  • 1 UEFA Champions League Cup (03/04)
  • 1 UEFA Cup (02/03)
  • 1 Spanish national league championship (97/98)
  • 1 FIFA Intercontinental Cup (04)
  • 1 UEFA Cup Winner's Cup (96/97)
  • 1 Spanish Supercup (97/98)

On 26 February 2006, he played in his 400th game in the Portuguese championship on the way to his 9th national champion title.

[edit] Awards

[edit] The Autobiography

Although still active, Baia published his career autobiography in late 2005. The title of the book is "99 - Vitor Baia".

[edit] The Foundation

Such as other famous players like former national teammate Luís Figo, Baía created a foundation with his name. Shortly after the Euro 2004 final call-up, he announced a press conference in the Estádio do Dragão. While many expected him to "drop the bomb" on his absence from the national team, only a few knew beforehand what was the real subject of the callup - the announcement of the Fundação Vítor Baía, devoted to help needy children and teenagers.
One of the foundations' goals is to have the bicycle with most owners in the Guinness Book of Records, the BKI Always Number One.

[edit] External links


Flag of Portugal Portugal squad - 2000 European Football Championship Semi-finalists Flag of Portugal

1 Baía | 2 J. Costa | 3 Rui Jorge | 4 Vidigal | 5 F. Couto | 6 Paulo Sousa | 7 Figo | 8 João Pinto | 9 Sá Pinto | 10 Rui Costa | 11 S. Conceição | 12 P. Espinha | 13 Dimas | 14 Abel Xavier | 15 Costinha | 16 Beto | 17 P. Bento | 18 Pauleta | 19 Capucho | 20 Secretário | 21 Nuno Gomes | 22 Quim | Coach: Humberto Coelho
Flag of Portugal Portugal squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup Flag of Portugal

1 Baía | 2 J. Costa | 3 Abel Xavier | 4 Caneira | 5 F. Couto | 6 Paulo Sousa | 7 Figo | 8 João Pinto | 9 Pauleta | 10 Rui Costa | 11 S. Conceição | 12 H. Viana | 13 J. Andrade | 14 P. Barbosa | 15 Nélson | 16 Ricardo | 17 P. Bento | 18 Frechaut | 19 Capucho | 20 Petit | 21 Nuno Gomes | 22 Beto | 23 Rui Jorge | Coach: Oliveira
FC Porto - Current Squad

1 Helton | 2 R. Costa | 3 Pepe | 4 P. Emanuel | 5 Čech | 6 Ibson | 7 Quaresma | 8 Lucho | 9 Lisandro | 10 Anderson | 11 T. Sektioui | 12 Bosingwa | 13 Fucile | 14 B. Alves | 16 R. Meireles | 17 Vieirinha | 18 P. Assunção | 19 Šokota | 20 Jorginho | 21 Alan | 22 Rentería | 23 Postiga | 24 P. Ribeiro | 25 Lucas | 26 J. Paulo | 28 Adriano | 29 B. Moraes | 99 Baía | Manager: J. Ferreira
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